Together for the Long Run

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Coping with the demands of training, travel and competition en route to London 2012 would stretch most relationships, but Games hopefuls Hannah England and Luke Gunn are a unique couple as they are currently successfully juggling their preparations for a big day on and off the track, writes Nicola Bamford.

The Birmingham-based duo have not only set their sights on making their Olympic debuts in the capital this summer but are also planning their wedding day for January, in what is likely to be an exciting few months ahead for the talented pair.

For 25-year-old England, the World 1,500m silver-medallist and 27-year-old Gunn, the Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechase finalist, the countdown to the two most important events of their lives has been hectic yet surprisingly complimentary:

“It is a lovely distraction (from athletics) and I must admit, we are both pretty laid-back so you won't see any Bridezilla's in our build up,” revealed Oxford-born runner, England.

“We will be having the ceremony in Oxford and we have been fortunate enough to be granted access to one of the University's chapels - we did toy with having a Harry Potter-themed wedding for a while but Luke vetoed it - it was just my way of using his only veto up early.”

For Derby-born athlete Gunn, such an important phase of their lives has been made much easier to cope with courtesy of a secondment from his job at the University of Birmingham – where they each studied and indeed met, back in 2006.

“Last year was definitely tough not seeing Hannah for months at a time, which was definitely one of the main contributors to my decision to take a year out of work,” explained Gunn.

“We both need our partner in crime for support as much as possible this year.”

Tough

Having endured a long-distance relationship during Gunn’s three-year study period at Florida State University – where England additionally spent a year back in 2008 – the couple have survived challenging spells apart so the past winter and spring spent together in Kenya and the French Pyrenees, respectively,  signified a welcome change in their training routine.

Guided by Bud Baldaro, the pair spent month-long stints in Africa back in November and January and are now enjoying another high-altitude spell at the tail-end of a spring training camp in Font Romeu.

“We've been able to spend a lot more time together training and the trips to Kenya mainly consisted of base-training with high mileage (over one-hundred miles a week for Luke and up to eighty miles for myself),” England, a 4:01.89 metric miler revealed.

“This year, these camps have been attended by the very best of the British distance community – this meant Luke was able to do lots of his running with the likes of Paula (Radcliffe, the World marathon record-holder) and Mo (Farah, the World 5,000m champion).”

With a best of 8:28.48 over the barriers from the 2008 season, Gunn offered his thoughts on how the duo withstands the constant strains on their time and priorities:

“We both completely understand the level of commitment involved and can both act like the motivator when times dictate it.

“It's also much easier to drag yourself out of bed if the other has already risen and is about to brave the elements, too - that being said, we hardly ever run together, though we do still train at the same time in the gym or at the track, which makes life easier.”

Seeking his fourth-consecutive UK outdoor title at the Olympic trials in Birmingham in June, Gunn continued:

“It has been tough for both of us at times with Hannah having to remain utterly focused on her season during my disappointment on missing out on teams.

“I have had to force a smile to ensure my bad mood has no negative effect on Hannah at crucial times in her summer and we are a team so when she won her silver last year, that gave me as much satisfaction as many of my own running achievements as we have gone through her full development as an athlete together.

“Largely, we feed off each others’ excitement and positivity and the tides have certainly turned in recent years, where Hannah now challenges me on my mental approach and tactics - however, I am not ready to step into her shadow just yet.”

Excitement

Mentored by 2004 800m and 1500m Olympic champion, Dame Kelly Holmes and looking for her third-consecutive UK outdoor title next month, England is facing the added pressure of being tipped as one of Team GB’s one’s-to-watch after claiming her first major championship medal in South Korea last summer.

Dealing with the expectation of bringing home another medal, she explained how sharing her life with another elite athlete helps her keep everything in perspective:

“We are both guilty of bringing home a bad session or race but we have been together so long now that the other one often knows how to distract the other, whether it be with a weekend away, night to the cinema or just a simple silly dance to lighten the mood.

“We are also very fortunate to have a group of close friends who are great at keeping us grounded, stopping us from getting too insular about training and most importantly, feeding us emergency chocolate and cake when needed.”

