Adeoye proves her doubters wrong (From Haringey Independent)

Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club's Desiree Henry delighted to secure Olympics berth

1:05pm Tuesday 26th June 2012 in Local Sport

Margaret Adeoye admits she will be barely allowing herself a moment of self-congratulation for her Aviva 2012 Trials victory with its prize – the London Olympics – now looming large.

Adeoye was a revelation in the British women’s sprinting ranks during the winter months, emerging from relative obscurity to win the national 200m indoor title in February.

And the 27-year-old backed that indoor form up in style at the Aviva 2012 Trials in Birmingham over the weekend by taking the outdoor equivalent.

Having clocked an A standard 23.09 in the semi-final, overall victory ensured Adeoye, coached by Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie, a London 2012 place.

And, having struggled with injuries in recent weeks, the Enfield and Haringey sprinter admitted Olympic qualification tasted all the sweeter because of its against-the-odds backdrop.

"I can’t believe it. I’ve had an up and down season and I was injured for a month as well," said Adeoye. "But I’m coached by Linford Christie and he always gets us ready when we need to be.

"In Birmingham I stepped on the line and thought ‘I know what I’ve done through the winter’ so I just used that and pushed.

"Linford will be over the moon. I know he had sleepless nights about it because he gets as nervous as we do.

"They picked the team for the Europeans last week and unfortunately I wasn’t picked so I kind of used that and thought ‘you haven’t picked me, fine, I’ll show you'.

"Linford’s been there and he knows what we go through, he knows how hard we train and he knows the mental side of it.

"The last few years I’ve been struggling mentally in the sport but I’ve stuck myself to his arm this year and got to know what I need to do and that’s made the difference."

Adeoye’s 200m heroics ensured she was the first Enfield and Haringey AC athlete to seal her Games berth.

New recruit Delano Williams has only recently linked up with the club having decided to try and qualify for Team GB but saw his dream quest for the Games effectively ended by a seventh-place finish in the 200m final.

The 18-year-old is from Turks and Caicos Islands but with the Caribbean nation not having a National Olympic Committee and the islands being a British Overseas Territory Williams had opted to try out for the GB squad.

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