British Athletics Glasgow International report - British best for Greene, victory for Chambers and Bleasdale

WRITTEN FOR THE BRITISH ATHLETICS WEBSITE

26 January 2013

Kick-starting the 2013 British Athletics Series at Glasgow’s new Emirates Arena, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team finished third in the British Athletics Glasgow International Match as Russia took their first victory in six years. 

In the first competition under the new British Athletics banner and having moved from its usual venue at Kelvin Hall in the Scottish city, the competition welcomed a British record and two British victories as the GB&NI squad scored 50 points to Russia and the USA’s 58. Germany, meanwhile registered 49 points, while the Commonwealth Select team collected 40, in the city which will host the Commonwealth Games next summer.

The home team highlights belonged to Dai Greene (Coach: Malcolm Arnold), who sped to an impressive 600m British record, and to Dwain Chambers (Rana Reider) and Holly Bleasdale (Dan Pfaff, Scott Simpson) for their victories in the 60m and
pole vault, respectively.

Adding extra flare to the format and capitalizing on the success of the London Paralympics last summer, the fixture saw disability events included for the first time in the match’s 21-year history, though these were not counted in the competition score.

In a fascinating and rare 600m contest, world 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene got the better of Olympic 800m finalist and world indoor bronze-medalist, Andrew Osagie (Craig Winrow) in arguably the most talked about battle of the day.

Representing the Commonwealth Select team, Greene sped to a fine 1:16.22 national best as Osagie additionally bettered the previous best mark with 1:16.45 in a thrilling finish – though both athletes finished adrift of the USA’s Duane Solomon, who broke the American  record with a 1:15.70 clocking.

Fifth in the Olympics, Welshman Greene took a break from moving house on the eve of the competition to break Ikem Billy’s 28-year-old British record in his first race at the distance since 2006 and said afterwards:

“I enjoyed the race. I enjoyed running indoors for a change and doing a 600m. I was very much out of my comfort zone but I enjoyed testing myself. I’m pleased with the time and I wish I had put a bit more of a challenge in early doors on Duane but I think he ran a great race. I would love to do it again in the near future.

“It’s nice to get the national record. I knew that either Andrew or myself would get it so I just made sure I beat him to the line.

“The competition between Andrew and myself is all very friendly. We’re all good friends here on the team. I think we enjoyed taking each other out of our comfort zone. It’s something that’s not exactly our specialty event. You can’t really read much into it other than that it was a good competitive race and I hope everyone enjoyed it.”

Former European indoor 60m champion Dwain Chambers impressed in a 60m showdown with
former world 100m champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis, who ran for the Commonwealth squad – Chambers winning in 6.58 to Collins’ 6.65.

The 34-year-old world indoor bronze-medallist and Olympic 100m semi-finalist explained:

“The season’s started very well. I’m very pleased with that. It’s still early days though and I’ve got races in Moscow as well as the national trials where I want to be able to qualify comfortably for the Euros, and hopefully I can go from strength to strength from there onwards.

“I’m most definitely eyeing up the European Indoors. The goal is to put up a performance indoors and that involves getting the European title back. I’m going to do my best to achieve that and hopefully that’ll carry me through to greater success throughout the summer.

“I’m always looking longer term too. I’ve still got the enthusiasm to go out there and run, and while the wheels are still spinning as fast as they are I’m going to keep on going.”

Equally as impressive on the in-field, British indoor and outdoor pole vault record-holder Holly Bleasdale continued her 2013 campaign in fine style, with a 4.60m victory.

The 21-year-old – who since finishing fifth in the Olympics shares her time between training in Cardiff and Phoenix, Arizona - pushed Russia’s Anastasiya Savchenko into second, who cleared the same mark but at the second attempt to Bleasdale’s first.

After first-time clearances at 4.35m, 4.50m and her final clearance, Bleasdale failed her trio of attempts at 4.70m, as did her Russian counterpart but will be pleased with her consistency after leaping 4.62m in France earlier this month.

“I’m happy to jump 4.60m. The track and the setup was really good here. I’ve been working on a lot of technical aspects so it’s good to know that I’m still jumping as high as I know I can,” she revealed.

“I would have liked to have jumped 4.70m but I was happy with the way that I think the technical things that I’ve been working on have come through.”