Just six weeks out from the first big test of their 2012 campaigns, Gunn continued:

“First and foremost, we both have to qualify for the Games and that is, and has been, the goal since 2008 when we were both sat on the wrong side of selections.

“So we have to get an ‘A’ standard each before the trials which we are both refusing to look too far beyond at the minute - we are both pretty proud to be British champions in our respective events and we both intend to fight tooth and nail to retain those titles.”

England, also the British indoor 3,000m champion, concluded: 

“The pressure of London this year is always there on a low-ebb and whilst it can rise to nerve-wracking heights at times, these are just natural periods of doubt that we talk through together and rationalise.

“We have to admit we wouldn't have it any other way - the excitement of still being in contention for a place in the Olympics is the only motivation we need to push our body to new limits every day.

“We are both early enough in the season to be in command of our destinies so at present we are focusing on keeping both of us healthy, injury-free and maintaining positive momentum, as places on the team are still available and we fully intend to occupy two of them between us.”

And should this speedy pair realise their Olympic ambitions come August, then the New Year will indeed witness an exceptionally happy bride and groom walking down the aisle.  

Olympic Nerves for Baulch

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Sixteen years on from his finest Olympic moment, former 400m runner Jamie Baulch is set to return to the greatest sporting show on earth in a very different capacity this summer – as an agent to some of Team GB’s brightest track hopes, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 38-year-old Welshman heads the management of World 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene and Olympic 400m final hopeful Martyn Rooney amongst others, and admits to feeling more nervous for his clients than he did for himself in his own athletic heyday.

Based in Cardiff at the Definitive Sports Management offices, Baulch turned to athlete-management in 2009 after hanging up his racing spikes seven years ago.

A silver-medallist in the 4x400m relay at the 1996 Atlanta Games, the British indoor record-holder – with a 45.39 clocking from the 1997 season – revealed:

“Going back to the Olympics will be crazy, really – I actually ran on the Olympic track the other day and I’ve also got a few tickets.

“I’ll be so nervous for my athletes but I tell them the most important thing is to embrace the moment and enjoy the opportunity.”

Also charged with guiding the commercial careers of six-time London marathon wheelchair winner David Weir and Commonwealth heptathlon champion Louise Hazel, Baulch is enjoying being able to pass on the wealth of his expertise in the sport:

"I enjoy managing my athletes – 90% of the time, it’s great and being on the different side of the fence now, I make sure that I guide and nurture my athletes well,” he explained.

“My favourite part is my ‘Jerry Maguire’ bit to the job – getting the sponsorship and commercial opportunities for the athletes and making a difference to their lives.

“I have a big personality – I had my own TV show – so this, together with my contacts and sponsorship, celebrity and elite-athlete knowledge is more than what most agents have.”

Promising

The 1999 World indoor 400m champion ended his track career with an outdoor best of 44.57, which still ranks him as seventh on an illustrious British all-time list yet Baulch is hoping one of his clients can leapfrog this performance.

Sixteen years on, Rooney is set to improve his 44.60 life-time best in the one-lap event and thus out-performing his mentor, following an impressive 44.92 clocking in California last weekend.

Speeding to his fastest time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics - where he finished a fine sixth - the 25-year-old from Croydon now faces a promising second Olympic campaign in London this August.

“Martyn’s run didn’t surprise me,” Baulch revealed, “We chatted in a coffee shop in Daegu last summer (after the World Championships) and he was really disappointed in his run to miss the final.

“I told him he could be the best and medal in London so he got his head down this winter and analysed himself – by committing to hurting himself, he was impressive.

“I saw British record potential in him years ago and if he can run under 43.3, he can get a medal in London.”

Shortly returning from a six-week warm-weather training stint in LA, Rooney will next compete at his training base in the Loughborough International three weeks from now before aiming to retain and collect a third-straight British title in Birmingham at the Olympic trials in late June.

Exciting Another client set to raise Baulch’s blood-pressure in the Olympic stadium this summer will be one-lap hurdles gold-medal favourite Greene.

The 26-year-old from Swansea took the European and Commonwealth titles in 2010 before clinching the global crown last summer and finished less than four-tenths of a second behind Rooney in the 400m flat at the British Championships and World trials back in July.

