Ana Guevara of Mexico celebrates winning bronze in the women's 400m (© Getty Images)
2003 World 400m champion Ana Gabriela Guevara celebrated her 30th birthday (4) weekend with a 50.68 second win at a local meet on Saturday (3) in the 2680m high altitude of Toluca, near the Mexican capital.
Guevara, who took the 2004 Olympic silver and the 2005 World bronze tested her speed at an athletic meeting held in the track of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México and was followed home by her training partner Gabriela Medina, who improved her personal best to 51.82. Junior Maritere Rugeiro was a distant third in 55.46.
“I am happy to have fulfilled my goal of dipping under 51 seconds in such a fast track. With the aid of high altitude, it was an excellent race. Running 50 seconds plus at this time of year is a good sign to what should come in the summer”, said Guevara.
The time “makes me feel and satisfied. I can celebrate my birthday with a motivating mark for my career” the sprinter from the northern Mexican state of Sonora added.
It was a special weekend for the three medallists as they all celebrated their birthday. On race day, Medina turned 22 and Rugeiro 19.
Guevara aims to become the first woman to claim three consecutive Pan America Games gold medals over 400m, after winning in Winnipeg´99 and Santo Domingo’03.
According to her coach, Cuba-Mexican Raul Barreda, if she endures the training program prepared for 2007, she can run faster than 49.20 and could be in good condition to opt for a medal in Osaka at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
“We will fly to Cuba on Wednesday for another meeting and we will then start a new training period with the next goal being the May 5 Banamex Grand Prix in Xalapa, Veracruz.
Guevara aims at clinching a fourth World Championships medal in the Japanese city, after winning gold in Paris 2003 in 48.89, and two bronze medals in Edmonton 2001 and Helsinki 2005.
Two-time CAC Games 200m champion Juan Pedro Toledo took the 200m and 400m, clocking 21.01 in the shorter distance.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