Putting on an impressive display, Paralympic silver-medallist Stef Reid (Keith Antoine) took the F44 long jump with an eye-catching run of consistency on her indoor debut.

Also fourth in the 200m at the London Games, Reid leapt a best of 4.90m after a series including 4.87m, 4.79m, 4.79m and 4.76m, as Japan’s Maya Nakanishi registered 4.78m in second place.

“I absolutely loved it. I haven’t done anything since the London Paralympics. Nothing compares to the thrill you get from competing here and the high you get.

“It was really different competing indoors, it’s quite intimate and it’s nice. You don’t have to deal with things like weather, I can’t remember the last time I only failed one jump in a competition so it’s nice to have no wind and the elements to deal with.

“It was a bit crazy, a different experience but I absolutely loved it. I’m OK with my performance, it’s a different time of the season and we’re working on specific things. I came here to win and I did that so I’m quite pleased with it. I was really hoping for over 5m but that’s just because I’m greedy.”

Three members of the British gold medal-winning T37 4x100m relay team from the London Games contested the T37 60m, with Paralympics 100m sixth-placer Katrina Hart (Robert Ellchuk) coming out on top with a fine 9.00 victory.

The 22-year-old clocked 9.34 earlier this month and revealed afterwards:

“It was really good. I ran last week and I knew I was in good shape and this week it came together really well so it was nice to run well again.

“It’s brilliant for disability events to be here, the crowd was awesome. I think it will keep growing and growing.”

Sixteen year-old Olivia Breen (Leroy Elliott) – fifth in the 100m in London - registered 9.12, while Jenny McLoughlin (Darrell Maynard) finished fourth in 9.25.   

T46 100m Paralympic bronze-medallist Ola Abidogun (Stephen Thomas) stormed to an impressive 7.26 personal best, taking the men’s T46 60m.

The 19-year-old from Horwich had a previous best of 7.45 and enjoyed a comfortable win over Japan’s Tomoki Tagawa (7.35).

“I felt great, I’m not a big 60m fan but I think I’m starting to come to like it a lot more as I get older and I feel a lot more confident. That was a really good start, I’ll just go from race to race – that was my first race of the season and it blew away the cobwebs, he said afterwards.”

Meanwhile, fellow Brit, 16-year-old Kyle Powell (Paul MacGregor) finished sixth with 7.57. 16.

Following his speech as team captain for the British outfit, Olympic bronze-medalist and European high jump champion
Robbie Grabarz (coach: Fayyaz Ahmed) pushed Russia’s world indoor silver-medallist Alexey Dmitrik in a thrilling battle, as the latter narrowly took victory with 2.31m to the former’s 2.29m best effort.

The 25-year-old national outdoor record-holder cleared the 2.25m mark at his second attempt before leaping 2.29m at the first and then suffered two fouls at the 2.31m mark and conceding defeat after fouling his first attempt at 2.33m – one centimetre below his personal best. 

Competing for the first time since recording an 11.70 100m and 2:29.99 800m en route to finishing third in the BBC’s filming of an Olympians special of ‘Superstars’ in November, Grabarz explained after the competition:

“It was good. It was nice to be challenged in my first competition. I took a risk and passed a bar to try and win it because I was in second place on count back.

“It was great fun and I enjoyed myself. It’s a good solid opener. It was a good atmosphere so it was really enjoyable.”

Further back in fourth and wearing the Commonwealth vest, Allan Smith (Bryan Roy) continued his breakthrough form with a superb 2.23m Scottish record.

The performance was sterling on his senior national debut and now the 20-year-old is growing ever nearer to the British all-time top-ten list.

Smith cleared the 2.10m mark on his third attempt but registered 2.23m on attempt number-two and – bouyed by his confidence - tried 2.26m three times in vain. 

Back on the boards, Olympic 400m hurdles semi-finalists Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah) and Eilidh Child (Malcolm Arnold) enjoyed a good day as the former pushed five-time world and
Olympic gold-medallist Natasha Hastings to finish second in her indoor 400m debut with a promising 52.13 to the American’s 52.11.

Scotland’s Child, meanwhile – in her first indoor race since the 2008 season - finished fourth in a 52.88 personal best while representing the Commonwealth squad.

One quarter of the winning World indoor 4x400m outfit, 24-year-old Shakes-Drayton said:

“It was fun, it was fast, it was over too quickly.

