Page 49 - Summer2014Gazette
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Club News                          47

Scott in frame for another Olympic selection
whilst Dinah breaks records at Beijing

As in 2011 Scott Overall        too good for twice Olympic        Gazette that she was not
achieved the Olympic            Champion and several times        worried about winning
marathon qualifying time        World Champion Jamaican           medals at the highest level
at the Berlin marathon, on      Veronica Campbell-Brown,          of competition, “I’d love to
September 27th 2015, by         and Olympic medallist the         have got a medal but to be
finishing 10th in a race won    American Jeneba Tarmoh,           in that calibre of race, seeing
by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge,      who was also left in her          Dafne run 21.63, I’m really
while Scott was the third       slipstream.                       not disappointed,” she said.
European athlete to finish.     “I was quite nervous,” said       “I gave it my all, which is all I
Of real significance though     Dinah, who was the only           could ask for. “To be in a race
his finishing time of 2 hours   British woman to reach the        when two of the girls were
11 minutes and 24 seconds       final, “Campbell-Brown and        running 21.6, I was thinking,
was well inside the qualifying  Jeneba are such inspirations      ‘I know I’m really trying my
time 2.17.00 and only 29        and Olympic Champions. So         best… when I crossed the line
seconds off his personal best.  I was quite happy I was able      I was just open-mouthed. I’m
Hopefully it will enable him    to ease down. And you kind        flabbergasted, it’s absolutely
to gain selection for team GB   of have to when you have one      amazing.”
in the Olympics in Rio.         of the biggest races ever the     Meanwhile Lorraine Ugen
In Beijing at the World         next day.”                        qualified for the final of the
Championships in August         Dinah went on to run another      long jump with a confident
Blackheath and Bromley were     personal best in the final on     6.79m. Into the final she had
represented by Dina Asher-      August 28th clocking a time of    mixed success with her various
Smith in the sprints and        22.07 seconds to eclipse Kathy    jumps, registering 6.85m in her
Lorraine Ugen in the Long       Cook’s previous mark set at       second jump and progressing
Jump.                           the 1984 Olympic Games.           to the final three rounds.
To begin with Asher Smith       To achieve this suggests          However a couple of no jumps
ran the fastest first round     that she had competed in          prevented her from finishing
200 metres heat in World        one of the quickest races of      in the medals and in the end
Championship History with a     all time, and it was, being       she secured fifth place.
personal best of 22.22. Then    won by Dutchwoman Dafne
in her semi-final she was far   Schippers in 21.63sec with
                                all medallists finishing under
                                22 seconds. Dinah herself
                                finished fifth and said she was
                                “absolutely over the moon”
                                at her performances. “I’ve
                                run three personal bests three
                                days in a row and ended with
                                a 22.07, which is also a British
                                record, so I’m a really, really
                                happy girl.”
                                Having declared in an
                                interview covered by the
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