Blog: Ace

Olympic Greats - Alan Wells

The first Briton to win the 100m title since Harold Abrahams in 1924,Wells came late to sprinting.  A jumper early in his career, he decided to take it up after watching Don Quarrie race at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.He became Commonwealth Champion himself in 1978 and at the 1980 Olympics he expected to face his fiercest challenge from the Americans. The US led boycott ensured that confrontation never happened.  Instead he won a desperately close race with Silvio Leonard who was given the same time 10.25.He looked set to add the 200m but the Italian Pietro Mennea surged past at the line.

After the Olympics he beat the absent Americans at the Golden Sprints.After a successful 1981 he retained his 100m Commonwealth Games title and dead heated in the 200m with Mike McFarlane.

In 1984 now 32 he made the Olympic team for the second time and went out in the semi finals but reached the final in the 4x100m.

Now works at the University of Surrey in Guildford.

by Ace on 16:24 on 14th July 2008