Sanders: I can be the athlete I was in 2007 (From Bucks Free Press)

Sanders: I can be the athlete I was in 2007

11:00am Friday 17th February 2012 in Latest News By Alan Feldberg

NICOLA Sanders insists she can re-discover her 2007 form despite resigning herself to missing out on a chance of individual glory at next month’s World Indoor Championships.

Sanders catapulted herself onto the global scene five years ago in Osaka, taking 400m World Championship outdoor silver behind fellow Brit Christine Ohuruogu.

Fast forward to 2012 and the WSEH athlete could only manage third at the Indoor UK Trials and Championships in Sheffield, clocking 53.11 seconds as Shana Cox took victory in 52.38 seconds.

With only the winner guaranteed a spot on the plane to Istanbul Sanders – despite running the qualifying time – looks set for a 4x400m relay spot at best in Turkey.

Sanders revealed the under-par display will bring about a re-think of her early-season plans but is adamant her 2007 form is not out of reach.

She said: “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know whether I consciously eased off because I thought I could just maintain the speed but then down the straight I was thinking, ‘I’m a bit tired now and I can’t pick up’.

“I didn’t really have any fight, I don’t know what it was really.

“I was hoping that I would run well enough to win and then do next week at Birmingham and think about the worlds in relay and individual but I can’t do that now. I’ll speak to my coach and see what the plan is.

“I truly believe I can get back to running the times I was running in 07, and my training is going really, really well. I believe I can get back to that athlete I was. Obviously my running in Sheffield didn’t translate that quite yet but I feel really good.”

And while admitting the plan is now up in the air Sanders was in no mood to look for excuses for her sub-par weekend’s work.

“I have been training really, really well and it’s been felling really, really good. I feel like I’ve got a bit of speed in my legs in training but I just didn’t have it,” she added.

“I’m not training for indoors and I was doing some long stuff in South Africa a couple of weeks ago and it went really well out there.

“It’s been hard since I came back with the cold obviously but I’ve been doing some good stuff indoors, some speed work practising on my drive out and I feel like I’ve been doing the best for about three years. I just can’t explain it, it’s weird.”

Follow UK press agency Sportsbeat on the journey to the London 2012 Games www.twitter.com/sportsbeat