Your Argus
TEXT your pictures, videos and messages to 80360. Start your message with SUPIC or email your tip-offs »
Bronze for injury-plagued Danvers
11:04pm Wednesday 20th August 2008
Britain's Natasha Danvers turned the worst season of her life into the best with an Olympic bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles in Beijing.
Danvers was almost caught on the line by the fast-finishing Anastasiya Rabchenyuk of Ukraine and waited for confirmation from the giant scoreboard that she had held on to set a new personal best of 53.84 seconds. Jamaica's Melaine Walker won gold in a new Olympic record of 52.64secs ahead of American Sheena Tosta.
"I am elated to get this medal," said the 30-year-old Los Angeles-based Londoner. "It's been easily one of the worst seasons of my life and one of the best at the same time."
She added: "Training was going brilliantly and then I got an Achilles problem in May that rendered me unable to run even 50m.
"At that point I got really stressed out but I got back to London and they fixed it in a week and a half. Then in my first session back I tore my hamstring. It was just one thing after another.
"Ten days before the European Cup I pulled my hamstring, the doctor said it should be fine but in the race we got to 150m to go and I just could not respond. I said 'This is not normal' but they said 'Don't worry it's just a lack of training.'
"I then ran at the trials, got beaten, and the same thing happened, my body felt it was shutting down with 150m to go. We did a blood test and found out my white blood cell count was 3.6, with the range being 3.5-10 and 3.5 being really low.
"That was the reason why I was running so bad and I've had two more hamstring strains since then but I was watching that Colin Jackson show about nature or nurture and I noticed how strong he was mentally no matter what happened and I thought 'Do not give up on yourself mentally.'
"If you mentally stay on top of it your never know what your body can do and we managed to pull it together at the right time."
Editor's Choice
Eco-dilemmas solved
All the top tip columns make being green sound so easy: just change your light bulbs, walk to the shops and do your recycling, but it never really works out like that. SARAH LEWIS turns agony aunt and answers some of your pressing eco-questions.
Comment: Sign up to an NHS dentist to beat decay
When the new NHS dental contract was introduced, large numbers of dentists left the NHS and focused on private patients.
Woe of Woolies
Woolworths, one of the best-known names on the British high street, has been put into administration with £385 million of debt. As company bosses and administrators Deloitte wrestle with the task of rescuing the business, RICHARD GURNER takes a look back at the company’s history in Sussex and asks business leaders what needs to be done to revive its fortunes.
This week's walk: Horsted Keynes and Furner's Green
From the village of Horsted Keynes, this walk heads eastwards to encircle the nearby settlement of Danehill, crossing and recrossing two well-wooded valleys before returning along part of the Sussex Border Path, a longdistance walking route which sticks fairly closely to the boundary between East and West Sussex.
Great Britain's Natasha Danvers kept her cool to scoop an impressive bronze medal in the 400m hurdles
In this section
- Hussain: The game must continue
- Yuvraj backs decision to abandon series
- Johnson relishing World Cup clash
- ABA hit back at 'jokers' claim
- Government lessen Olympic shortfall
- Ronaldo retains focus despite accolade
- Benitez backs Keane
- Trejo interested in Baggies move
- Robin: I was not target of outburst
Sponsored Links
Local Services
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