“It was good to do something different. I’ve always been the person in that last spot for the 400m relay, so to be given a chance to prove myself over 400m individual and to run a decent time, I’m please with that.”

Following a training stint in South Africa, Conrad Williams (Linford Christie) returned to British shores to register a solid 21.52 in the 200m behind the USA’s Kind Butler (21.26) and Kim Collins (21.37).

Williams, the 2012 winner and Olympic 400m semi-finalist, reveled afterwards:

“It feel good to be out there, it’s good to get the cobwebs out. That was a good race, I’m glad I was chosen to do it and I’m just looking forward to all my races to come.

“It’s good to be out here. The crowd always support you when you’re in GB colours, but until you come out here you never know where you’re at so it’s good to know where I’m at.”

After winning this event twelve months ago, Margaret Adeoye (Linford Christie) returned to finish a close runner-up in 23.48 behind Russia’s Olga Belkina (23.41).

The Olympic semi-finalist said following her exertions:

“It was OK, I’m not happy but it was OK.

“It was wicked and the crowd are amazing, that’s probably the best part of today. I could hear them cheering for me and that was the best part of the day.

“I do feel in good shape, I really do. I just don’t think I got it right today, going round the first bend I didn’t drive so I popped up and then I paid for it later on in the race.”

Further back, competing for the Commonwealth Select team, Scotland’s three-time Olympian Lee McConnell (Rodger Harkins) finished fifth with 24.18.

Olympic 400m semi-finalist Nigel Levine (Linford Christie) strode to a 46.74 clocking over two laps to finish runner-up behind Russia’s 2012 winner, Pavel Trenikhin (46.30).

Levine had the consolation of beating the Bahamas’ Olympic 4x400m gold-medallist Chris Brown – racing here for the Commonwealth team – as he finished adrift in 47.33.

“It was alright for my first race. 46.7 isn’t that bad, but I’ve got to take it as it comes. I’ve got more to come,” he said.

“It was pretty good to compete in front of this crowd, Glasgow is a nice place. I was here two years ago for this match and I love the atmosphere. Everyone has turned out and the stadium is full so it’s great support.”

Paralympic T12 100m silver-medalist Libby Clegg (Keith Antoine) finished third behind Brazil’s Terezinha Guilhermina in the T11/12 60m in her debut indoor competition.

The 22-year-old clocked 8.37 to the victor’s 8.17:

“I was a bit nervous because I’ve not ran on my own for a long time but these things happen and in future I need to be a little bit more prepared and maybe make sure I’ve got a backup that’s more
available. It’s just one of those things,” she said.

“It was fantastic to compete in front of a Scottish crowd, it was great that everyone came out to support us. We don’t get this many people attending any Paralympic events, apart from at the Games, so it’s great to compete in front of a big crowd.”

Meanwhile, Olympic 100m and 200m representative Aniyka Onoura (Christine Bowmaker) finished fourth in the 60m with 7.39, while Germany’s European champion Verena Sailer took the impressive scalp of Carmelita Jeter, the second fastest woman of all time over 100m – with 7.16 to Jeter’s 7.28.

Enjoying the home crowd support, Scotland’s Olympic 800m semi-finalist Lynsey Sharp (Terrence Mahon) returned from a spell of high-altitude training in Kenya to finish fourth in the four-lap event with a 2:05.23 personal best in her first indoor race in five years.

The European outdoor runner-up finished more than a second behind Russia’s Olympic bronze-medallist Ekaterina Poistogova (2:04.04).

The 22-year-old from Edinburgh – who hopes to be a medal contender at the Commonwealth Games here next summer – revealed afterwards:

“It felt OK, it was slow but I just forgot what indoors was like because I haven’t done it for so many years. I got in a bad position on the first lap and I was constantly working to try and get out of it and
then I stupidly was watching the clock at the end and got pipped on the line.

“The crowd was amazing, when they introduced me I was almost crying and I needed to concentrate. It was like it was in London.”

Making his senior international debut, 19-year-old Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg) took more than three seconds off his year-old personal best, clocking an impressive 3:45.05 behind winner Bethwel Birgen of Kenya – the 2011 world 1500m bronze-medallist who wore the Commonwealth colours (3:38.37).

Ninth in the European junior cross-country championships last month, Grice explained afterwards:

“It was really hard. I went off really fast against world-class opposition and died a bit at the end.

