Malcolm helps Britain to survive
FINDLAY LEITH in Malaga June 30 2006
European Cup
CHRISTIAN MALCOLM scored the only British victory on day-two of the SPAR European Cup final in Malaga last night, and helped the UK men’s team survive in the top league. After seeming dead and buried, they were third overall behind France and Russia.
But the women’s team, promoted only last year, are relegated after having finished seventh of the nine teams.
As Russia won the women’s match for the tenth successive year, Britain finished five points adrift of Spain and safety. They never recovered from their failure to get the relay baton round on the opening night when they collected only four points from four events. Last night was little better. The UK women were third-last in four events and second-last in another, and there were dismal performances from athletes who should have delivered more.
“Too many athletes not realising their bests,” opined the UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins. “Two big disappointments on the first day cost us.”
Commonwealth champion Lisa Dobriskey was some 12 seconds outside her winning time in Melbourne as she finished seventh, and Olympic medallist Kelly Sotherton, who has long-jumped 6.67 metres this year, managed only 6.50m for fifth place – 6.67m would have given her victory, and nine points instead of five.
Scotland’s Kathy Butler finished sixth in the women’s 5000m, having led at one stage, but she faded over the closing stages (16:34.75), almost 30 seconds outside her fastest.
The best women’s result was the 4 x 400m relay, where Lee McConnell anchored the GB team to third, closing a huge gap with a 50.9-second final leg which almost stole second. It proved the Scot has lost none of her pace by moving to the hurdles, but the result was academic. The women were doomed before the gun for the final event.
The men will look back on missed chances which could have seen them win a lucrative place in the World Cup final in Athens come September. Malcolm apart, Andy Turner, runner-up in the hurdles, and Mo Farah, second in the 3000m, were the only other UK athletes on the podium.
Malcolm, who has recently swopped his Scottish coach, Jock Anderson, for Linford Christie, powered home in 20.29, fastest time of the year by a European. It was his fourth cup success at this distance. Behind him was Frenchman Ronald Pognon (20.37), who had beaten Dwain Chambers over 100m the previous night.
Malcolm, plagued by a catalogue of injuries since winning the world junior title eight years ago, powered home and lifted Britain from a tight relegation battle, and into third with just three events remaining.
“I’m happy having achieved my season’s best today,” he said. “I really had fast legs in the first part of the race, so the home straight turned into a very easy thing for me.”
Russia looked poised to win the men’s trophy as well, until they finished second-last in the 4 x 400. France’s relay win gave them the cup by just two points.
To be honest a few people really underperformed. I’m not sure why but i think its to do with returning to training after the CWGs or injuries earlier in the season while preparing for them.