Kim Gevaert of Belgium celebrates winning the Women's 100m (© Getty Images)
Tonight the bride, tomorrow the bridesmaid. For a capacity 47,000 crowd in the King Baudouin Stadium here this evening, the undoubted star turn was Kim Gevaert - even at a meeting in which Pamela Jelimo scooped the $1 Million ÅF Golden League Jackpot.
It was a late night for the long-serving, highly successful, and much-loved Belgian sprinter who was running her last race before retirement. Never mind that she had to be up at 7.30 the next morning to travel to Antwerp for a friend’s wedding.
Gevaert produced the perfect finish to her career by winning the women’s 100m at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme meeting. Such was the warmth of feeling for her that the house - still at capacity - rose to its feet after the meeting had finished to applaud her valedictory speech.
The hour was late – almost 11pm – by the time Gevaert had said her tearful final farewells. “One of our former relay girls from the World Championships in Paris (Audry Rochtus) is getting married tomorrow and I will be her maid of honour,” Gevaert said. “So I will be having a short night.”
At least she doesn’t have to think of being rested for her next training session.
But, after being the centre of attention for photographers tonight, and with her picture certain to appear prominently in every Belgian newspaper this weekend, it will be a contrasting experience her Gevaert tomorrow – provided the wedding snapper remembers to concentrate on Rochtus.
I feel a bit weird actually
Gevaert, the European 100 and 200m champion, as well as the continental indoor 60m champion, crowned a successful career by anchoring Belgium to 4x100m silver in Beijing, her country’s first Olympic medal in women’s athletics. She is aged only 30 but announced her retirement last month saying: “I want children and, at my age, I’d better not wait too long.”
After recording 11.25sec to leave the Bahamas’ Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie to settle for second place, Gevaert said: “This morning I woke up and felt quite calm, which was a good sign. So I was able to enjoy the applause of the public and, at the same time, stay focused on my race.”
“It was very emotional but it is like I am not really realising everything quite yet. So many things have happened in the last couple of weeks that I feel I will probably need a little time to understand everything that is happening now in my life. I feel a bit weird actually.
“I felt good during the race, I was happy with my acceleration and, when I won, I was like ‘wow’ because after the Olympics I struggled a little bit with my hamstring again and I felt sick a little. It is sometimes difficult to know what to expect so I am very pleased with this race and with this result – and that I was able to give this present to all the people who came in the rain.”
“The enthusiasm from the public here is always so big. It is the biggest reward you can ever get for a good season. This time I would have felt guilty if I hadn’t won. I just wanted to give back to all the people who came here to see me and say goodbye to me. I am very happy I could give them this moment.”
I am going to continue doing good
Gevaert’s retirement comes one week after Maria Mutola, the former Olympic 800m gold medallist and 10-times World champion, made her exit at the Golden League meeting in Zurich. Gevaert is 30, Mutola 35 – but 400m hurdler Danny McFarlane, 37 next year, isn’t going yet. Tonight he committed to another season.
McFarlane, from Jamaica, was fourth in Beijing and his second place tonight, behind Kerron Clement, made it five top-three places out of the five ÅF Golden League races that the Jamaican has contested this season. Clement, the World champion and Beijing silver medallist from the United States, recorded 48.28, McFarlane 48.63.
“I am coming back next year because, although I give the guys who beat me in the Olympics respect, I think I could have run a better race,” McFarlane said. “I am not saying I am going to win but I think I can keep being really competitive. I have been really consistent this season.
“Tonight was good. Second, hey, is nothing to sneeze at - this is the Golden League. I am doing good, and I am going to continue doing good, definitely next season.”
David Powell for the IAAF