40-year-old mother of two wins European championship 10,000m

British track veteran Jo Pavey, at age 40 and with two young children, won her first international championships race last week at the European championships.

Pavey, who first represented Great Britain at the 1997 world championships, has been a top-tier athlete for nearly two decades but had never won a major international championship until her 10,000 m win last week. The win comes fresh on the heels of a Commonwealth Games bronze medal performance earlier this month in Glasgow, Scotland, where she finished behind two Kenyan athletes.

In winning the event, the 40-year-old became the oldest woman to ever win a gold medal at the European championships. She finished second at the 2012 European championships.

“I’ve been trying for years to win this and never managed it. It seems funny to do it at the age of 40 now I’m a mother with two young children,” Pavey told The Guardian after her race. “I’m so happy in my personal life. I train really hard but don’t get stressed about it.”

Following up on her 10,000 m gold with a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 m.

The recent successes, Pavey says, have made her excited to try and make the 2016 Rio Olympic team, something she was unsure about attempting.

Also returning to form at European championships was Mo Farah, who won both the 10,000 m and 5,000 m races to repeat his 2010 feat of the same double. Farah also won both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m at the 2012 Olympic Games and 2013 world championships, although his fitness was in question leading up to the recent championships after dropping out of the Commonwealth Games due to illness and lack of training.