Based in Bath and with a best of 47.88 in his specialist event, Greene is closing in on Kriss Askabusi’s British record and will open his season at the Diamond League in Rome at the end of May ahead making his Olympic debut in London.

“It’s been exciting to follow Dai at his races - we’ve had some great experiences and I really enjoyed seeing him win in Daegu,” explained Baulch.

“I was more nervous for him than I used to be for myself and I’m very confident Dai can win the Olympic gold - he’s the most consistent athlete I’ve ever met.”

Despite his forthcoming nuptials set for late August, Baulch additionally hopes to be in London to cheer on Weir – this time in the Paralympic event:

“David’s a legend – such a humble, great ambassador for the Paralympics and Team GB,” he said.

“I will try to be there for him – he’s in the best shape of his life and is having to slow himself down in training so I think he’ll be a hero after the Games.”

Amazing

Despite being named two years ago as the true 1997 World 4x400m relay champion alongside team-mates Iwan Thomas, Roger Black and Mark Richardson, due to a positive drug finding amongst the original victorious USA team, Baulch has mainly happy memories of his own athletic career.

Now a father to two boys, he collected in his time, two European 4x400m relay titles and placed fifth in the relay at his second Games in Sydney 2000, after exiting the heats of the individual 400m event.

“Atlanta was an amazing occasion for me – I remember receiving the invitation letter at aged 22 was fantastic and my event for the British team was very strong,” revealed Baulch.

“It was an enormous experience and to come away with the silver in a European and Commonwealth record was brilliant – I felt like a kid in a sweet shop, standing on the rostrum at my first Games, I really enjoyed the moment.”

Four years later and it was a slightly different story for Baulch but nevertheless a privileged experience:

“I didn’t have a good Games in Sydney, unfortunately – the 400m didn’t go well and although I ran a storming leg, fifth in the relay was disappointing but it was a great event to be a part of,” he continued.

“They both seem like only yesterday – sixteen years is a long time ago, it’s only when I take my medal into schools that I realise just how long ago it was.

“I also have five World indoor Championship medals so they make me proud as well - people often ask why I always seemed to run better indoors and in the relay and it’s because I found the individual 400m outdoors quite boring – the others were interesting and challenging – it was fun not just sticking to one lane!”

Still running regularly – with a fine 3:51:44 clocking in the 2011 London Marathon to his name – Baulch will be seen contesting ITV’s “Dancing on Ice – Going for Gold” celebrity competition alongside 1988 Olympic 110m hurdles silver-medallist Colin Jackson and 1984 Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson on the eve of the London Games, where he hopes to set a medal-winning example to his stable of clients.

Thommo's Injury Triumph

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Bouncing back from an injury-hit summer, long-distance man Chris Thompson is hitting fine form at just the right time, as he enters the all-important Olympic qualification period on the track, writes Nicola Bamford.

Having reluctantly stayed away from the UK for the past five months – even during Christmas week – in order to remain focused on his biggest goal for 2012, Thompson is confident of finally being able to make his Olympic debut this August.

The 30-year-old US-based Brit clocked an impressive 61:23 in the New York half-marathon last month to leap to eighth on the British all-time list, showing encouraging signs of a full recovery from his 2011 injury woes as well as a potential return to the form which led him to the European 10,000m silver medal behind compatriot and reigning World 5,000m champion Mo Farah two years ago, in a glorious comeback from a seven-year injury nightmare.

Based in Eugene, Oregon as part of the Nike-sponsored Oregon Track Club Elite, Thompson explained:

“The New York half was a great marker for me - after last summer, I was left with a lot to work on to get my body ready and able to handle the workloads I needed to do.

“The race showed me I was aerobically strong and I was over the moon to feel so good - the final three weeks into the race, I started to finally feel much stronger in training so when the race came and it went so well, it all came at such a great time for my confidence and fitness to press on from here.”

Frustrating

Guided by John Nuttall and Mark Rowland, the Aldershot-born runner is presently training at high-altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona and will remain in the States until early June after competing in the 5,000m at the Prefontaine Classic down the road from where he regularly trains.

