Libby Clegg expects tough year in 2015

Great Britain’s visually impaired sprinter Libby Clegg is expecting fierce competition during the 2015 para-athletics season, especially at October’s IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

The 24-year-old finished 2014 with a Commonwealth Games 100m T12 gold medal and second place in the 100m world rankings behind Ukraine’s European champion Oxana Boturchuk.

With 2015 just a matter of days old, Clegg has outlined her objectives for the year ahead.

“I would like to PB firstly but I want to be up there in the medals again,” said the athlete who runs together with guide Mikail Huggins.

“European athletes are moving forward, so I’ve got to keep up with them and try get in front of China as well.”

Clegg is no stranger to standing on the podium at major events. At the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand she won 100m gold and picked up bronze over 200m. At London 2012 she claimed silver in the 100m, a feat she repeated at the 2013 World Championships in both the 100m and 200m.

She knows that to podium again in 2015 will not be easy.

“I think it’s going to be a tough year next year as there are a few South American countries coming through as well so it’s going to be a tough one,” said Clegg referring to Cuba’s Omara Durand who finished just behind her in the 100m world records.

To be ready for October’s World Championships, Clegg is planning to take part in some of the IPC Athletics Grand Prix planned for 2015 and hoping to learn from the illness that disrupted her performances at August’s IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea, Great Britain.

“I wasn’t very well for the Europeans. I didn’t take care of myself properly coming out of the Commonwealth Games but I’ve learned from that mistake and hopefully it won’t repeat itself,” shed said.

Clegg is likely to be one of 1,300 athletes from 90 countries taking part in the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar, which take place between 21-31 October.