Sports Personality of the Year 2014: Jo Pavey
Meet 10,000m European champion Jo Pavey, watch her sporting highlight and find out who she would vote for in BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014
FINEST HOUR Becoming the oldest woman ever to claim gold at a European Championships when she won the 10,000m in Zurich at the age of 40.
WHAT THE COMMENTATOR SAID “A glorious, glorious run from Jo Pavey. This is it; her whole career has been about this moment.”
WHAT JO SAYS
“Given what Lewis Hamilton has done in the world championship it’s really exciting to be on the list with him. But gymnast Claudia Fragapane would be my choice. She’s at totally the opposite end of the scale from me: only just 16, but already a four-gold medallist. I was so impressed watching her."
What did it take to win gold at the age of 40?
“I’ve been trying to win gold at a major championship for so many years, but being over 40 and a new mother I thought my time had passed. I was still breastfeeding at the start of April! My husband Gav is also my coach: he would push my little girl Emily in the pram down to the track, and we’d have my little boy Jacob on his bike. We made it a family affair.
"One benefit of age is that you’ve got a lot of experience so at least you know what works for you. I don’t treat myself as older; I just go down the track and get on with it and see what happens.
"There’s a lot of banter between me and my teammates of course: they all joke about me being old and being a mum. A lot of them call me Granny now!"
Read the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014 shortlist in full
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