KJT and Georgia Bell received English Colleges titles 16 years in the past and, whereas lots of their contemporaries disappeared, they went on to win Olympic medals this summer season
The weekend of July 11-13 in 2008 is without doubt one of the busiest I’ve ever recognized whereas working at AW. Because the British Olympic trials for Beijing unfolded in Birmingham, the World Beneath-20 Championships passed off in Bydgoszcz and the English Colleges Championships have been held in Gateshead.
Reporting on the motion for AW, I tried an formidable Gateshead-Birmingham double and it was a very good transfer with hindsight as the faculties occasion particularly supplied a tremendous glimpse into the long run.
Katarina Thompson (as she was recognized then) kicked off my protection of the inter women’ age group on the English Colleges and I described her as “undoubtedly probably the most spectacular all-round athlete at these championships”.
I added: “She has received 12 nationwide title at occasions as diverse as 300m, excessive soar and lengthy soar however needed to choose only one occasion at Gateshead. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate No.13? No probability. Wanting each bit a star within the making, Thompson received the excessive soar by six centimetres with 1.80m. Why did she select that occasion? ‘I simply take pleasure in it greater than others!’ she stated.”
On the next web page of our 2008 protection there’s a picture of a younger Georgia Bell profitable the junior women’ 800m in 2:09.28. Subsequent to her are photographs of Emelia Gorecka profitable the 3000m and Jodie Williams taking 100m victory – simply a few of the many notable names on the occasion.
Sixteen years later and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, as she’s now recognized, is world champion and Olympic silver medallist within the heptathlon (I assume she was by no means fairly in a position to decide on a favorite occasion) whereas Bell broke the British 1500m report in Paris when claiming Olympic bronze. Williams, in the meantime, was competing in her third Olympics in Paris as a part of the bronze medal profitable GB 4x400m squad.
It turned one thing of a development on social media throughout the Paris Olympics for individuals to publish photographs of medallists once they have been a lot youthful. For many who take pleasure in such protection, the 2008 English Colleges was filled with attention-grabbing outcomes and pictures.
On a tragic word, AW’s photographer at these English Colleges, Keith Mayhew, sadly died in 2021 after falling unwell with Covid. This 2008 occasion apart, he additionally took a photograph of Dina Asher-Smith profitable English Colleges gold that we used on our entrance cowl in 2013, lengthy earlier than she turned well-known.
When you have been at any of those occasions in years passed by and wish to take a jog down reminiscence lane then now you can entry our outdated points by way of our new digital archive.
A watch for expertise
My powers of prediction are fairly hopeless. At these 2008 English Colleges, as an illustration, I bear in mind two or three younger athletes actually catching my eye however their performances fizzled out by the point they reached their 20s.
I additionally hardly ever wager on athletics (perhaps a few occasions a 12 months at most) and up to date bets have included Cole Hocker and Tara Davis-Woodhall to win main titles, though sadly I didn’t have any cash on them in Paris!
Way more profitable is my long-time colleague Steve Smythe, whose AW predictions ended up topping the Monitor & Discipline Excursions Olympic predictions contest. An indication, maybe, that not less than one in all us is aware of what we’re speaking about.
British subject occasions withering on the vine
One sadly predictable facet of the 2024 Paris Video games was the dearth of success in subject occasions for Britain. With pole vaulter Molly Caudery under-performing, it was left to Jacob Fincham-Dukes to fly the flag with fifth place within the lengthy soar.
A hopelessly optimistic purpose promoted by UK Athletics in 2020 was to try to “fill the group” by having athletes in each single observe and subject occasion by 2032. Within the present situation, although, it appears fairly unlikely and seems to have been quietly deserted by the present UKA bosses.
Does UKA have a plan to put money into subject occasions, although? Or is the governing physique content material for them to wither on the vine whereas the nation as an alternative maximises medal prospects on the observe?
