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December 2009
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With another gold to his name, Silva strides on |
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11.03.2009 |
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Evergreen Rui Silva breezes through to his third
European Indoor 1500m title in Torino.
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Portugal's Carlos Lopes famously won the 1984 Olympic Marathon title at 37 years of age and, inspired by his compatriot and with another European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medal to his name, Rui Silva is also now aiming to dent the ambitions of younger runners in the coming years.
Silva, who turns 32 this summer just a few days before the curtain goes up on the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, defied the pundits who had said he would be too old to get among the medals in Torino on Sunday and notched up his third European Indoors 1500m title.
After getting the gold hung around his neck and hearing his country's national anthem played in the Oval Lingotto for the only time during the Championships, he took an extravagant bite out of his latest honour, a stunt almost as much for his own satisfaction as for the nearby photographers.
“Every gold medal tells it's own story. This one has a very different taste to my two previous victories at the European Indoors,” reflected Silva, who had also won the 1500m titles in 1998 and 2002.
“This one is particularly special because it comes after a long period of injuries. I had not been to a major Championships on the track since 2005 because of repeated injuries. I've had a succession of small tears in my calf muscles in recent years, often coming just a short while before a major event,” he added.
“This is a medal for the whole team here because they were all backing me, willing me on. Beforehand, I'd hoped to get a medal but I wouldn't be so arrogant as to say I was going to get the gold as I also knew that there were many other good runners who were coming to these Championships with the same objectives.
“Everyone knew that the three Spanish guys were going to be strong and the French runners were good as well, I think they guy who won the bronze (Yoann Kowal) was a big surprise, but I think I also showed people that the old Rui Silva is definitely back.
“At the start of the winter, my coach João Campos and myself decided that running indoors was the best bet for the months ahead rather than running cross country and it's a bet that has paid off,” said the delighted Silva.
Now that he has shown himself to be a continental Championships medal contender once again, Silva has set his sights on regaining his global credibility. He won bronze medals over 1500m at the 2004 Olympics and 2005 IAAF World Championships, as well as memorably taking the 2001 World Indoor title in front of a rapturous home crowd in Lisbon.
“Obviously, my main goal now is to be in the fight for the medals at the World Championships. After that comes competing in London at the next Olympics, I'm not thinking about retiring before then, I'll be there if I am not injured.
“I was in Sydney and Athens but it still pains me that it wasn't realistic for me to go to Beijing. I had the qualifying time but injuries in the spring of last year meant it would not have been worth me going to the Olympics last summer. I wouldn't have been capable of achieving anything,” added Silva, who trudged home disconsolately in an unfamiliar eighth place in the 1500m at last year's Portuguese Championships.
The question remains, whether Silva will stay running over 1500m at major championships or move up to the 5000m. It's a puzzle he doesn't have an answer to as yet.
Clearly, he has the talent and experience to succeed at the longer distance, as shown by the fact that he won the bronze medal at the 2007 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in one of his rare outings at the discipline.
He also has impressive credentials over 3000m, both indoors and outdoors, and has a plethora of victories in this event over the last decade for his country in the European Cup.
It's widely expected that, after his exploits in a national vest in Torino last weekend, the next time he'll represent Portugal will be in the inaugural SPAR European Team Championships on home soil in Leiria, on June 20-21, and that may give a clue to his thinking about which distance he'll target in the months and years ahead.
SPAR European Team Championships
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