Blog: johnloguk

ANOTHER GOLDEN AGE?

This blog was inspired by watching a few recent athletic meets on the TV, and Ace's latest photos that he posted from the London Youth Games.

I've been a fan of Track and Field since I was at school (I'm 50 now so you can work out my era!). During the 80s and 90s I was one of many people who travelled all over the Country to the big meets and the Grands Prix at Gateshead and Crystal Palace. That was a Golden Age for British athletics, with a seemingly endless supply of world class athletes in all disciplines.

In my youth we were quite good at distance races but didn't have a sprinter to hold a candle to the Americans and Russians. Then suddenly Alan Wells came from nowhere, then Linford Christie, then a whole crop of them and we were winning big medals in the sprints too. Then we had Tessa Sanderson and Fatima Whitbread dominating women's javelin, Steve Backley in the men's, Dalton Grant jumping big in the high jump, Colin Jackson in the hurdles, Jonathon Edwards nearly jumping out of the triple jump pit, great days. And I haven't even mentioned Daley Thompson yet! Apologies to all the other ones I've forgotten to mention. Big names attracting huge crowds all over Britain, with world records tumbling and great performances almost every night.

We thought they could last forever, but they didn't, and the last few years have been very frustrating for UK athletics and its fans. But I sense a light on the horizon. I hope it isn't a false dawn hyped up by the media as we start to look forward seriously to London 2012. We have a new crop of sprinters, Craig Pickering improving with every race. Philips Edowu leads a whole group of young triple jumpers competing with the best in the world again. We even have a world class woman javelin thrower again in Goldie Sayers. Loads of young women following in Kelly Holmes' wake diving under 2 minutes for 800metres, some young guys hungry for success in the middle distances after a really dry spell there. All we need now is for Dean Macey to stay fit long enough to complete a decathlon and win a big medal.

These things have a habit of gaining momentum, success breeds success. Maybe, just maybe things are turning round at just the right time? Is there anyone out there with inside information about other great prospects for UK track and field?

by johnloguk on 21:39 on 3rd July 2007