DERVAL ON TRACK

Biggest achievement on the track?

On paper, it’s probably the world indoor title in 2006. But I was fourth at a world outdoors in 2009 after I’d had a really terrible 2008 Olympics and I was way prouder of that. I had to be really resilient to come back in 2009. I guess 2006 was more my announcement on the world stage.

What goes through your head on the start line?

You have to have the capacity to park fear and doubt. There’s very little margin for error. I’d say to myself ‘I’m going to nail it and others will make mistakes’. I always felt that if the faster girls made mistakes then I could come through and win medals.

How often did you make a mistake and fall?

Just once in 12 years in 2010, the year I ran my fastest time ever. I fell because I was going so fast. I went down hard, really, really hard. I was lucky I didn’t break anything.

How many medals were you cheated out of by drug cheats?

Just one. A European gold in 2010. I know, of course, people did stuff. I’m not naive.

But you can’t sit there and think you’re hard done by because of something someone else is doing. But you just have to look at what is happening in your lane and deal with that. If I thought I left loads of medals behind because of drugs cheats I’d be really sad but I just don’t because hurdles is a very technical event and I know how talented the girls who beat me were. The fact I could mix it with them and some days beat them was unreal.