T&T’s Gwendolyn Smith outclassed her rivals at the European Masters Outdoor Athletics Championships in Madeira, Portugal, from October 8-19. Smith won the women’s 60-64 pentathlon, shot put and javelin titles.
The multiple World Masters Championships gold medallist first secured the javelin crown on the opening day of the meet with a distance of 36.08 metres. The Marabella resident finished ahead of Germany’s Susanne Strohn (30.45) and Hungarian Eva Tarnocai (27.37).
Four days later (October 12), Smith landed the shot put honours with a heave of 13.05m to leave Jan Schmidth (12.58) of Germany with the silver and Lithuanian Valda Morkuniene (12.18), the bronze. The former West Indies women’s cricketer completed the hat-trick of wins when she won the throw pentathlon on October 16 with 4,054 points, 543 points ahead of silver medallist Maria Pilar Alonso Calonge (3,511) of Spain. French athlete Veronique Haberajter (3,430) secured the bronze medal.
Smith missed out on more medals when she was fifth in the discus (29.03) and seventh in the weight throw (13.90).
Smith competed as a guest competitor and also won triple gold at the 2019 edition of the meet in Venice, Italy.
The Athletic Assistant at the Marabella Boys and Girls Anglican and San Fernando Girls Anglican Primary Schools was elated with the victories, especially with the pentathlon win.
She said, “This trip was worth it. Competition in Europe is different. I earned those medals despite the fight to get here.”
Results
Women60-64
Weight pentathlon: 1 Gwendolyn Smith (TTO) 4,054, 2 Maria Pilar Alonso Calonge (Spain) 3,511, 3 Veronique Haberajter (France) 3,430
Shot put: 1 Smith 13.05 (12.12. 12.48, 12.59, 12.43, 13.05, 12.43), 2 Jana Schmidt (Germany) 12.58, 3 Valda Morkuniene (Lithuania) 12.18
Javelin: 1 Smith 36.08 (35.61, x, 36.08, 34.07, 33.66, 34.12), 2 Susanne Strohn (Germany) 30.45, 3 Eva Tarnocai (Hungary) 27.37
Discus: 1 Janina Lapieniene (Lithuania) 37.39, 2 Jorunn Tangen Hole (Norway) 35.65, 3 Christine Ecker (Germany) 31.87, 5 Smith 29.03
Weight throw: 1 Margret Klein-Raber (Germany) 17.37, 2 Janet Smith (Great Britain) 16.44, 3 Ingrid Van Dijk (Netherland) 15.077, Smith 13.90
