Herne Hill Harriers’ sprinter Guiseppe Minetti admitted to mixed emotions after just missing out on a medal at the World Masters Championships in France.
The 46-year-old finished fourth in the final of the M45 100m, clocking 11.58 seconds) and then fifth in the final of the 200m in the same age group.
Despite the disappointment, there was delight at setting a new personal best in the 200m of 23.27secs.
Minetti said: “I didn’t get a medal, but destroyed my best time.
“There are definitely mixed emotions after the weekend.”
Minetti was not the only Harrier to achieve a personal best, only to miss out on a gong.
Only five days before a birthday that would move her into the next age group, clubmate Nicola Richmond, 44, was 13th in the W40 1,500m final with a season’s best of five minutes 7.22secs on a windy track.
It was superbly followed up with sixth place in the 2,000m steeplechase final in a personal best of 8:09.45, having only tried steeplechase for the first time at the end of June.
Completing the trio, Gary Ironmonger, 53, also picked up a personal racing in the M50 800m.
He said: “The standards were very high this year.
“I made it into the top 10 in my semi-final with a personal best of 2:10.88.
“But that was nearly two seconds slower than the slowest qualifier for the final.
“I enjoyed the race and the whole experience and I’ll be looking forward to another international event after I turn 55 and can compete as one of the young guys.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here