WAVE after wave of multi-coloured balloons floated into the air above Beijing last night as the IAAF world championships came to a close and the stars of British athletics allowed their thoughts momentarily to drift to what dramatics might unfold in London, two years hence. It is, in competitive terms, an age away. And although their performers ended up fourth in the medal table, an impressive result, the focus on Rio 2016 must now be absolute if the prizes that matter most are to be brought home next summer.
If some momentum is to spill over, then two bronzes on the final evening in the Bird’s Nest to complement four golds and Shara Proctor’s silver will do no harm. The GB&NI women matched their third place from Moscow in 2013 in the 4x400 relay, with Eilidh Child, seeking consolation in the wake of individual disappointment in the hurdles last week, again proved herself a redoubtable performer with a potent third leg in the final before handing off Seren Bundy-Davies to cement the call to the podium.
It was a gamble rewarded. Christine Ohuruogu had subbed in to the opening leg, displacing Kirsten McAslan, but the Scots prospect still landed a medal for her efforts in Saturday’s semis. “We knew we were capable of getting a medal, but we had changed things about a bit so we’re just over the moon we could all bring something home,” Child said. “We all wanted it for each other as well.”
Ahead, Jamaica were overhauling the United States for gold in 3:19.13 but there can be even better returns come the Olympics, Child suggests. Now with seven major championship medals to her credit, Brazil offers an opportunity to complete a full set if she can hold off a coming generation.
“There’s so much depth to this team,” she noted. “We’ve got three girls, Kirsten, who ran the heats, Laviai Nielsen who is going to be the future of this event and Margaret Adeoye, who was part of the team in Moscow. No one’s spot is safe and come next year, we’re going to be fighting up there and we’re going to be on that podium again.”
In remaining in China following his exit from the 400m, Martyn Rooney missed out on the birth of his first child. His wife, the two-time Olympic pole vaulter Kate Dennison, has first-hand insight of both sides of the sacrifice. But it incentivised the European champion to leave no energy unburnt in ruthlessly overhauling Jamaica’s Javon Francis to snatch third in the men’s 4x400 behind the USA and Trinidad & Tobago.
It required a study of the photo finish before the Londoner could celebrate, yet he said: “When I crossed the line, I knew I’d got it. I know I was coming though a lot quicker than he was and I knew exactly what he was going to do going around the bend. I knew what he’d do on the back straight.”
The unity of purpose of a line-up that also incorporated Rabah Yousif, Jarryd Dunn and Delano Williams contrasted heavily with their 4x100 counterparts with recriminations still ongoing, 24 hours later, after a botched changeover saw their medal ambitions combust. Fingers of blame were being pointed in all directions including at sprints supremo Stephen Maguire, the former Scottish Athletics director of coaching, who made the call to insert CJ Ujah into the final quartet at the expense of Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
Their vocal disharmony was a rare blip amid a solid overall showing. “The group of people we had on this team really rose to the occasion,” Rooney asserted. “We all came here to do a job, not just to be here and enjoy Beijing but to make the Bird’s Nest our home and perform at the highest standard. So I’m very proud of everyone in this quartet and Great Britain as a whole. Hopefully going to the Olympics next year, we can come even stronger.”
Elsewhere, British hope Charlie Grice ended up ninth in the 1500m as Asbel Kiprop and Elijah Manangoi landed gold and silver to take Kenya’s medal tally to 16, the first time the African nation have topped the overall standings.
Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba won the women’s marathon, Germany’s Kathrina Molitor landed the javelin title while Canada’s Derek Drouin repeated his victory at Glasgow 2014 in the high jump.
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