“It was good experience and I enjoyed it. I ran a PB indoors so it's still quite good.”

Also on her senior GB&NI debut and in the metric mile event, Glasgow university student Laura Muir (Andy Young) registered 4:24.40 for fourth place, as Germany’s Corinna Harrer won with 4:22.10. 
Muir – who sped to a 9:02.35 3,000m personal best here earlier this month – revealed:

“It was good, I’m just trying to make the most of the experience. I was waiting for them to kick and I was caught a little bit off guard.

“I was glad I was fourth and I’m just chuffed to be on the team. If I’d ran a good race and finished last I still would have been happy.”

In-field, heptathlon specialist Dominique Blaize (Julie Hollman) took to the long jump runway and finished third with a 6.22m leap behind Russia’s 2011 European indoor champion Darya Klishina
(6.44m).

Blaize twice registered 6.02 and endured two no-jumps, as Jade Nimmo (Darren Ritchie) – representing the Commonwealth – placed fifth with a best distance of 6.00m during a consistent series of jumps which never dipped below 5.81m.

“It was good, the crowd were fantastic. It helped watching Robbie in between rounds, that was always good so it was fun.

“I would have liked to have had a better series. The runway still needs a lot of work, I can tell I’m still competition rusty with this being by first one so I’m looking forward to going back to the drawing board and going to Trials and seeing what happens there.”

Following his recent third place finish in the Great Edinburgh cross-country international, Andy Vernon (Nic Bideau) clocked 8:00.80 in fourth place in the 3,000m as multiple world and Olympic medallist Bernard Lagat (USA) stormed to a scorching and comfortable 7:53.36 victory.

“It was pretty tough actually. We went out quite slow running 63s and 64s for the first couple of laps and then it dropped a little bit which is when I went into the lead. I thought, ‘if I’m going to come here I might as well try and do something,’” Vernon said.

“I picked it up a little bit and it probably wasn’t really fast enough and the Russian took over. After that I was struggling for pace, I’ve just done three cross country races on the trot.”

Former European Under-23 silver medallist Gianni Frankis (Tony Jarrett) finished fourth in the 60m hurdles with a solid 7.78 clocking, as Russia’s European champion Sergey Shubenkov registered 7.62.

“It was quite good. This is my season opener and I kept in the pack there. I wasn’t too far away from athletes that have won European Championships and things like that.

“I feel good, my training has been doing well and you’re always rusty with your season opener but I felt good and I might be surprised by my time.”

In the women’s equivalent, Serita Solomon finished a respectable third with a 8.26 personal best clocking behind Germany’s Cindy Roleder, who registered 8.18 for the win.

World silver medallist Danielle Carruthers of the USA, meanwhile, was not too far ahead of the 22-year-old Briton, crossing the line in 8.22.

Solomon was satisfied with her afternoon’s effort after reducing her 8.37 best mark:

“It was loads of fun, I really enjoyed it. It was my first race of the season so glad to have got a PB.

“It should set me up well for the rest of the season, I'm looking forward to trials now.”
Suffering from injury, world indoor triple jump champion Yamile Aldama (Frank Attoh) endured an off-day on her season debut, fouling four attempts and finishing fifth and last with a lackluster 13.16m effort. 

The 40-year-old 2012 winner in this match finished behind Germany’s Jenny Elbe, the 2009 European junior bronze-medalist, who leapt 13.90m.

"I had an injury problem last week in South Africa. I didn't want to push it today because I didn't want to get hurt. I couldn't run 100% and I jumped with a shorter approach.”

Exciting roles coming up...

I have some exciting work opportunities coming up, starting with a week in Gothenburg at the European indoor Championships.

Leaving in late February, I'll be working for the organisers as the flash-quote manager in the mixed zone, receiving the initial reactions of athletes and feeding them to the world's press in an eventful three-day competition.

And less than three-weeks later, I'm off to Poland for a few days to work as a reporter for the IAAF at the World cross-country Championships.

I'm very much looking forward to both events...! : )

K J-T’s the Kat that got the Cream

WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF

Twelve months ago, Britain’s multi-events starlet Katarina Johnson-Thompson had only just begun jogging again after a serious knee injury which ruined two years of her blossoming career, but now she heads into the winter as a world junior champion and London 2012 Olympian after a remarkable record-breaking season.

