Double bronze gives Sugar reason to smile after second Berlin success

Sprinter Laura Sugar defied the pressures of a false start to secure her second bronze medal of the World Para Athletics European Championships.

The 27-year-old watched on as a fellow racer jumped the gun but she held her nerve in the T64 200m final, a third-place finish her reward for a good night’s work in Berlin.

That added to the 100m bronze she picked up just a day previous but it was the medal over the longer distance that came with the extra meaning.

Sugar was all smiles come the finish line with a performance to be proud of, her 28.03 seconds proving to be a season’s best right when it mattered most.

“It is a big season’s best and only a tenth of a second off my personal best so I am a lot happier than the 100m even though it is the same result,” she said. “I knew it was tough competition and it got me a good time so I am happy.

“I am technically higher in the world rankings in the 200m 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.

“I am not sure what happened with the false start. 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.”

Whether Sugar’s European adventure has one more outing is yet to be seen, on standby for the British team in the mixed relay this weekend.

But whatever happens hereon, the 27-year-old – born with talipes – can already savour in a sweet meet as she looks to continue progress towards the Paralympic Games and Tokyo 2020.

British Athletics works alongside UK Sport and the National Lottery to support the delivery of success at the world’s most significant sporting events, principally the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They do this via the funded initiative, the World Class Programme, one part of the British Athletics pathway.