Freshly crowned European cross country champion Sophie Duarte wants to carry her recent form into the main event of the summer – the 2014 European Athletics Championships at the Letzigrund track in Zurich.
She is renowned as a 3000m steeplechaser, finishing fifth at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka in 2007, and also holds the French national record with 9:25.62.
Duarte, now 32, has waited a long time to earn European recognition in the form of her cross country gold medal.
“I think my perseverance is what paid off for me,” she told l’Equipe. “I have never been in better shape and I’m still ‘only 32’ and hope this is the start of my second career.”
She has recently decided to transfer over to the 5000m, which will surely be the distance in which she competes in Zurich. The move has seen her end last summer in third place on the European Athletics season list with a time of 15:14.57.
In the future she also plans to combine 5000m with the 10,000m. Her success in Belgrade in the senior women’s race was over an 8km course.
Duarte also wants to defend her SPAR European Cross Country Championships title next December in Samokov, Bulgaria, and keep competing in cross country at least until 2015 when the event will be held on her home ground in Paray-le-Monial, France.
She often trains in high altitude in Font Romeu so the similar conditions in Samokov (1,029 metres) should be familiar to her, where other athletes might struggle.
Her win is proof that no matter how long you are in the sport, the desire to win is the most important, and Duarte definitely wanted it more than anyone in Belgrade on Sunday.