Ageless

Between them Lisa Thomas (W60) and Anna Garnier (W70) brought home ten medals from the European Masters Championships in Madeira, contributing to the record-breaking, table-topping Great Britain team which finished with an amazing 132 gold medals, 102 silver medals and 77 bronze medals.

For Lisa the medal spree began with a gold in the 2000m steeplechase in 8:46.69 (after winning her heat in the 400m), followed, next day, by the final of the 400m in which she won the silver medal in 65.75. Two more golds followed in the mixed and women’s 4 x 400m relays – the latter in 4:30.03, a new world record by over 11 seconds.

Anna won four golds in the 800m (3:01.38), 1500m (6:48.65), 4 x 100m and the W65 4 x 400m, plus a silver in the W65 4 x 100m. In the 5000m she took out the race expecting the field to come with her but regretted her tactics when in a ‘Keely Hodgkinson moment’ she was pipped on the line by 4/100ths of a second, taking the silver medal in 23:08.73.

Left: Lisa Thomas (right) and team-mates celebrating a new W60 4 x 400m world record

Back home Lisa and Anna’s counterparts turned out for the Surrey Masters Cross Country Championships in Nonsuch Park where there was a gold medal for M80 Peter Giles, and a bronze for M45 Simon Wade.

Below, left: Anna Garnier with the gold-medal winning W65 4 x 400m team, and right, Simon Wade (left of photo) with team-mates at Nonsuch Park