Guevara - the World record, 'I have not quite forgotten about it'

Paris, France When Ana Guevara won her first 400m race of the year by more than a second, running 49.34 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, it became quite evident that her strongest foe this season would be the formidable 49 second barrier.

Last night in Paris, the most popular woman in Mexico beat back that challenger, as well as all others, with her dominating 48.89 win. Only seven other women have conquered that barrier, and at just 26 years of age, Guevara has plenty of time to go even faster. But first, she says, it's time for her and her country to relish her victory, the first by a Mexican woman at an World Athletics Championships.

In Mexico, she said, "These championships were considered as a very important moment in sports. When I started in track & field, I was more in this intending to get good results. Good results for my country, for Mexico. But also for the whole of Latin America."

And her country has paid her back. Wildy popular, the lure of her name cannot be overstated. Each of her performances this season were broadcast live in Mexico. We can safely assume that last night, the ratings were high.

But it hasn't always been that way. In fact, if it wasn't for the selectors of the 1996 Mexican Olympic basketball team, who did not include her on the squad the year before, the athletics world might not even know the name Guevara.

She ended her first season with a 54.60 best, but raced more over 800 meters until 1998, reaching a 2:01.12 best that year.  But a 50.65 win at the Ibero American Championships in the same year led to an eventual shift to the shorter event. A semi-finalist in Seville in 1999 after winning her first Pan American Games title, her star began to rise when she fought her way to the final in Sydney the following year, finishing fifth in 50.11.  In Edmonton, she finished third behind Amy Mbacke Thiam and Lorraine Fenton, cracking 50 seconds for the first time with her 49.97.  She hasn't been beaten since. Last night, along with her sub-49 milestone, the finishing order was reversed, and her journey complete.

"These are my third World Championships and I was no longer among a small group of favourites," she said. "I was the favourite.  It's not easy," she continued, "but when you really work for it, you can get there and you can do good things."

Always athletically inclined, Guevara said that for as long as she can remember, sport glory has been on her mind. "I've been working towards this dream since I was very young," she said.  "My upbringing helped me realize my ambitions."

Her event's World record, Marita Koch's 47.60 set nearly 18 years ago, is on many people's list of "untouchables." But Guevara suggested that she is setting no limits.

"The World record is difficult to break, but that was not my main aim," she said, but quickly added, "But I have not quite forgotten about it. I'm still thinking of it. My coach and I are working to reach this goal one day."

But for now, it's time for Guevara to let her World title sink in.  "This will be an unforgettable night for me."