At the World Indoor Championships, Patrizia van der Weken reached the women’s 60 metres final and finished eighth. The day after the race, van der Weken spoke candidly about her performance, describing it as frustrating as she knows she is capable of more. She added that making such a mistake in the final was particularly painful.
She also reflected on the build-up to the final, explaining that it had been a long and demanding day, but one that had gone very well up to that point. Her goal had been to get through the heats as comfortably as possible without wasting energy, and she felt she had remained calm and in control throughout.
Managing her nerves had not been an issue, and she described the earlier rounds as having gone perfectly to plan.
Her coach, Arnaud Starck, echoed that assessment, saying the day had been well managed from the start. He noted that the strategy had worked as intended, with a controlled heat that required minimal energy and a solid semi-final focused on qualification.
For him, reaching the final had been the minimum objective, which she achieved convincingly.
In the final, however, everything came down to the opening metres. Van der Weken acknowledged that her start was not good enough, noting that the first 15 metres were particularly problematic, which immediately put her behind her rivals. Over such a short distance, she stressed, there is no margin for error.
She said she realised straight away that she was trailing, seeing the other athletes ahead of her, and despite doing her best to recover, she was unable to make up the lost ground.
Starck agreed that this was the key moment, especially in what he described as an exceptionally competitive final, where the eight finalists were separated by just hundredths of a second. He added that, at this level, even the smallest mistake can make a decisive difference, and that there had been room for a better result given the athlete’s current form.
Van der Weken also mentioned that the unusually long start procedure may have disrupted her rhythm slightly, although she felt she had handled the pressure reasonably well overall.
The coach also took part of the responsibility, emphasising that at this level, results often come down to very small details. He pointed out that starting blocks and conditions at major championships can differ, not as an excuse but as an explanation, and as an area for improvement.
He acknowledged that such technical factors may not have been fully anticipated, stressing that preparing for a world final also means accounting for these details. In his view, managing every parameter can have a significant impact on the final result.
Despite the disappointment, Van der Weken takes several positives from the race. In particular, she highlighted her phase after the start, where she felt she was performing at a very high level.
She believes her top speed is among the best she has ever had, and that she has shown she can consistently run times around the low 7-second mark. Starck supported this analysis, noting that from around 10 metres onwards her performance was at the level of the very best, with data confirming her speed was competitive with the top athletes.
She said that this gives her confidence heading into the coming months, especially over 100 metres. If she can refine her start, Starck believes further progress is well within reach.
After a short break, van der Weken will move into the next phase of her preparation, aiming to build on a promising foundation.