After opening his outdoor campaign, Thompson will then head to altitude again in
Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees before flying into Britain for the UK Championships and Olympic trials in Birmingham in late June, where he hopes to seal his selection for the 10,000m event in London at the end of the summer.

It is a plan which may have seemed impossible at times over the past few months, for after he recorded a superb 27:27.36 for the twenty-five lap distance in California eleven months ago to reach fourth-place on the British all-time list, Thompson was forced to miss the World Championships in South Korea following an untimely hernia and heel problem:

“2011 was a frustrating year as I finished 2010 with a huge amount of eagerness to press on and make the next year and beyond even better,” he revealed.

“My injuries unfortunately were waiting to happen as I spent the whole year running with a hernia I had no idea I had, which was presenting like normal aches and pains that every athlete has to deal with.

“Part of my talent but also my downfall is my ability to ignore pain and I was pushing so hard and I was slowly being crippled from within.

“In the end, after running the ‘A’ qualifying time for the Olympics, I limped away from the race and spent an agonizing summer trying to put something together which was a massive uphill battle.”

Thompson also developed a heel problem during his 10,000m run in Stanford due to core instability, yet battled throughout the season until the hernia was discovered and he found himself on the operating table.

“Trying to get going again was not easy and I spent the whole winter trying to rehab and manage my way back, he continued.”

“I don’t feel bad about how the year turned out as I did manage a personal best and a qualifying mark for the Olympics.”

Having raced well in New York and in two indoor competitions around the turn of the year in Seattle – with 7:49.14 and 13:29.94 for 3,000m and 5,000m – the 2003 European under23 5,000m champion is now confident of putting his painful troubles behind him:

“In the last month, I have turned a huge corner which at one point, I was starting to feel would never come as I felt so restricted in training,” he explained.

“I have the plan for the summer and I’m as excited as I could be - I felt last year I never showed how much I progressed from the year before so if I can finish this slice of training off going into the summer, I can’t wait to see where it will take me.”

Confident

The partner of Olympic 800m hopeful Jemma Simpson from Cornwall, Thompson is philosophical about his mixed fortunes in the past and is determined to look ahead in a positive mood.

Eager to join Farah again on the British squad in the British capital four months from now, he is grateful to be running at all:

“As I have spent so long getting to this point in my career, I feel like I still learned a lot of lessons in one year around my problems which I needed to as I have not reached this level of performance before,” Thompson revealed.

“In 2010, I reached that point of vulnerability because I was running faster than I had ever before and to go to the next level was never and isn’t going to be easy.

“Even though I missed out on some goals last year I feel I still progressed overall and 2012 was not compromised at all - I am getting stronger all the time and have a lot of running left in me so to still be here and looking as far forward as I am is still and will always be a pleasure.”

On his goals for the season and Olympic ambitions in London, Thompson continued:

“My plans are very simple and like every other athlete - I want to run big personal bests, I need to be in the best 10,000m shape I can be for the Olympics and if I do that, all my other races will fall into place around it and I am very confident I’ll run very fast throughout the summer.

“If I can reach these goals, who knows where that will take me at the Olympics? I can’t control anyone else, I can only control my own fitness - ‘control the controllable’ as my coach would say.

“Olympic results are always hard to predict so there is no point worrying about it - if I am in the best place I can be on the day, then that’s all I can ask for and then it’s all about the execution and being extremely brave and strong on the day.

“I can’t win a medal or achieve a top-eight performance before the race - I can only prepare and be ready to achieve it on the day.”

Ticking Over the Miles

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Having already gained selection for the Olympic marathon on the streets of London this summer, Scott Overall is showing encouraging form just four months out from his Games debut, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 29-year-old was named on Team GB’s squad for the 26.2-mile event back in December, courtesy of his promising 2:10.55 debut in Berlin last autumn and validated his qualification recently by taking almost two-minutes off his half-marathon best.

Guided by US-based Robert Chapman, Overall clocked a swift 61:25 in New York earlier this month to leap to ninth on the British all-time list for the distance, showing positive signs ahead of his Olympic test in August:

“New York was a very good race for me - I went there with a target in mind and that is what I achieved,” explained Overall.

“I wanted to run between sixty-one and sixty-two minutes as that is the sort of half-marathon time I would need to be looking at running a faster marathon.”

