Thanou ignores crowd reaction

Punished sprinter says she was ‘not affected’ by the booing at European Indoors in Birmingham

‘I did not hear the crowd, so it did not affect me,’ said Thanou, who ended sixth in the 60m at the European Indoors, her first major outing since the end of a doping- related ban.

Sprinter Katerina Thanou says she was “not affected” by the loud booing in Birmingham, UK, that heralded her return to competition after a two-year ban, the athlete told Greek media yesterday.

“I did not hear the crowd, so it did not affect me,” said Thanou, who finished sixth in the women’s 60 meters at this weekend’s European Indoor Athletics Championships with a race time of 7.26 seconds. “No matter what people believe or say, all that matters is that I have returned to competition,” said the former World and European indoor champion and Olympic medalist.

Thanou recently completed a two-year ban for failing to show up for an anti-doping test on the eve of the Athens 2004 Olympics.

On Sunday, the 32-year-old was noisily booed on all three occasions she raced in the women’s 60m and looked to be visibly affected by the reception.

Thanou said the out-of-medal finish came as no surprise to her.

“It is very difficult for the body to adapt after such a long time. I knew I could not do around 7.10 seconds,” she said. “I knew indoor athletics was a transitional phase. My goal is outdoor athletics and the World Championships,” the athlete added.

Belgium’s Kim Gevaert won the race on Sunday in 7.12 seconds.

Almost as unpopular as Thanou in the National Indoor Arena was Cherie Blair as some sections of the crowd also barracked the British prime minister’s wife when she was introduced prior to the medal ceremony for the men’s 1,500 meters. (AFP)