Philip keeps her cool to break record and secure gold
ASHA PHILIP has felt the brutality of ups and downs, the ligament rupture she suffered while trampolining in her teens teaching her to relish each offering presented. The 26-year-old had reason to appreciate the 4x100 relay bronze she shared in Rio last summer, but there is nothing like the taste of individual gold. And it was claimed, with a British record for good measure, in the 60 metres final as she burst forth to the finish in 7.06 seconds.
From the depths to the heights, reward after risk.
“I was talking about my injury to the new therapist,” she revealed.
“And I just thought ‘this is so long ago’, I have actually overcome this terrible injury. I am happy to discuss it, there’s not a fear factor. I don’t want to watch it again, obviously, I was there. But I’ve worked so hard, I know my journey and it feels good to tell one that when you get a knockdown you can get back up.”
She has had frustrating near-misses before. But she was all tranquillity in relegating Ukraine’s Olesya Povh and Poland’s Ewa Swoboda into second and third.
“I didn’t have any nerves as I usually do,” Philip said. “I have rehearsed this several times. The whole week, me and my coach were going over it, getting in my head. I knew what to do and I went out and did it.”
Shelayna Oskan-Clarke almost added a third gold on the final day after duelling with Switzerland’s Selina Buchel, only to lose out by 0.01 sec. “I was trying to be sneaky and she held me off,” she said. “I probably wasn’t sneaky enough as I went closer to the bend, and I probably should have done it on the straight or just waited. But I was brave and I committed and I got a silver – it was close to a gold, but not enough.”
There was also long jump silver for Lorraine Ugen with a British indoor record of 6.97m. Home favourite Ivana Spanovic landed the title.
“There’s definitely more in the tank,” she affirmed. “I think I can get over that seven- metre mark. Just staying confident and healthy, I know I can produce some bigger jumps outdoors.”
Robbie Grabarz also claimed a silver in the high jump, with Scottish challenger Allan Smith eighth in his maiden major final. “It was good experience,” he said. “Now I just need to progress.”