The 19-year-old from Liverpool in the north-west of England recorded no less than twelve lifetime bests this summer, including an impressive 6267 British junior heptathlon record, which catapulted her to the top-spot in the world junior seasonal rankings and sixth on the all-time list.

The 6ft-tall ‘KJT’, as she is affectionately known, thus revised her 2011 personal best score by almost 500-points in what was arguably one of the breakthrough stories of the 2012 campaign, and truly ensured the banishment of her past injury woes. 

Guided by Mike Holmes, the 2009 world youth heptathlon champion enjoyed a near-flawless summer, beginning with a 6007 total at the MultiStars meeting in Italy in May to break 2009 world champion Jessica Ennis’ national junior record, before collecting 6248 points at the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge meeting in the Czech Republic the following month to qualify for London Games.

The latter performance was achieved courtesy of six personal best marks and an overall best by 241-points, showing great signs of promise for her Olympic debut, and Johnson-Thompson refused to rest on her laurels in the countdown to the Games by claiming a surprise long jump gold at the IAAF World junior Championships in Barcelona in July, with an eye-catching 6.51m lifetime best.

Entering the competition ranked only tenth, she pipped Germany’s European junior champion Lena Malkus by a single centimetre with a windy 6.81m, after narrowly missing out on a place in the 100m
hurdles final.

“Barcelona was pretty weird as I knew I was going to the Olympic Games at the last minute so doing the heptathlon there would have been a compromise,” Johnson-Thompson explained.

“I flopped in the Olympic trials (in Birmingham in late June, where she recorded disappointing marks of 6.08m in the long jump, 1.77m in the high jump and 13.78 in the 100m hurdles) and it was a wake-up call.”

“Because of that, I worked really hard on my long jump and only went to Barcelona to gain consistency so I was made up with a PB. It was crazy winning as the 800m of the heptathlon was happening at the same and it all happened so quickly. It was really surreal and very unexpected, I was over the moon.”

‘Inspired’

Three weeks later and still riding on the crest of a wave, Johnson-Thompson announced herself on her senior international debut in the British capital by storming to an inspired fifteenth place in the Olympic heptathlon behind Ennis’ gold-medal-winning antics.

Her 6267 national junior best in front of a fanatical 80,000-strong home crowd shot her to twenty-fourth on the global 2012 list, thanks to four individual lifetime bests of 13.48 (100m hurdles), 1.89m (high jump), 23.73 (200m) and 2:10.76 for the final event, the 800m.

Now proudly sitting in fifth place on the British senior all-time rankings behind the new Olympic champion and the Sydney 2000 winner Denise Lewis, Johnson-Thompson – who finished only sixth in the 2011 European junior heptathlon – is being hailed as ‘the next Ennis’.

“The crowd was like nothing I’ve ever experienced, they were really hyped up for every British athlete,” the prodigious youngster recalled.

“The call-up area was sound-proof so it was a crazy atmosphere when you got out into the stadium.
My mum, nan and uncle were there but I wasn’t nervous until after the competition because I knew there were no expectations on me, I was just so happy to be there, I’m a very laid-back and smiley person.”

“I’m happy I got some PB’s under so much pressure – I performed on the big occasion and it was just amazing, especially competing alongside Jess and on ‘super Saturday’. She inspired me a lot and I got emotional when she won, I’m inspired to be like her one day.”

Citing herself as ‘chronically indecisive so I’ve adopted the heptathlon’ Johnson-Thompson was indeed relieved to simply gain Olympic selection after suffering from ‘jumper’s knee’ during the 2010 and 2011 seasons:

“I was on painkillers for it for almost all of 2011 so I had a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection into the tendon in September and got back jogging in the November,” she revealed.

“It made getting to the Olympic Games all the sweeter - I never took making the Games for granted,  it was a dream I had but it was more for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, but with it being in London, I put my heart and soul into qualifying for it.”

‘Insane’

Following a two-month training break, Johnson-Thompson admitted that she was itching to return to the track last month after a holiday to the Bahamas and a whirlwind spell of celebrations and invitations to glittering events.

The most exciting of which she claims was the Team GB parade throughout the streets of London upon the completion of the Paralympics:

“The bus parade was the most amazing day – the crowds were never-ending, a million people turned out to support us,” she recalled.

