Perri Shakes‑Drayton profits after putting London 2012 pain behind her

Britain's Perri Shakes-Drayton competes in a women's 400-meter hurdles heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012. AP Photo

Simon Turbull

1 March 2013

Seven months on from her home Olympics heartbreak, Perri Shakes‑Drayton got off to a flying start in the opening session of the European Indoor Championships here today.

The first Briton on the track in the three-day championships led from start to finish in the opening heat of the flat 400metres, blasting to victory in 51.70sec, the fastest time of the first round.

It was a highly impressive start for Shakes-Drayton, who had mixed fortunes in 2012. Her year got off to a promising start at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, where she ran a storming anchor leg in the 4x400m relay to pip Sanya Richards and the US quartet to victory.

When it came to the Olympics in August, Richards won gold in the 400m but Shakes-Drayton suffered an injury warming up for her 400m hurdles semi-final and failed to make it through to the final. That came as a shattering blow to the 24-year-old from Bow after a stunning pre-Games victory in the London Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace that hinted at gold medal potential.

Still, the Londoner has regained form in the indoor season and can be expected to mount a double gold medal challenge here in the Scandanavium Arena, with the semi and final of the 400m to come and also the 4x400m relay.

“What happened at the Olympics is all behind me now,” she said. “I need to look to the future and learn from the experience.

“At the time it was devastating but I went on holiday to Jamaica and when I returned I was back into training. It was done and there was nothing I could do to change what happened so I said to myself, ‘there’s no point dwelling on it, Perri’.

“The way I look at it, I’m still a good athlete and there’s is more to come. That just wasn’t my time.”

Shakes-Drayton was not the only British winner in the 400m heats, fellow 400m hurdler Eilidh Child prevailing in heat three in 52.05sec. Shana Cox, the other Briton in the event, finished third in her heat, clocking 52.99sec.

Shara Proctor reached the long jump final with her first attempt.

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Perri Shakes‑Drayton profits after putting London 2012 pain behind her

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