By John Bagratuni Aug 8, 2006, 12:42 GMT
Gothenburg, Sweden - The luck of the draw pitted the oldest and youngest women competing at the European championships in the same 100 metres heat - living legend Merlene Ottey and Diane Borg.
Great Britain's Joice Maduaka (L) and Slovenian Merlene Ottey (R) are on their way during the women's 100m heat during the European Athletics Championships 2006 in Gothenburg, Tuesday 08 August 2006. Both qualified for the next round. EPA/SRDJAN SUKI
Ottey, 46, and 15-year-old Borg were both competing at the continental event for the first time.
Ottey, a former Jamaican who now competes for Slovenia, equalled her season-best 11.41 seconds - which is also an over-45 world record - to make the semi-finals. No other women in that age group has ever run below 12 seconds.
The Maltese Borg finished last in 12.42 seconds.
'It was very exciting to run against such a legend,' said Borg, whose mother Antoinette is just two years older than Ottey.
Ottey said: 'It is a good feeling to be at my first European championships, but it is a pity I am not faster.'
'I had a good feeling and will fight to go even further. 20 years ago I would have had an easy run of 11.1 seconds, this is much harder. I enjoy this feeling but I have to listen to my body.'
The same year that Borg was born, 1991, Ottey won a 4x100m world title with the Jamaican relay at the worlds in Tokyo, saw an 88-run winning streak over 100m snapped, clocked her personal best 200m time of 21.64 and had already been competing for more than a decade since her debut at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
Ottey has a stunning 35 medals from major championships highlighted by 200m world titles 1993 and 1995, the latter event in the same Gothenburg stadium as Tuesday's race.
But she never won a major 100m title, famously pipped in photo- finishes by American Gail Devers at the 1993 (0.001 seconds) worlds and 1996 Olympics (0.005 seconds).
Ottey, who has been living in Slovenia since 1999 but missed the 2002 Euro event due to injury, originally retired after the 2004 Olympics after injuring her thigh.
'After I was injured at the Olympics, I wanted to stop. I actually did stop competing but decided I didn't like sitting at home so I decided to get the required surgery and just started training again,' she said.
Ottey returned after almost two years on June 8 at a low-key Madrid meet where she ran 11.94 seconds into a massive headwind before later lowering her season best to 11.45 and finally 11.41 seconds. Her personaL best from 1996 is 10.74 seconds.
And, looking as fit and slim as ever in the light-blue Slovenian running kit, she insisted Tuesday that her comeback is not temporary.
'If I stay injury-free I will continue next year,' she said, looking at the 2007 worlds in Osaka, Japan.
Asked whether she even had the Beijing Olympics 2008 in mind, Ottey said: 'Possibly.'
In this at least, she has the same aims as the school girl Borg.
'My aim is to go under 12 seconds and to compete at the Olympics,' said Borg.
But whether Borg will ever match the times and and the vast success of Ottey is another matter.
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