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| Jo Pavey strikes gold at 40 with mother of all victories in Zurich | Jo Pavey strikes gold at 40 with mother of all victories in Zurich |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| There were ovations in the stands, whoops of joy from team-mates, and the sound of millions of crashing jaws across Europe as Britain’s Jo Pavey became the oldest ever woman to be crowned European champion with a brilliant, brave and spirit-lifting 10,000m victory. | |
| Pavey, who turns 41 next month, is a mother of two. Her youngest daughter, Emily, was born only 11 months ago. For so many years she has accumulated silvers and bronzes and near misses. Now, finally, she has her first taste of gold. | Pavey, who turns 41 next month, is a mother of two. Her youngest daughter, Emily, was born only 11 months ago. For so many years she has accumulated silvers and bronzes and near misses. Now, finally, she has her first taste of gold. |
| But she had to do it the hard way, kicking for home just before the bell and holding off the attentions of the French athlete Clémence Calvin, who is 16 years her junior. | |
| “I just can’t believe it,” said Pavey. “I tried to do a controlled last lap because I didn’t want to blow up on the home straight. I didn’t know how close the other girls were, so I thought: just give it all you’ve got and you can’t regret anything.” | “I just can’t believe it,” said Pavey. “I tried to do a controlled last lap because I didn’t want to blow up on the home straight. I didn’t know how close the other girls were, so I thought: just give it all you’ve got and you can’t regret anything.” |
| In the early stages she was up with the pace, in fourth or fifth, mindful of keeping out of danger in the second lane. When the pace finally flared up, with three laps to go, Pavey was in a breakaway of five, and she tracked the leaders smartly before timing her burst for the line perfectly to win in 32:22.39, a second clear of Calvin. Then, after a performance of stone, a moment of silk as she tenderly hugged her 11-month old baby Emily and her older son Jacob. | In the early stages she was up with the pace, in fourth or fifth, mindful of keeping out of danger in the second lane. When the pace finally flared up, with three laps to go, Pavey was in a breakaway of five, and she tracked the leaders smartly before timing her burst for the line perfectly to win in 32:22.39, a second clear of Calvin. Then, after a performance of stone, a moment of silk as she tenderly hugged her 11-month old baby Emily and her older son Jacob. |
| “We just thought the stadium has got stuff around it so if Emily got upset my mum could take her out,” said Pavey. “We thought we would gamble on it. | “We just thought the stadium has got stuff around it so if Emily got upset my mum could take her out,” said Pavey. “We thought we would gamble on it. |
| “It made me feel really emotional to have her watch it, it’s the first time she’s seen me run in a major championships.” | “It made me feel really emotional to have her watch it, it’s the first time she’s seen me run in a major championships.” |
| Pavey’s story loses nothing in its retelling: she was still breastfeeding in April. She has not attended any training camps and was forced to do her speed work on a track in Yeovil, an hour’s drive away, because her local one in Exeter is being resurfaced. | Pavey’s story loses nothing in its retelling: she was still breastfeeding in April. She has not attended any training camps and was forced to do her speed work on a track in Yeovil, an hour’s drive away, because her local one in Exeter is being resurfaced. |
| Yet here she added another medal to the bronze in Glasgow a fortnight ago and two silvers, at the European Championships in Helsinki in 2012 and at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. In between there have been trips up to the marathon, cross-country medals and numerous national titles. And Pavey, a four-time Olympian, has not ruled out competing in Rio in 2016 either. | |
| Meanwhile in the men’s 100m James Dasaolu showed enough in the first round of the 100m to suggest that he is fit and means business. Dasaolu won his heat in 10.22 sec – the slowest of the five heat winners – but he was easing down as early as 40m and appeared to be watching the clock for most of the race. | Meanwhile in the men’s 100m James Dasaolu showed enough in the first round of the 100m to suggest that he is fit and means business. Dasaolu won his heat in 10.22 sec – the slowest of the five heat winners – but he was easing down as early as 40m and appeared to be watching the clock for most of the race. |
| But Dasaolu faces a battle from two Frenchmen – the reigning champion Christophe Lemaitre, who won his heat in 10.16, and the favourite Jimmy Vicaut, who looked mightily impressive as he coasted through in 10.06sec and afterwards claimed he was in shape to go sub 9.9 sec. But a couple of other Englishmen, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Dwain Chambers, might yet have a say in proceedings too. Chambers, who first ran in Zurich in 1997 as a 19-year-old when he defeated Carl Lewis, expects the fast track and the rivalry between British and French sprinters, to lead to quick times in tonight’s semi-finals and final. | |
| “I’m not one to dwell too much on how fast a track is but you do really notice the difference,” he said. “And the rivalry that’s always been secretly between us and the French has sparked an enthusiasm to go out and compete really well. | “I’m not one to dwell too much on how fast a track is but you do really notice the difference,” he said. “And the rivalry that’s always been secretly between us and the French has sparked an enthusiasm to go out and compete really well. |
| “It’s going to be a good race. You’ve got myself, Lemaitre, Jimmy, Dasaolu, Harry. It’s too close to call.” | “It’s going to be a good race. You’ve got myself, Lemaitre, Jimmy, Dasaolu, Harry. It’s too close to call.” |
| Another British victor, this time in the opening skirmishes of the women’s 400m, was the reigning world champion Christine Ohuruogu, who ran a season’s best 51.40sec. Not that Ohuruogu, the reigning world champion, is getting too carried away. “There’s nothing really to be pleased about,” she insisted. “It’s a first-round race. The semi-finals are the ones I’m worried about, not this.” | Another British victor, this time in the opening skirmishes of the women’s 400m, was the reigning world champion Christine Ohuruogu, who ran a season’s best 51.40sec. Not that Ohuruogu, the reigning world champion, is getting too carried away. “There’s nothing really to be pleased about,” she insisted. “It’s a first-round race. The semi-finals are the ones I’m worried about, not this.” |
| But there were a few bum notes for British athletes on the opening day. Laura Muir, who was expected to be in the medal mix in the women’s 1500m, admitted she was “below par” after failing to make the final. Two more medal hopes in the men’s 800m, Andrew Osagie and Michael Rimmer, also failed to make the final after disappointing performances. Said Osagie: “This year has been the worst year I’ve ever had: on the track and off the track it’s been horrible. This is just another string to my awful season of a bow.” | But there were a few bum notes for British athletes on the opening day. Laura Muir, who was expected to be in the medal mix in the women’s 1500m, admitted she was “below par” after failing to make the final. Two more medal hopes in the men’s 800m, Andrew Osagie and Michael Rimmer, also failed to make the final after disappointing performances. Said Osagie: “This year has been the worst year I’ve ever had: on the track and off the track it’s been horrible. This is just another string to my awful season of a bow.” |