August 06, 2005
Collins hopes youth will spark ambition among the also-rans
From David Powell
NOT since the so-called Brat Pack of British athletics — Steve Smith, David Grindley and Curtis Robb — began to make their mark in the early 1990s has so much attention been focused on the youth element of a Great Britain team. Much of the squad for the World Championships here has been chosen with an eye to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and with a view to them peaking at the London Games in 2012.
Dave Collins, the UK Athletics performance director, knew when he took up his post in March in succession to Max Jones, that he would be starting from the bottom of the barrel and that there were few world-class athletes operating in Britain’s ranks. He set off down the road of developing a system to work in the long term, rather than paper over cracks, and any shortfall of medals here cannot be blamed on him.
Borrowing a line from Freddie Mercury, Collins said yesterday: “I want it all, I want it now.” He was answering the question of whether, given the choice, he would prefer a fistful of medals in Helsinki or gain more satisfaction if the fresh faces in the team showed promise. “Both would be nice but, if I had to choose, I would go for promise,” Collins replied.
Collins will not have heard the comment from Sebastian Coe, at the Golden League meeting in Oslo eight days ago, when somebody mentioned to the London 2012 bid leader that the French team for Helsinki was looking strong. “We have got to concede them something this season,” Coe said, with a cheeky grin. “I know which I would rather have.” Coe has delivered the 2012 Olympics for London, edging out Paris, now Collins must ensure that Britain has a team to be proud of.
In joking that he had invested in a suit of Kevlar body armour to bring here, Collins acknowledged that the public and media may not see beneath the surface if his squad were to be buried with likes of Swaziland, Tadjikistan and East Timor in the final standings. But, with a quarter of the squad tender either in years or experience, it would be churlish to judge the success of the mission on medals alone.
Should Paula Radcliffe fall short, Britain are in danger of recording their lowest medal count in the 22-year history of the championships, which stands at two from 2001. Certainly Britain has never entered a World Championships with hopes spread so thinly. Beyond Radcliffe, Kelly Sotherton, in the heptathlon, the men’s 4 x 100 metres relay team, and Nathan Douglas, in the triple jump, there are only outsiders.
“We have said time and again that we know we have weaknesses and limitations,” Collins said. “But we need to work our way through. It is possible to give an illusion of progress — three gold medals were great in Athens (2004 Olympics) but they should not stop us looking at the real challenge. We need to work to be comprehensively better — broader and deeper.”
As depressing as it was last year that Britain failed to win a medal at the World Junior Championships, the profusion of medals won this summer in the World Youth, European Under-23 and European Junior Championships, has lifted the spirits. Not that all but the cognoscenti will be aware of that.
“If Manchester United’s reserves win, not too many people notice,” Collins said. “But our performances at junior level have been great and it shows there are good coaches out there.” Five young Britons who have won medals at the European under-23s and under-20s in the past month are in the squad here.
They are Rhys Williams, in the 400 metres hurdles and 4 x 400 metres, Robert Tobin, in the 400 metres and 4 x 400 metres, Martyn Rooney, in the 4 x 400 metres, Craig Pickering, in the 4 x 100 metres, and Christine Ohuruogu, in the 400 metres and 4 x 400 metres. Even back in the early days of Grindley, who went on to break the British 400 metres record, Britain did not have such an abundance of one-lap promise.
FIVE YOUNG BRITONS TO LOOK OUT FOR
NATHAN DOUGLAS (22, triple jump): A medal prospect already, only a year after his senior championship debut for Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Athens last summer.
CRAIG PICKERING (18, 4 x 100 metres): Fast-tracked into squad after winning European junior 100 metres title two weeks ago and could be promoted to a starting place.
CHRISTINE OHURUOGU (21, 400 metres and 4 x 400 metres): Lives in Stratford in East London, close to site of proposed 2012 Olympic stadium, and is a potential individual finalist and relay medal winner in Helsinki.
RHYS WILLIAMS (21, 400 metres hurdles and 4 x 400 metres): The son of J. J. Williams, the former Wales and Lions legend, who will be making his senior international championship debut.
NICK McCORMICK (23, 1,500 metres): Quit the sport but was encouraged back after a chance meeting with an old friend. Has set seven personal bests this year and he could make the final.
DAVID POWELL