7th March 2013 03:01
As she explained in the aftermath of her double success, her approach here was governed partly by the distressing events of last summer, when she had entered the home Olympics with high hopes of a medal after her victory a few weeks earlier at the Samsung Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace, where she beat a field including Jamaica's Olympic champion Melaine Walker and Russia's European champion Irina Davydova in a personal best of 53.77sec.
It was the second fastest time in the world that year, and the second best British performance of all-time behind the former world and Olympic champion Sally Gunnell, whose former world record stood at 52.74.
Beyond all the statistics, however, it was a thrilling race to behold. As an observer of the sport, you just knew it was a significant performance – and the dazed look on the winner's face as she crossed the line, similar to that of Kelly Holmes as she earned the first of her two Olympic golds in Athens, confirmed it. Peirresha Alexandra Shakes-Drayton, to give her full name, was into new territory.
Four years earlier, as a 19-year-old, she had suffered the frustration of missing out on an Olympic appearance in Beijing despite winning the 400m hurdles at the British trials. As she did not have an A standard qualification, the selectors chose instead to select the more experienced Natasha Danvers, another Londoner, and she went on to win bronze.
But all Shakes-Drayton's ambitions of emulating Danvers's medal-winning performance were thwarted in Stratford's Olympic arena as she failed to reach the final after straining a hamstring while warming up for her semi-final.
Thus, when she arrived in Sweden for her next international championship opportunity, she was determined to use the memories of her Olympic disappointment in a positive way. 'I thought 'I'm going to show people what I'm all about', she said. 'Show them I've not given up after what happened.'
Which was exactly what she did, seven months after that setback. Her semi-final on the second full day of the championships was won in a personal best of 51.03, the fastest time in Europe this season. She approached the final with the same front-running resolve, ensuring that the key manoeuvre of this indoor event – reaching the front once the runners break from their lanes shortly before the end of the first lap – was carried out seamlessly.
Once she had settled into her running, with her British colleague Eilidh Child in her wake, there was no doubt about who was going to take the gold, although there was perhaps an element of surprise at her time as she crossed the line to claim her first senior international title in 50.85sec, the fastest in the world this year, putting her third on all-time British indoor list behind the 50.53 run at Birmingham in 2001 by the woman who was providing the arena commentary for the event, Katharine Merry, and the 50.72 clocked by Nicola Sanders in 2006.
'I'm really happy with that,' said Shakes-Drayton after adding a European indoor title to the European under-23 gold she had won in 2009 and the European outdoor bronze earned the following year. 'Everyone had expectations of me and were saying 'gold, gold'.
'In my heart of hearts I wanted the gold and I was able to deliver. To run a world lead as well, I didn't expect that. It gives me a lot of confidence and hopefully I can transfer that when it comes to the outdoor season over the hurdles.'
Her winning time was 0.41sec quicker than her personal best on an outdoor track. And later in the day she rose once again to the challenge of the relay, a year after she had anchored the British team home to gold at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, holding off the American world champion Sanya Richards-Ross after being handed a lead following a brilliant run by the then Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu.
This time the task for Shakes-Drayton, again handed the baton by Ohuruogu, who had travelled specifically to run in the relay, had a less challenging task on her hands to stay ahead of her Russian opponent, but she pushed to the line to cross in 3min 27.56sec, which was a national record, a championship record, and the fastest recorded this year. And indeed the fifth best in the all-time lists.
But despite her achievements on the flat, Shakes-Drayton is not tempted to switch from what she still regards as her main event.
'I still want to achieve over the 400m hurdles and I haven't fulfilled my potential so to me I'm still a 400m hurdler,' she said. 'I think that gave me an advantage here because I'm used to running over 10 hurdles in a 400, so I'm a lot stronger.'
Peter Erikkson, the British head coach, commented: 'Perri was absolutely fantastic. And we've not seen the best of her yet.' That will be something to behold...