Ludmila ENGQUIST

Ludmila Engquist had experienced more than her fair share of emotional highs and lows in both her athletics career and life in general up to the end of 1996. After reaching a high in 1991 when she won the 100m hurdles world title, Ludmila had gone through bouts of injury; a marriage breakup; a drug suspension, of which she was eventually vindicated; a remarriage, and then gaining citizenship of Sweden under whose colours she won the 100m hurdles gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

With this amount of emotional turmoil behind her, Engquist was able to concentrate on her running in 1997, when she was once again the world's best 100m hurdler. She ably demonstrated this supremacy at the World Championships in Athens. In the 100m final, held on 10 August, Michele Freeman (Jamaica) got off to a fast start, but Engquist caught her by the 7th hurdle and continued on to easily win the gold medal. Ludmila's 1998 season got off to a good start, but she then sustained a calf injury which caused her to miss the remainder of the season, including the opportunity to compete at the European Championships. If that wasn't enough bad luck, fate dealt Ludmila an even crueller blow when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She underwent surgery for the cancer on 21 April 1999, her 35th birthday, and after a subsequent course of chemotherapy, Engquist made a courageous and emotional final appearance at the 1999 World Championships in Seville. After easily winning her heat on 25 August (see photo above), Ludmila wept tears of joy after her semi-final victory in 12.50sec, as she had believed that 12.60sec was then her limit. She had even more reason to celebrate after the final, when she won the bronze medal in an even faster time of 12.47sec. (Ron Casey)