In a current interview with AW, 1984 Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson stated she could be glad to supply some assist and recommendation if she was requested. I’m positive different legendary athletes like Steve Backley, Ashia Hansen, Jonathan Edwards and others could be the identical.
So long as I can bear in mind, retired athletes have repeatedly instructed AW throughout interviews “we’d love to assist however nobody ever asks”. Has anybody ever requested Meg Ritchie how she’s managed to carry the British discus report since 1981, for instance?
Meg Ritchie (Mark Shearman)
No welcome house get together (once more)
One other gaping gap on the earth of British athletics is the dearth of a post-Video games ‘welcome house’ assembly. The London Diamond League final month was an important success however there may be nothing within the UK for the top of season interval. As a substitute, Brits are travelling to Lausanne, Silesia, Rome, Zurich, Brussels and elsewhere to search out late season competitors.
Britain’s medal haul in Paris was probably the most profitable since LA in 1984. But after these Olympics 40 years in the past there was, amongst different issues, a Nike Basic assembly in Crystal Palace just a few days after the shut of the Video games that includes athletes like Carl Lewis, Kathy Cook dinner, Todd Bennett and Shirley Robust plus an IAC Coca-Cola occasion, additionally at Crystal Palace, in early September.
I wrote about this at size after the World Champs 12 months in the past and nothing has modified. However we are able to dwell in hope that one thing would possibly materialise after the 2025 World Champs in Tokyo, or past.
When grassroots athletics clashes with the Olympics on TV
The British Milers’ Membership Grand Prix got here to a conclusion in Bury on Saturday August 10 and noticed one other spate of positive performances. I felt a bit sorry for the athletes concerned, although, lots of whom would absolutely have needed to look at the ultimate observe and subject session on the Paris Olympics on tv?
It’s arduous to criticise the BMC for the sterling work they’ve put in through the years. And this isn’t a serious grumble by any means. However couldn’t the organisers have tweaked their timetable to keep away from a conflict with arguably the largest athletics night time of the 12 months?
Do grassroots soccer or rugby groups schedule matches to coincide with world cup finals?
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
An acid take a look at for middle-distance runners
I’m wondering what number of middle-distance runners on the BMC occasion in Bury ready for his or her race by taking the ultra-fashionable Bicarb System – the soup-like substance made by Maurten which buffers acid within the muscle tissues and prevents runners from tying up.
Actually in Paris it was all the fad. Keely Hodgkinson is actually recognized to make use of it, whereas Max Burgin, Britain’s 800m finalist, instructed AW that just about all of the 800m runners used it.
Center-distance runners apart, I heard that maybe 70-75% of 400m sprinters have been taking it in Paris. I even overheard an American 10,000m competitor joking that she was nicely stocked up on it forward of remaining races this season.
No filming for Olympic journalists
Eagle-eyed followers of AW might have seen we didn’t publish as many video interviews on our social media channels as common throughout the Olympics. It is because the IOC banned it and we have been met with notices that stated “no filming in combined zone” once we arrived within the Stade de France.
Apparently tv channels are irritated at spending a fortune for broadcast rights, solely to see smaller media shops unleashing video interviews with athletes with out paying for the privilege.
It means journalists like myself and my colleague Euan Crumley resorted to utilizing our dictaphones for audio interviews solely. It felt like going again in time to a decade or so in the past, though we’re assured issues will return to regular subsequent 12 months on the World Champs in Tokyo.
Why the Video games spluttered to an finish…
As for these combined zones, with dozens of journalists packed collectively at shut quarters they’re clearly a breeding floor for germs. I returned from Paris to find I had Covid, for instance, and I doubt I used to be alone.
Noah Lyles was a high-profile Covid casualty however there are likely many different victims. Jakob Ingebrigtsen was actually being fairly smart when he went by the combined zone carrying a masks throughout interviews.
When it got here to athletes carrying a masks, he was within the minority as nicely. Equally, athletes and media have been merrily shaking palms all week within the French capital. What quick recollections we’ve got…
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