Double medal joy for runner Eva

Age proved no barrier for Wymondham Athletics Club member Eva Osborne as she enjoyed medal success at the European Masters' Championship in Hungary.The 70-year-old has just entered a new age category this year and made the most of it by claiming silver and bronze medals.

Age proved no barrier for Wymondham Athletics Club member Eva Osborne as she enjoyed medal success at the European Masters' Championship in Hungary.

The 70-year-old has just entered a new age category this year and made the most of it by claiming silver and bronze medals.

To qualify for the Championship, athletes have to be over 35 years old and competition is in five-year age bands. Over 3,000 competitors from 42 European countries gathered for the 10-day event.

As one of the 274 athletes representing Britain and Northern Ireland, Eva competed in the W70 age group and claimed an individual bronze medal in the 800m and a team silver in the 4x100m relay.

'I found running in 40 degree heat very hard and I am absolutely delighted with my medals,' she said. 'The organisers were very anxious not to have athletes collapsing on the track and anybody slowing down or showing signs of distress was pulled out.

'Even in my 800m event one competitor was pulled out, so it was literally a question of survival,' she added.

Eva took up road running in her late 30s when a jogging group started in Wymondham and she took part in her first championship at the age of 51.

'It's a good thing to do. You travel to different countries and meet people you have seen before. It's a very nice atmosphere.'