Having only begun marathon training a mere ten months ago, the Londoner used his frustrations in track racing to propel him to long distance-running success by recording the quickest marathon time by a British man for four years.

A former training partner to world 5,000m champion Mo Farah in their teenage years, Overall’s recent change in direction in the sport has also seen him register a swift 28:57 10km in the Netherlands and victory in the Silverstone half-marathon last month.

“I was based in the UK for the whole winter like I did before Berlin,” he revealed.

“The first part of 2012 was just to keep my fitness up and have a solid run at the half-marathon without going into really hard marathon training.”

Pacing

Set to enjoy a month-long spell of high-altitude training in Arizona to hone his marathon preparations, Overall will first tackle the London Marathon one month from now.

Unusually, however, the 2009 UK 5,000m champion will participate in pace-making duties for his fellow countrymen, eager to aid their quest to join him on the Olympic team:

“I will be pacing to help the British guys run the qualifying time - of two hours, twelve minutes - and I will help pace them with two other pace-makers through to about twenty miles and then after that they are on their own!” Overall explained.

“Hopefully there will be at least one other British representative on the marathon start-line on the 12th of August.”

Sitting in twenty-fourth position on the national all-time list, the Blackheath and Bromley AC runner continued:

“The marathon in the UK on the men's side isn't as strong as it could be and I'm not really sure of the reason for this.

“A lot of men - and women - run a marathon coming from a track background and therefore they are generally a lot older.

“I think many athletes really want to compete on the track and with the home Olympics they have decided to go that route, rather than the roads so I think after the Olympics you will start to see many more guys breaking 2hrs 12.”

Keen to persevere with his one-man British breakthrough for the distance, Overall has his long-term sights on the twenty-five-year-old 2:07.13 national record, yet for the 2012 season, he will be content on a top-ten placing in the Olympic event:

“My goal for the Olympics is obviously to finish as high as possible - with it being a championship race anything can happen,” he revealed.

“There are no pacemakers and it won’t be a fast course like the big city marathons - the Olympics is all about where you finish - no one remembers what time the marathon was won in, just who won it.”

Grab-bing for Gold

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As he makes his senior global championship debut in Turkey this weekend, high-jumper Robbie Grabarz is in with a shout of a medal – a far cry from his form twelve months earlier, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 24-year-old from Essex is currently sat in fourth place on the world rankings heading into the World indoor Championships in Istanbul this weekend, courtesy of a breakthrough 2.34m lifetime best leap in Germany in January and looks set to drastically improve on his performance at the European event a year ago, where he finished a lowly twenty-third in the qualifying round with 2.12m in Paris.

Guided by Fuzz Ahmed at his Birmingham base, Grabarz’s finest performance of the winter so far not only improved his previous indoor best by an impressive nine centimetres but also took six centimetres from his outdoor best set last summer.

Now ranked as third on the British all-time list for indoors and out, the Loughborough University graduate is savouring his rise in development:

“My indoor season so far has almost gone to plan, with a blip at the UK championships where I under-performed (in second place with 2.23m) and didn't meet the targets I had set for myself.

“Other than that, I have met my targets this far and am looking forward to competing this coming weekend at the World indoor’s in Turkey,” Grabarz explained.

Six years since finishing twelfth in the World junior outdoor Championships, he continued:

“My winter training has been great - the best winter I have ever had.

“I moved to Birmingham in October as part of my new-found commitment and focus to share the same base as my coach and two main training partners and shall be heading into the championships with the aim of first making the final, followed by a battle for the medals in the final the following day.”

Inspiration

A recent winner of the world-class Aviva Grand Prix with a 2.32m clearance on home turf, Grabarz contributes his new lease of athletic life to a change in his mental attitude towards the sport.

Forced to miss out on the World outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea last August, he chose to instil a new sense of professionalism in order to achieve his Olympic ambitions in 2012:

“I was disappointed with an unsuccessful 2011 season so once that ended, I took myself aside and questioned myself and why I was under performing, and decided I never wanted to let this happen again,” Grabarz revealed.

