Borg's youth no match for veteran Ottey

Age and experience got the better of youth when Merlene Ottey finished ahead of 15-year-old Diane Borg in the heats of the women's 100 metres at the European Championships yesterday.

At 46, former Jamaican sprinter Ottey, who now competes for Slovenia, is the oldest women's competitor at the championships and is only two years younger than Borg's mother Antoinette.

"I'm very proud to have the chance to run against such a legend," Borg said of Ottey, who has won 35 medals in major championships.

The schoolgirl from Malta is the youngest women's competitor and she finished last in the heat in 12.42, over a second behind Ottey who was third and qualified for today's semi-finals.

"Two weeks ago I was sick and had to stop training," Borg told reporters.

The petite, smiling sprinter is no stranger to the big stage having competed at the World Championships in Helsinki last year and said she had enjoyed running in front of a near-capacity crowd at Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadium.

"You feel the adrenalin pumping because everyone was cheering," Borg said, adding her friends and family would be watching on television.

Her ambitions are to break 12 seconds - she has run 12.03 wind assisted - and to go to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, although school work sometimes has to take priority over running.

"Last year I broke the national record but this year I had to stop for exams and another sprinter broke it again," said Borg, who turns 16 next month.

Ottey's time of 11.41 yesterday equalled her Masters world record for the 45+ age group.

"I remember this stadium very well, but at that time I was in far better shape," said Ottey who won the 200 metres world title in Gothenburg 11 years ago.

"It is a good feeling to be at my first European Championships outdoors, but again I must say it is a pity I am not faster.

"Twenty years ago I would never have run 11.41, I would have been taking it easy and doing 11.1. So it's much slower unfortunately," she added.

Borg, whose personal best is 12.11 seconds, was not the only Maltese sprinter in the European Championships.

On Monday, Darren Gilford took part in the men's 100m heats and clocked 10.73 seconds in the same race with Britain's Mark Lewis-Francis.