by Larry Eder
Tiffany Porter, Moscow 2013, photo by PhotoRun.net
Tiffany Porter was obviously a medal contender tonight, but it was the way she competed in the 100 meter hurdles that gave her the gold medal.
The key to racing and winning at the European Championships is to compete always and keep your cool, even when the race or event is not going well.
That is what happened tonight in the 100 meter hurdles.
Tiffany Porter thought she had a good start. But, she was not happy with much of her race tonight.
That could have been because Cindy Billaud of France was putting pressure on her. And to the French hurdlers’ credit, she did. From step one to the final step.
From my vantage point it looked like Tiffany Porter got out well, with Cindy Billaud on her side, taking Porter on, hurdle for hurdle.
The differnce? The win?
Tiffany Porter did not give up. She was hurdling pretty well, but she was responding to her race plan, not the pressure the Cindy Billaud put on her.
The British hurdler hurdled and hurdled and hurdled, and about the sixth hurdle, Tiffany Porter had built up a slight lead. In championship races, slight leads provide medals and are the difference in color in medals.
For Tiffany Porter, it was gold in 12.76. For Cindy Billaud, it was silver in 12.79. And for the ecstatic young German hurdler, Cindy Roleder, it was bronze in 12.83!
Tiffany Porter said, after her race: ” I’m just so happy to win – this is my first gold medal so I couldn’t be happier. I respect all of my competitors but I just focused on myself and executed my race. We all train to get the gold – I focused on my lane and performed when it mattered the most. It was a decent race – I had a great start but the rest of the race wasn’t great. I think it’s really important to stay composed and to execute the 10 hurdles to the best of your ability. I’ll really enjoy this moment now but I’ll finish off the rest of my season. My team-mates are performing so well and thta really encourages and inspires you to do your best.”
Cindy Billaud, on noting the color of her medal, silver, : “I do not take this as a defeat. I leave from Zurich with a silver medal. At the moment I do not know what to tell you. I gave everything I had. I cried and the tears were at the same time tears of deception – because I came here to win – and tears of joy – because this is my first international medal. I do not know what did not work in this final for me. Tonight Tiffany Porter was the better hurdler. The best won – for this evening. That is the game. I would really have loved to listen to the Marseillaise, our national anthem.”
And for Cindy Roleder; “I do not take this as a defeat. I leave from Zurich with a silver medal. At the moment I do not know what to tell you. I gave everything I had. I cried and the tears were at the same time tears of deception – because I came here to win – and tears of joy – because this is my first international medal. I do not know what did not work in this final for me. Tonight Tiffany Porter was the better hurdler. The best won – for this evening. That is the game. I would really have loved to listen to the Marseillaise, our national anthem.”
For Tiffany Porter, on 13 August 2014, the difference between gold and silver was making the impossible possible.