“I took a new approach to my training through the winter leading into this indoor season, which has been a success so far – I decided to bring 100% of myself to every training session and competition in the future, mentally and physically, leaving any distractions in my car as I set foot toward the track.”

“Last year was an unsuccessful season for me but I look at it as the inspiration for a great winters training and a successful indoor season so far - in the future I will not be looking for negative prompts as inspiration to move forwards but in this case it helped spur me on.”

Focused

Upon the close of the indoor season, Grabarz will head for a spell of warm-weather training in Italy in May in order to prepare for his Olympic qualification assault in the summer.

With places on Team GB for the London Games in August set to be hotly-contested, he is ready for high-pressured outdoor campaign:

“The main aim for 2012 is to keep improving, jump consistently at 2.30m and above and ensure I qualify for the Games,” he explained.

“My event in the UK right now is very strong - there is a lot of depth in the event with possibly six guys fighting for the three spots at the Games and I expect, come the summer, everyone to be fighting fit and very competitive ahead of Olympic qualification.”

Understandably eager to transform his current eye-catching form into the outdoor season for when it matters most, Grabarz is keen to make an impact on his Olympic debut:

“My aims for the Olympics are first to qualify then to make the final, and once there contend for a medal,” he revealed.

“I am dealing with pressure by applying the same principles to competition as I have for the past ten years of high jumping - keeping it as simple as possible and controlling the things I have the power to control.

“I know that what I am doing in training and competition right now is working so I will work with my coach to tweak a few things ahead of the summer and to remain focused on what I am doing is the most important thing I can do to ensure I achieve my goals at the Games.”

Steel-ing the Headines

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Despite enjoying her first taste of international success in only the past few months, long-distance runner Gemma Steel is on a track to make her Olympic debut in London this summer, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 26-year-old Leicestershire runner has transformed from a relative unknown outside the top-forty in the country to a full-time athlete and prolific major race winner this winter and – on the back of her whirlwind development – she now has her sights firmly set on a place on Team GB’s squad for the 2012 Games.

Guided by John Nuttall at the Loughborough University campus, Steel will focus on achieving the qualifying time for either the 5,000m or 10,000m and judging by her form of late, such lofty ambitions should not be too far from her grasp.

A member of Charnwood AC in the East Midlands, Steel has enjoyed a dramatic breakthrough on the national and international scene of late, culminating in her first national cross-country title in London last weekend.

Proving her great versatility over varying distances and terrains in the past nine months, she has shown fine form over cross-country, indoor and outdoor tracks and on the road ranging from 3,000m to the half-marathon and explained:

“My training is going well - I am now training more with the group at Loughborough, where there is a great group of lads and girls that really pull me along and get the best out of me, which can be the difference between winning and losing.

“I'm still doing seventy to eighty miles a week max so there’s still plenty of room for improvement.”

Surreal

Steel began her 2012 campaign following a superb third-place finish - her first major international medal and a vast improvement on her twenty-seventh place in 2010 - at the European cross-country Championships in Slovenia in December.

Riding on the crest of a wave, she has since validated her fine form with runner-up positions in the Bupa Great Edinburgh International and Atrim International cross-country events – each to European champion Fionnuala Britton of Ireland – and competed admirably indoors.

Fourth place at the Aviva European indoor trials and UK Championships on her debut on the boards followed a nine-second improvement over 3,000m – with a 9:01.86 clocking – for sixth place against a world-class field at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham earlier this month.

Next, following her English victory on the field, Steel will look to take the British equivalent in Birmingham next weekend before ending her season and attending a warm-weather training camp in Portugal and then a stint at high-altitude in Font Romeu the following month:

“The Euro cross was a highlight as it was my first major international medal and it proved that I can perform well in a GB vest in a championship race by running a mature race,” she revealed.

“Coming close to winning with a lap to go was surreal and the national was a title I really wanted to win this year as it has always been an ambition of mine.”

On the start to her Olympic year, Steel continued:

“I ran the indoors with a view to gaining some information to where I was at in terms of my speed over the shorter distance - the plan is that the faster I can run 3,000m, the quicker I will go over the 5,000m and the 10,000m when I attempt it in the summer.

“The time of just over nine minutes reflected the fact that if I can go through at this pace and keep it going then it would bring me in around fifteen minutes which would be well inside the (5,000m) qualification time for the Olympics.”

