By Owen Morgan
Welsh sprinter Laura Sugar claimed her second bronze medal of the World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin.
Having finished third in the T44/64 100m on Monday night, Sugar repeated the feat in the 200m, clocking a season’s best time of 28.03.
Despite winning the same colour medal, the former Welsh hockey international was happier with her performance over the shorter distance race, which saw the field have to overcome the disruption of a false start.
Birchfield Harrier Sugar said: “It is a big season’s best and only a tenth off my PB so I am a lot happier than the 100m even though it is the same result. I knew it was tough competition and it got me a good time so I am happy.
“In the 200m technically I am higher in the world rankings, but there is a bigger gap between everyone. My ideal event would be a 100m around a bend because I am quicker around a bend than a straight. The 200m hurts a lot more but I love that bend.
Commenting on the false start, Sugar said: “I am not sure what happened. It was a quick turnaround so it was almost a relief because it gave me a few minutes to get my breath. I had no idea what happened. You have just got to refocus in those situations.”
There was disappointment for Rhys Jones in the men’s T37 final as he missed out on a medal by a whisker.
The photo finish placed him fourth in a time of 24.88 – missing out on a medal by just 0.05s.
The Disability Sport Wales Para Academy athlete had earlier clocked 24.52 to finish second in his heat.
After the final, Jones said: “I don’t know what happened to be honest. I felt like I came off the bend in contention, I gave it everything I had and it was just one race too much on the day. It’s not won at the start, it is won at the finish and I have finished outside the medals. I am gutted, gutted.
“I am the fittest and fastest I have been ever, this is the first championships I have come into not injured so I don’t know. Congratulations to the boys that won the medals, it is there for the taking and whoever wins deserves it on the day.
Jones, who is coached by Christian Malcolm, is hoping for a better result in his preferred 100m on Friday. “The 200m is always a bit of a shock to be selected for, the 100m is a real test of my character now. I need to get my head in the right space ready for Friday.”
In the T35 100m final, fellow DSW Para Academy athlete Jordan Howe missed out on winning gold by just 0.11s. Howe was in the lead for much of the race but world record holder Ihor Tsvietov, of Ukraine, pipped him on the line.
Because there were only two athletes running in the final, Howe was denied the consolation of a silver medal.
The Cardiff sprinter said: “It was a good race. the Ukrainian hasn’t posted a time this year so I didn’t know how fast he would be out there. I didn’t know how fast I was going to be because I have had some little niggles but it was a good race.
“I ran hard to 60m, opening a gap and at 85m I still couldn’t hear him coming, but when I saw him come I just needed to relax and I tried to relax and he just did me.”
Howe will now turn his attention to the T35 200m Final on Sunday afternoon: “The 200m is not my strongest event, far from it, but you never know what might happen. I might shock myself and I might run well. You never know, I am looking forward to it.
“It is another chance to go out there and run well. I am always ready to run, it has been an up and down year but I am ready to come back and go again.”