Saint Edmund Pacers runner Christine Anthony and Newmarket Joggers member Elke Hausler help British team to set new 4x800m world record

A member of the Saint Edmund Pacers came away from the recent British Masters Championships as a new world record holder.

Christine Anthony was part of the British quartet that featured in the Women’s 60-64 4x800m relay in Nuneaton.

And their race-winning performance of 10.38.96 was a new global best, almost seven seconds ahead of the previous leading time of 10.45.23, which was set by the USA a few weeks earlier.

Alongside Anthony in the successful British team was Elke Hausler, who is a member of the neighbouring Newmarket Joggers and like Anthony, she is coached by Mick Graham at the Abbeycroft Leisure track in Bury St Edmunds.

Virginia Mitchell (Guildford) and Clare Elms (Beckenham) completed the triumphant squad.

Chevington-based Anthony said: “It was something that we had targeted. After the Americans took the record, we thought let’s go for it and the race was set up as a world record attempt.

“That put a lot of pressure on us because anything can go wrong on the day, but we were all so focused. Nobody wanted to be the one that let the team down and we performed brilliantly as a group. We were all very excited when we saw the time.

“We’re used to competing against each other at different events and this was a totally different dynamic, but we bonded really well together and it all worked out.”

Anthony – along with her team-mates – is now set to feature at next month’s European Masters Athletics Stadia Championships on the Portuguese island of Madeira.