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News12 Jul 2001


Geissler sets personal best to win gold

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Geissler sets personal best to win gold
Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF

13 July 2001 – Debrecen – The women’s 100m hurdles offered an unusual outcome with two athletes being awarded silver medals. The photo finish judges decided not to part American Ashley Lodree and South African Carla Fick who both clocked 13.75.

But there was no question about who the winner was. Germany’s Kathrin Geissler crossed the line a the clear winner and clocked a new personal best of 13.49.

“Honestly I wanted to set a new personal best at these championships. I was in excellent shape and I knew I could run that fast. The victory though is another history. I never thought I’d go back home with the gold medal round my neck.”

Geissler won her heat in 13.83 yesterday evening and her semi final in 13.73 earlier today.

A 5088-point heptathlete, this is Kathrin’s first year in the 100m hurdles. “Before I used to do the 60m and the 80m hurdles.”

Aged 16, Kathrin has a personal best in the heptathlon of 5088 points. “I like the combined events but in Germany there are better girls than me so they were selected for that event.”

A native of Jena, hometown of double Olympic champion Heike Drechsler, Kathrin proudly announces that she has no idol. “I respect all of them but I don’t particularly try to emulate them.”

A first year student in a German sports school, Kathrin admits that she has two favourite disciplines in athletics. “I like the long jump as well. I would have liked to compete in Debrecen’s long jump contest as well but I had to chose between that and the hurdles and I think now that I made the right decision.”

Tall and leggy, Kathrin had the best start of the field together with South Africa’s Carla Fick, a season’s world leader but made the difference show after the fifth barrier. Her speed and rhythm between the hurdles were so powerful that she was able to take the time to look at the finish clock and enjoy her victory.

While Kathrin was taking a victory lap, judges awarded two silver medals to Fick and Lodree. South Africa’s Fick whose poor semi final meant that she was drawn in lane 8 for the final admitted being disappointed.

“This is not my best time today. The truth is that I wanted to win. I took the first hurdles quite well but halfway through the race I lost my rhythm and could never catch up with the German.”

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