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December 2009
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Marta Dominguez reveals marathon ambitions |
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19.01.2009 |
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Veteran Spaniard Marta Dominguez aims to realize
her Olympic dreams through marathon at the 2012
Games in London.
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Spain's
reigning European 5000m champion and 2007 SPAR European Cross Country Champion
Marta Dominguez has revealed that it is just a matter of time before she moves
up to the marathon.
"I did 1500 metres in Atlanta
back in 1996, the 5000 in Sydney, last year in Beijing it was the 3000 metres steeplechase, so why not do
the marathon when the Olympics are in London in
2012," said the 33-year-old Dominguez, who missed competing at the 2004 Olympic
Games in Athens
due to injury.
"I've been dreaming of an Olympic medal
since I was nine years old and I haven't given up yet, even though London will be my fourth
Olympics and I'll be 36," she added.
Dominguez was commenting on her long
term and longer distance ambitions after receiving the Athlete of the Year
award for the sixth occasion at the Spanish Athletics Federation's annual gala
on Saturday.
The 2002 and 2006 European Athletics
Championships 5000m champion, who has
also been twice the IAAF World Championships silver medallist over the same
distance, has had an tumultuous12 months after making the daring decision to
switch events and attempting to make an impression at the 3000m steeplechase
during 2008.
In only her second race ever at the
event, she reduced the national record to 9:21.76 at the European Athletics
Permit meeting in Barcelona on July 19 and went
to Beijing with
high hopes of getting the only thing that is missing from her extensive
collection of honours, an Olympic medal.
It looked like a good possibility that
she would finally stand on the podium coming into the last lap but her
inexperience at hurdling showed as she clipped a barrier and crashed to the
track, ultimately failed to finish.
Despite her Olympic disappointment, she
said that she remains committed to her new event for 2009 but has also opened
up the possibility that her switch to the roads could come as early as next
year.
"It's a bit risky (the
steeplechase), because things can happen. If I fall, like I did in Beijing, then I don't get anything, but I'm
getting older and so I have to stay with this event for at least another year.
I can't keep changing so I'm going to carry on (with the steeplechase) until
the World Championships Berlin this summer, to see if I'm lucky," added
Dominguez.
Dominguez has never run a serious road
race, usually limiting her outings on asphalt to charity events although she
has made regular appearances in Madrid's famous New Year's Eve race over 10km.
Her change in competitive emphasis has
meant that despite being on the podium for the 3000m on five previous occasions
at the SPAR European Athletics Indoor Championships, including winning in 2002
and coming second at the last Championships in Birmingham two years ago,
Dominguez has decided that she will not compete in Turin in seven weeks time.
"This winter has been, and will be,
quiet. It's only been in my plans to participate in a few cross country races
and not in major competitions. My head needs some rest. However, next year
there will be the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, and this is a competition that is
very high in my priorities. It will be the most important event of the year and
for any Spanish athlete, being there will be a great thrill," added Dominguez.
It was a busy weekend for Dominguez
despite being on parade in the Spanish capital alongside the male Athlete of
the Year winner, international middle-distance runner and 2007 European indoor
1500m champion Juan Carlos Higuero.
After picking up her award she
travelled south to Sevilla and competed at the Cross Internacional de Itálica
cross country race on Sunday, finishing ninth over the 8000m course around the
Roman ruins on the outskirts of the Andalucian city.
The women's winner in Sevilla was Kenya's
Florence Kiplagat while The Netherlands' Hilda Kibet, who succeeded Dominguez
and won the senior's women's gold medal at the 2008 SPAR European Cross Country
Championships, was the top European in third place.
Kibet was running in her first cross
country race since winning in Brussels last month after suffering from a
debilitating bout of 'flu over the holiday period, which kept her in bed for
nearly a week and severely limited her training for several more days
afterwards.
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