Lauren Peffers wins Silver Medal in 800m
13/7/07
Bulgaria has been bathed in sunshine for the duration of the European Deaf Athletics Championships. The extreme heat has taken its toll on the Great Britain athletes who had very little time to acclimatise to the conditions. In the 800m; Lauren Peffers battled through the heat to win a superb silver medal against the odds.
Lauren has recently returned from injury and the Championships came too soon for her to be at her best. The extreme temperature took its toll throughout the race, however Lauren showed her fighting spirit to come through and win the silver medal behind the Russian athlete. Another of Great Britain’s top athletes, Candy Hawkins suffered from the heat during the race and was unable to perform to her usual high standard. DUKA would like to say congratulations to Lauren for her commitment and focus, which has led to this excellent performance.
In the 1500m Great Britain had two of its finest athletes amongst the strong field. The higher than average temperatures in Sofia proved to be the downfall of both the British women. Candy Hawkins and Lauren Peffers both suffered from heat exhaustion during the race for medals. Lauren was in a strong position going into the final stages of the race, but the heat finally got the better of her and led to her collapsing at the side of the track. This bought back memories of Paula Radcliffe and her marathon experience at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
DUKA would like to congratulate Candy on her commitment to Deaf Athletics through the years and hopes she continues onto the 2009 Deaflympics.