LAURA REYNOLDS HAS expressed her satisfaction after finishing 20th in the women’s 20km walk today, saying she was “absolutely delighted” with the outcome.
Speaking to TheScore.ie, she said her finish, in which she broke her PB by almost two minutes, was especially satisfying, given the problems she’s had to deal with throughout the year.
“I’m only 23 [and at] my first Olympics,” she said. “It’s been a hard year with injuries and illness.
“I’ve even been carrying a few niggles in the last few weeks, so I was a bit worried coming into it.”
Reynolds admitted she didn’t get off to the best of starts, but recovered superbly thereafter.
“It was a blistering pace at the start and I was way back, but I just picked them off one by one.”
She added: “The noise was deafening, it was just a brilliant experience.”
And while Reynolds can now enjoy and reflect on her achievement, the prospect of returning to normality is also on the horizon.
“I had applied for jobs before I qualified,” she revealed. “I haven’t heard anything back, but I’ll see after this.“If anyone’s looking for a PE teacher or a Geography teacher, I’m available.”
Meanwhile, Reynolds’ Irish colleague Olive Loughnane also produced a diligent performance, finishing 13th, while Russia’s Elena Lashmanova broke the world record to win the race, with a time of 1:25:02.
