27 July 2013  

On the penultimate day of the IPC World Athletics Championships, Sophie Kamlish (coach: Rob Ellchuk) won bronze in the T44 200m recording a personal best of 28.71.  

Kamlish’s previous best was 29.08 at last summer’s Paralympic Games where she finished sixth, and the 16 year old, who finished fourth in the 100m was delighted to come away with the 28^th medal for GB & NI in Lyon.

“The 200m is never my favourite event so it’s amazing to be able to medal in it. I haven’t had a brilliant season in the 200m – I haven’t even gone below 30 seconds.

“My plan was to start a lot more slowly than I usually do and conserve energy for the straight, which definitely worked this time. I don’t think my 100m performance necessarily gave me confidence but it did definitely spur me on a lot. I thought I could have been in with a chance for a medal so my overriding emotion is relief.”

Like with the 100m, Kamlish’s teammate Laura Sugar (Hayley Ginn) finished one place further back in fourth place, and the GB & NI debutant was ecstatic to record her second personal best of the championships clocking a time of 28.89.

“I’m very happy with the time I ran, it was about four tenths off my PB. I couldn’t have gone better and I gave it my all. My aim for the Championships was just to runs PBs and give it my best shot.

“I knew the 200m was my better event,. I like the bend and from all the hockey training I’ve done and to get that fourth place, I’m really happy. That was only my fifth race over the distance, so each time you race it you learn something new and I’m confident that I can get a lot more off my time and keep improving.”

Despite having an operation on a slipped disc after the Paralympic Games that disrupted her preparation for the competition, Sophia Warner (Stephen King) finished in fourth place in the T35 200m in a season’s best time of 35.73.

“The only difference between third and fourth is a medal, and to come out run a season’s best off the injury I’ve had and with the class getting stronger, I’m really delighted.

“I’m one of the biggest supporters of para-athletics sport out there, so watching new athletes come through is great. Paula (Dunn) has done a great job and I just want to see the team getting faster and all the time I can keep up, I’ll keep going – but they’re starting to outrun me now.”

After breaking two of his belts during competition, Rob Womack (Shaun Pickering) was left disappointed with his eighth place finish in the F54/55 shot put final. Womack whose best throw was 10.36m (903 points), the London 2012 bronze medallist believes that the result doesn’t reflect the form he is in at the moment.

“I think I must have killed a few black cats today – the bus didn’t turn up, so I had to drive my car and I’ve never had a breakage on my belt ever, so to get two is more than unlucky,” said Womack, part of the GB & NI team sponsored by Sainsbury’s.  

“I’ve been in really good shape – I’ve shed four kilos from London. On Tuesday, I was throwing 11.45m, which would have won today. In seven years, I’ve done three big championships and PB’d in the shot and had the luck on my side, but today I feel like I’ve let the team down because I should have got that gold.

"You can’t control the uncontrollables and that’s what happened to me today. I’m really shocked and disappointed and don’t want to finish like that.”

Watch live coverage of the IPC World Athletics Championships this afternoon on More4 from 2.15pm BST