Dream

Having debuted over twelve and a half laps with 15:47.21 in Watford last June and having never competed over the twenty-five lap distance, Steel is aware of the need to maintain her steep development curve well into the summer months.

Taking the notable scalps of World marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe and 2012 marathon hopeful Jo Pavey in the Bupa London 10,000m and Bupa Great Yorkshire Run road races last July and October, respectively, has certainly boosted her confidence but it is yet to be seen whether the British revelation of the winter can transfer her performances onto the track in time for the biggest event of the year.

“John, my coach, thinks that I have got as good a chance as anyone (to qualify) so I am going to give it my best shot,” Steel explained.

“I think that it would be just a great achievement to be there as an Olympian in London and top eight would be great, although at the minute I am not looking beyond qualifying as it would be just a dream to get there.

“I think it will be hard not to be overwhelmed as it will be in front of thousands of screaming Brits in a home Olympics so of course there will be some pressure but hopefully if I did qualify, there would be plenty of people to help me to handle it all, although this would be all new to me.”

No Passing the Buck

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One year on since clinching a surprise bronze medal at the European indoor Championships in Paris, 400m runner Richard Buck is hoping to cause another revelation at the global event in Turkey a fortnight from now, writes Nicola Bamford.

The 25-year-old from York improved his four-lap lifetime best by over three-tenths of a second to register an impressive 45.88 when taking the domestic race at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham earlier this month, subsequently shooting to eighth-place on the British all-time list in the process.

Following a bronze medal-winning display at the UK indoor Championships in Sheffield the week before, Buck was relieved to enjoy his debut sub-forty-six second run ahead of the winter season’s main focus in Istanbul:

“So far, the indoor season has been going okay - I have known that I was in good shape but it seemed like I wasn’t able to get it out on track at the right times,” the seven-time national champion explained.

“Birmingham was just a case of deciding to go for it - I ran hard to the break and just hoped that I could bring it home.

“I’d just like to go there (at the World indoor’s) and repeat the form I found in Birmingham - I also think as a relay team, we have a really good shot at a medal.”

Improvement

Guided by Steve Fudge at his Loughborough base, Buck is usually better known as an established regular fixture on the British 4x400m relay squad – which he also anchored to the silver medal during a magical weekend in the French capital in 2011 for the Yorkshire-man.

However, after finally bursting into the individual spotlight when capturing his first senior international medal, Buck is keen to further enhance his growing reputation as a championship finalist on his own merit.

Only fifth in his semi-final at the last World indoor event in Doha in 2010 – where he collected relay bronze – Buck is also eager to move on from a promising yet mixed 2011:

“2011 was probably my best year so far - I won the bronze and silver at the Euro indoors and I ran what were three of my fastest times ever and had my first sub-46 second race,” he revealed.

Despite finishing only sixth at the UK outdoor Championships and ranking only eleventh in Britain at the end of the 2011 outdoor season, Buck remained positive on reflection:

“It was a good year where I showed that I could be competitive on an international level and I showed signs of improvement.”

Expectations

Determined to replicate the current form he is producing on the boards into the summer and return to the shape which saw run 45.99 in France last July, Buck does not enjoy the luxury of being a full-time athlete either:

“Since my exit form relay funding, I have been forced to take on employment at my local Tesco Extra so I’ve not had the freedom to go on any training camps,” he explained.

“We are presently deciding as a (training) group what our best chances for success are in the outdoor season and if we should travel to a camp to get a block of training in.”

It is an unenviable position to find himself in during the key Olympic year, yet Buck is avid in his chase of a spot on the British team for what could be his Olympic debut in London come August:

“Anything in 2012 is aimed at the Olympics - any competitions are only there to aid me in my chances of a successful Olympics,” he revealed.

“I owe it to myself to give myself every chance at getting to the Games - I realise there is a lot of support and pressure around that but I don’t think anyone can top my own expectations of myself.

“If we’re honest, our best chances of a medal are in the relay and although personally I’m aiming to make it an individual and do as well as I can in that, we’ll all pull together as a team and share our goal of winning an Olympic medal.”