“It was nice to rest as the year had put so much pressure on me both physically and emotionally and now everything’s still the same, it’s just that people have more respect for what you do.” 

Relishing her harsh winter training regime, Johnson-Thompson singles out the shot put and javelin as the key elements to work on throughout the off-season, before tackling a few indoor events in the New Year to sharpen up for the summer.

Having recently deferred her university studies until next autumn, when she will study Food and Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University, Johnson-Thompson will target a medal at the European under23 Championships in Tampere, Finland next July and a big points score at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in August - both in the combined events competition.

“I’m only quite young so I’ve got lots to look forward to and now I’ve had a taste of the big events,” she explained.

“The Euro’s won’t be a walk in the park and a medal would be good. The World’s is my main aim,
I’d like to keep progressing and improve my throws and I would like good points in Moscow but I’m not thinking about a placing there.”

Looking further ahead in her development, Johnson-Thompson is understandably intrigued as to just how much further she can improve and following an outstanding 2012, has set her sights on establishing herself in the next Olympic cycle:

“Rio’s always been a target for me but it could be my time in 2020 when I’m hopefully at my peak and become Olympic champion,” KJT envisaged.

“It will also be insane to go back (to the London Olympic stadium for the World Championships) in 2017 where it all started for me as a senior.”

2012 will certainly be remembered as the year when KJT arrived on the senior stage with a bang, finally allowing Kat to get her well-deserved cream.

Nicola Bamford for the IAAF

Olympic role = No Blogging

Between the months of June, July and August, there will be no blog additions to this site, due to my contractual obligations with LOCOG (London 2012), with whom I am working for this summer as an Olympic news wire reporter (athletics)...

Murray's Shock Breakthrough

WRITTEN FOR SKYSPORTS

After a whirlwind early season track campaign has propelled him to the cusp of Olympic selection, 1500m prodigy Ross Murray admits to being in a state of shock following a less-than-professional build-up to London 2012, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 21-year-old from Gateshead confessed to being so disillusioned with the sport last summer that he succumbed to the university stereotype of surrounding himself with parties and alcohol, causing him to gain 7kg in weight and lose his passion for athletics in the process.

But now – following an injury-free winter – the St Mary’s university undergraduate finds himself as a key contender for Team GB ahead of Augusts’ Olympic Games in the British capital, after speeding to a remarkable 3:34.66 clocking last weekend.

Guided by Craig Winrow, Murray – who has now improved from 3:43.51 since 2010 and from 3:40.34 in the space of just five weeks – revealed:

“This year has been a bit mental to be honest!

“At the start of the year, I didn't think I would run that quick - I thought maybe 3:36 at best so to run it on a cold windy day and win the race by five seconds was a bit of a shock!

“After that, I thought I would have a shot at running the Olympic ‘A’ standard but I wasn't exactly sure how quick I could go.”

Lucky

Opening his outdoor campaign with a solid 3:40.34 in Stretford at the end of April, Murray then went on to register his breakthrough 3:36.69 Olympic ‘B’ standard at the BMC Grand Prix in Manchester in mid-May, before unleashing a shock 3:34.76 clocking when finishing ninth against a top international field at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in Hengelo in the Netherlands just eight days
later.

Murray – who did not compete over the metric mile at all in 2011 – currently sits as second on the British rankings for the season behind World 5,000m champion Mo Farah (3:34.66) and in twenty-first position on the UK all-time senior list.

Now ranked as the fifth-fastest u23 of all-time, Murray explained the reasoning behind his sudden metamorphosis: 

“2011 wasn't a great year for me – I was training quite well early in the year but then I got ill and injured and it all fell to bits,” he said of the year in which he dabbled in the 5,000m event, resulting in a best of only 15:16.76.

“I was trying to live the university lifestyle as well as the athlete lifestyle and it just couldn't work.

“Once I got injured, I got very disillusioned with the sport and went off the rails for a bit - I was out partying way too much, drinking too much - I put on about 6/7kgs and wasn't sure if I wanted to get back involved in athletics.

“I was even organizing to go and work abroad in one of the club 18-30 resorts but luckily, things worked out and I feel like a very lucky boy right now.”

On the winter which saw him place ninth in the British universities cross-country championships and seventh in the UK indoor 3,000m championship final, Murray continued:

“My winter wasn't a perfect build-up - through September and October, I was still trying to build up into full training after my Achilles injury.

