Nolene Conrad ran her way on to the podium in Belgium at the weekend, her first of the European season, writes Mark Etheridge.
Racing the 3000-metre steeplechase event, Conrad took third in 10min 08.2sec in a race won by Ethiopian Tigest Getent Mekonnen in 10:04 from Italian Samiri Touria (in a personal best 10:06.6).
“It was a very good line-up with the European champion there [Touria] and five of the girls had run sub-10min this season,” Conrad told Road to Rio 2016.
“Three of them ran with me in my previous two races and I beat them today, excepting for the Ethiopian girl.”
Conrad said the wind was a real factor in the race. “But I felt great. My next race is on 12 June in Nijmegen, Netherlands and it’s a flat 3000m so I’m hoping to run a fast time thereÔǪ if the weather plays along.”