Michael Phillips
Thursday March 20, 2008
The Guardian
Tim Benjamin believes he has rid himself of the illness and injury that might have threatened his participation in the Olympics.
Benjamin, 25, who was fifth in the 400 metres at the World Championships in Helsinki in 2005, a summer when he beat the Olympic champion, Jeremy Wariner, yesterday said that he is stepping up his training after an operation which he hopes has solved all his problems.
“I have been seeing a specialist regarding a small problem I have been having with my sinuses,” said Benjamin. “It has held me back somewhat over the last 18 months but recently I have had an operation on this so I believe I am right back on track again. Generally I have avoided injury and stepped up my training, so I am looking forward to seeing the benefits very soon.”
He is hoping that by the end of next month he will have an important guide towards the Olympics. He said: “For three weeks from April 4 we are heading for warm-weather training in Cyprus. Then we return to the UK for a speed/endurance phase which should leave me in great shape to tackle the outdoor season.”
Benjamin is also determined to ensure youngsters keep flowing into the sport. He hosted a Spar Sprints Master Class at Maiden Erlegh School in Reading and said: “It’s important that athletes like myself take the time to come along and lead sessions like this Spar Sprints Master Class. Over the last few years I have noticed a gradual decline in the number of young athletes coming to train at my own athletic club training nights. The more we can do to reverse this trend the better.”
[b]The British 800 metre runner James McIlroy has been forced to retire from the sport because he does not want to end up with financial problems in his attempt to make it to Beijing. He told BBC Sport: "I just wouldn’t want to get further into debt. I wasn’t prepared to lose my house [for Beijing]. I need to look for full-time employment because I wasn’t earning anything from athletics.
“I was getting absolutely nothing [in terms of funding] although I don’t want to go into it too much. The people you are up against, it’s a full-time occupation [for them] and they have a high-level network of support.”[/b]