Page 18 - Summer2016Gazette

18 Athletics Report
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overwhelming support.) Such is travelling supporters had more But we’re not a team that gives
the level of competition that we to cheer with Issie Hilditch in. Despite having undertak-
had now slipped to 4th equal in dominating the sprint hurdles to en one of the most gruelling
the standings. The team man- produce a comfortable defence doubles on offer and having had
ager had also downgraded his of her title. little recovery time, Katy-Ann
prediction of the winning score volunteered to step in. After
to 112 points (which had been Checked by the Czechs fine legs from Belinda Clark,
good enough in 2013), a score It was now between us, the Issie Hilditch and Megan Walsh,
we could still meet, but, with Turkish defending champions she ran a consummate anchor
seven events to go, we would and the local hosts from Brno to bring us home in 2nd place...
need to medal in every one of and they weren’t about to make behind a very strong Czech
them and we couldn’t afford too things easy for us. We were quartet.
many of them to be bronze or picking up the medals we need-
for our closest competitors to ed but every time we seemed to Déjà vu but a Better Perfor-
match us! be joined by those two teams on mance
the podium. Jess Keene, winner We’d won all the seven medals
The fight back begins in both Istanbul and Castellon, but had come up just short
And so our fight back began. In was our rep in the final individ- again: Fenerbahce had won with
the 200m, Immanuela Aliu was ual event of the day, the 3000m. 110 points, AK Olymp Brno
just run out of 2nd place, but we In the previous races, Jess had had 107 and we had 104, with
had the first of those medals. led from the front and ground a significant gap to the Danes,
Katy-Ann McDonald was next down the field before romping Sparta AM in 4th. The points
back on the track. Again she to victory. She applied the same gap between 1st, 2nd and 3rd
controlled the race from the tactics this year almost to the was identical to that in 2013!
front, ensuring the early pace same effect, but she couldn’t Déjà vu all over again, indeed.
was manageable after her earlier shake off the Turkish runner The team manager, summed
800m, and again she led into the who made an early run for home up the day: ‘ This was another
final straight. In the closest race with 800m to go, opening a gap magnificent performance from
of the day there was nothing that Jess was unable to close. the girls and I’m immensely
between her and her Danish The Czechs could ‘only’ manage proud of them. We just missed
opponent over the last 80m, 4th. out last year and, after what was
with the latter just squeezing in Thus, with only the relays to an even better performance this
at the finish. Another fine silver go, we were still in the hunt, year, we’ve done so again. But,
for Katy-Ann. We were still in but the odds were beginning to they deserve to be European
with a chance. look against us. We don’t usually Champions and we’ll go away
The last field event of the think about losing the 4x100m, and see if we can’t make it
afternoon saw almost half the but we all know it’s all about actually happen next year, when
field take a liking to Bekah GTBR and our quartet of Parris we’ll have the boys there too to
Walton’s javelin. She remained Johnson, Maya Bruney, Imman- cheer us on.’
completely unfazed by this and uela Aliu and Modupe Shokunbi It is a measure of the standards
ensured it was available for each didn’t disappoint, bringing us we set for ourselves that we
of her 4 throws, allowing her home comfortably, followed in could be disappointed having
to put together one of her best by... Fenerbahce and AK Olymp finished in the top three in the
ever series. There was clearly a Brno. The game was, barring top European clubs competi-
really big throw in there trying something extraordinary, pretty tion. But it will only make us try
to get out and maybe two more much up and with Maya Bruney all the harder next year. Look
attempts might have released it, deciding she was unable to take out Castellon!
but Bekah had to settle for 3rd. her place in the long relay, even
We weren’t giving up and the a miracle might not be enough. Tim Soutar