Published: 28 June, 2012
by JACK ZORAB

Sprinter Desiree Henry insists she can head to the World Junior Championships with her head held high after proving age is nothing but a number at the Aviva 2012 Trials at the weekend

With the country’s best senior athletes descending on Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium in a bid to propel themselves into Olympic reckoning, the 16-year-old travelled to the Midlands just for the experience.

But the City and Islington College pupil gained more than just valuable track time as she made it all the way to the final of the 200m, finishing an impressive sixth in a time of 24.06 seconds.

And with a trip to Barcelona for next month’s World Junior Championships pencilled in the diary, Henry believes she couldn’t have asked for a better warm-up.

“I was just grateful to be in the final because that was something I was not expecting,” she said.

“For me to start a season not so well and to come to the trials and get into the final is very pleasing.

“And then to run like there’s no tomorrow, I’m just so proud and I’ll be walking with my head held high now.

“I’m still 16, so that’s also a massive bonus for me.

“I needed races in Birmingham because I’m coming off an injury which put me out for 10 months. So to come back and be in the shape and form I am in makes me very happy.

“I wasn’t looking for a win in massive championships, so just being able to run and put in a good performance is something I’m really happy with. I know it wasn’t a win but for a 16-year-old I think I’ve done pretty well.”

And, as Desiree prepares to pack her bags for Spain, she admits she has to pinch herself after starting the year on the treatment table.
“Injuries are always a bad thing but I think I’ve proved that even if you are injured, as long as you’ve got the right mind-set, performances like that can happen,” she added.

“In the first part of the season I was a little bit down because I came off last season on such a high after winning the 200m at the World Youth Championships.

“I was expecting my junior season to be even better so it became a case of working back and moving forward.”

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