“I had a calf problem in November but by the end of December, I was almost at full training and since then, I've been lucky enough to get some consistent training in without too many issues.” 

Crazy

A sixth-place finisher at the 2009 European junior championships, Murray plans to next tackle either an 800m or another 1,500m competition before heading to the Olympic trials in Birmingham at the end of June, where he hopes to seal his place on the British Olympic squad.

Understandably excited about the prospect of making his Olympic debut on home turf, at a young age and on the back of such an eye-catching revival, Murray revealed:

“The main goal now is to just make that Olympic team - I'm not thinking much beyond that as I don't want to get ahead of myself.

“It has been a crazy year so far as it is so, I just want to take it all one step at a time, stay relaxed, keep having fun and hopefully things will go well.”

With a refreshingly laid-back attitude to his second chance in the sport, Murray – who is known for his love of pizza and admits to craving an appearance in reality TV show Geordie Shore – added:

“I love chilling in the beer garden with the boys and girls, relaxing and having fun - I think people can sometimes take sport too seriously, the main thing is to enjoy it - if you don't then what's the point!?”

Aiming for a top-two position in the trials next month, the 2011 UK 3,000m indoor silver-medalist continued:

“If I made the London Olympics, I would be absolutely buzzing!

“To step out in front of a home crowd would be something that may never be matched in your career again - I would just want to do myself, my family, my friends and the whole country proud!”

Sanya Chasing Missing Gold

WRITTEN FOR SKYSPORTS

Despite taking world indoor and outdoor gold over the past three seasons, 400m sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross will not be content with her illustrious track career until she claims the elusive Olympic crown in London this summer, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 27-year-old American has been among the top tier of global one-lap running for eight years now and having been stripped of her 4x400m relay victory from the 2004 Athens Games, due to a doping admission from team-mate Crystal Cox, Richards-Ross is eager to grab the top Olympic prize once more.

Guided by Clyde Hart - the man who coached world 400m record-holder, Michael Johnson to two Olympic quarter-mile glories – Richards-Ross started her 2012 campaign in fine form, winning the world indoor title with 50.79 in Turkey in March, before opening her outdoor season in Jamaica earlier this month.

Based in Texas for most of the year, she opened with an impressive 50.11 clocking and then went onto win the 200m at last weekend’s Great Manchester CityGames in 22.71 on the straightaway surface.

Speaking exclusively after the North-West event, Richards-Ross explained:

“It felt good – it was fun to run 200m on the straightaway and it didn’t seem that far so I had a great run today and I’m happy.

“I wanted to run under 23-seconds - my coach told me to be patient for the first 100m so I’m very satisfied as it was kind of cold and into a head-wind.

“It was a fantastic experience, I wish they had more events like this and in the States, where the fans can get really close to us and experience the great atmosphere – I had a great time and I definitely want to come back.”

Excited

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and a US citizen since 2002, Richards-Ross is relieved to be back to top form following a below-par summer last year due to a flare up of Behcets disease, a form of vasculitis which she now has under control.

Finishing seventh in the World outdoor Championship final in Daegu, South Korea, the 48.70 runner managed to salvage her 2011 with a gold medal-winning performance in the 4x400m relay final – both events which she won in the 2009 Berlin edition.

Next competing in Ostrava on Friday, Richards-Ross will then travel to Eugene for the Diamond League event in early June before aiming to seal her Olympic selection at the US trials late next month.

Confident of making her third consecutive Olympic appearance, Richards-Ross revealed:

“My health is the best it’s been for a long time – I feel like I’m past it now and my doctors have me on medication so I’m really happy that I’m physically healthy.

“I was really pleased with my indoor training – at the start of the year, I wasn’t sure if I was going to run indoors but my coach didn’t tweak my training too much and I ran great and I was happy to win my first World indoor title.

“Outdoor’s started off pretty well - I had a good race in Jamaica so I’m really excited as I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for a really long time – I’m healthy and I think it’s going to be a great year.”

An Edge

Married to NFL player Aaron Ross, the 2008 Olympic bronze-medallist and 4x400m champion from the Beijing Games has found an unusual distraction from the sport to keep the nerves and pressure at bay.

Owning and running a beauty salon in her home county, Richards-Ross explained:

“My sister and my mom and I run the business together and it’s one of my favourite pastimes when I’m not training.

