Shara Proctor says she feels like a winner despite being pipped to gold at the World Championships in Beijing.
Injury forced Proctor out of the long jump final at Glasgow 2014 but she bounced back in style in China as she broke the seven-metre barrier for the first time in her career.
A leap of 7.07m in the third round on Friday was a British record distance and had her in pole position heading into the closing stages of the competition.
But it wasn’t to be in the end for the 26-year-old as she was bumped down into second by America’s Tianna Bartoletta.
However, despite missing out on the top step of the podium, Proctor says it was an amazing feeling to take a medal at the fifth time of trying.
“I’m numb right now, I don’t know what to feel, I am speechless,” she told British Athletics. “But I’m happy most of all. It’s my fifth champs and I finally did it – I got on the podium.
“It’s a silver medal but I still feel like a winner. It’s been a long ride. I was on crutches last year at this time, I had to learn to walk and to learn to run and today I just put it all together and finally executed.”
© Sportsbeat 2015