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Gothenburg, Sweden (dpa) - Being a trained speech therapist and modest throughout her athletics career, Kim Gevaert doesn't mess with her words.
"Carolina (Kluft) and Kajsa (Bergqvist) are the queens of Gothenburg. Perhaps if I win two gold medals, maybe I could be a little princess," she said slightly embarrassed in reference to the big Swedish stars last Sunday.
However, Gevaert happens to be a sprinter and any woman who achieves a sprint double - like Gevaert did on Friday by adding the 200m title to that over 100m from Wednesday - is considered a sprint queen.
The 28-year-old fully lived up to her top billing at the European championships to single-handedly double the amount of gold medals won by Belgium in the 72-year history of the European championships from two (steeplechase legend Gaston Roelants in 1962 and marathon runner Karel Lismont in 1971) to four.
Tia Hellebaud's high jump title - over Bergqvist - for a Belgian overall tally of now five just two minutes before her 200m run only further motivated her.
"Three gold medals are just wonderful for a small country," said Gevaert. "Before the start I was watching the high jump and screamed when my friend Tia won the gold. Seeing her gave me so much motivation two minutes before my own start."
"I wrote Belgian history - after 35 years Belgium got a gold medal again in the European Championships and I am the first Belgian woman ever to win a gold at the European Championships," she said after the 100m gold.
Gevaert freely admits that she likes the Euro event where the competition is not as tough as at the worlds or Olympics and were she has a pair of sprint silvers from 2002 to now go with the double gold.
"I always enjoy the European championships. It's a bit of a relief to be competing here, because the qualifying rounds are not quite so demanding as at the World Championships or Olympics, where there are always so many women around the same level."
Gevaert missed the 2000 Olympic due to injury and in 2004 made the 100m semis and 200m final to place sixth there. The 2005 worlds went in a similar way, a 100m semi and seventh in the 200m final.
This also reflected in the 2006 world rankings where Gevaert stands eighth over 100m with 11.04 seconds, but second in 200 with 22.20. Jamaican Sherone Simpson leads both lists, with 10.82 and 22.00, respectively.
But Gevaert had the Euro top billing because her times - both personal bests achieved at the national championships in June - made her the best European.
Given this, she has taken an astonishing development after entering athletics by sheer coincidence.
Originally pursuing a career in music - she is an award-winning classical pianist and also plays the flute - Gevaert once accompanied her older brother Marlon to athletics training out of boredom during summer school holidays at home in Leuven at age 15.
She became an instant hit, and, urged by club officials, started serious training. She soon won her first junior races and has now capped her career in Gothenburg.
"It's like a dream: I made the double," she said.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