“I really enjoy the business side of it and also fashion, hair and beauty and we started out own hair-line which has a range of luxury extensions so it’s really fun for me - I call myself a silent partner but I’m not really that silent,” she joked.

With constant globe-trotting commitments necessary in order to hone her craft ahead of the biggest competition of the year, family support is vital to her success, she continued:

“Aaron’s coach has given him time off to watch the Games and it will be his first time watching me in a major championship so I hope having him there will help give me an edge!”

Due to be based in Birmingham from mid-July in the Team USA preparation camp, Richards-Ross revealed:

“I’m so looking forward to feeling the energy and excitement beforehand, I just can’t wait – I think the Olympics will start at our training camp and then really build up from there.

“I’m focusing on the 400m as I’ve wanted to win the Olympic gold in that event for such a long time, which is so hard to accomplish, though I’m not sure if my coach will want to enter me in the 200m as well.

“The Olympic gold is the only thing missing from my resume so I really want to get that gold medal.

“Christine Ohuruogu will be one of my toughest challengers – she’s going to be competing on home soil, which I think will help her and Novlene Williams-Mills has started off the season really strong as well as Amantle Montsho who won the title last year so I think it’s one of the most exciting races at the Olympic Games.

“Anything less than the gold would be a disappointment for me because that’s what I train for - every sportsman wants to win, that’s why we train so hard.”

Helsinki a great opportunity for medals, believes former two-time European 4x400m relay champ, Baulch

WRITTEN FOR EUROPEAN ATHLETICS

Fourteen years on from collecting continental gold in the long relay with Great Britain and Northern Ireland team-mates Mark Hylton, Iwan Thomas and Mark Richardson, Welshman Jamie Baulch believes the new biennial format of the European Championships is a change for the better, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 38-year-old from Cardiff – who pipped Poland and Spain in the 1998 contest in Budapest and went on to retain the 4x400m crown in Munich four years later from Russia and France with compatriots Jared Deacon, Matt Elias and Daniel Caines – has fond memories of the event and explained:

“Championships are what we’re all after so generally it’s a good thing that the European’s is now every two years, as elite athletes have a short lifespan at the top so they want to get as many medals as they can.”

With the 2012 European event set to be staged in the Finnish capital of Helsinki between June 27th and July 1st fast-approaching, athletes across the continent are opening their seasons early to reach sharp mid-season form.

A winner of eleven major championship medals including the 1999 World indoor individual 400m gold from Japan and the 1996 Olympic relay silver in Atlanta, Baulch knows first-hand how a European title is not to be sniffed at:

“I have great memories of both occasions in my career,” he revealed.

“1998 was so special to me - I have fond memories of the track, the feeling of getting that gold medal and at the time, European 400m running was at its highest peak – we had such an amazing team and it was a tough race.

“I preferred Budapest to Munich as it was drizzling rain compared to the boiling heat of four years earlier.”

The holder of the British indoor record with a 45.39 clocking from the 1997 season, the father of two boys hung up his spikes in 2005 with an outdoor best of 44.57, which still ranks him as seventh on an illustrious British all-time list.

In 2010, Baulch and his team-mates were finally upgraded as the true 1997 World champions, a full thirteen years after the event, leaving the founder of Definitive Sports Management and the Jamie Baulch Academy with a bitter taste.

Keen to utilise his expertise on the global athletics circuit, Baulch manages the likes of World 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene and recalls watching his charge storm to European glory in the 2010 Barcelona event as one of his finest memories as an agent.

On his opinion of the event now only ten weeks way, Baulch explained:

“I think Helsinki will be a successful championship - lots of athletes will contest the 400m, just not the top British sprinters as they have to be a lot more selective this year, what with the home Games approaching and it also comes just a few days after the British Olympic trials. Helsinki’s a great place and it’s somewhere I can’t believe I haven’t been to before.”

Still running regularly – with a fine 3:51:44 clocking in the 2011 London Marathon to his name – Baulch will be seen on British television in July contesting ITV’s “Dancing on Ice – Going for Gold” celebrity competition alongside fellow British compatriots, four-time European 110m hurdles champion Colin Jackson and 1984 Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson on the eve of the London Olympic Games.

Whether he can ice-skate as well as he can run and manage elite athletes remains to be seen...