KJT and Georgia Bell received English Faculties titles 16 years in the past and, whereas lots of their contemporaries disappeared, they went on to win Olympic medals this summer time
The weekend of July 11-13 in 2008 is likely one of the busiest I’ve ever recognized whereas working at AW. Because the British Olympic trials for Beijing unfolded in Birmingham, the World Below-20 Championships came about in Bydgoszcz and the English Faculties Championships had been held in Gateshead.
Reporting on the motion for AW, I tried an bold Gateshead-Birmingham double and it was a superb transfer with hindsight as the faculties occasion specifically supplied an incredible glimpse into the long run.
Katarina Thompson (as she was recognized then) kicked off my protection of the inter ladies’ age group on the English Faculties and I described her as “undoubtedly probably the most spectacular all-round athlete at these championships”.
I added: “She has received 12 nationwide title at occasions as diverse as 300m, excessive bounce and lengthy bounce however needed to decide only one occasion at Gateshead. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate No.13? No probability. Wanting each bit a star within the making, Thompson received the excessive bounce by six centimetres with 1.80m. Why did she select that occasion? ‘I simply take pleasure in it greater than others!’ she stated.”
On the next web page of our 2008 protection there’s a photograph of a younger Georgia Bell successful the junior ladies’ 800m in 2:09.28. Subsequent to her are photos of Emelia Gorecka successful the 3000m and Jodie Williams taking 100m victory – simply among the many notable names on the occasion.
Sixteen years later and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, as she’s now recognized, is world champion and Olympic silver medallist within the heptathlon (I assume she was by no means fairly in a position to choose a favorite occasion) whereas Bell broke the British 1500m report in Paris when claiming Olympic bronze. Williams, in the meantime, was competing in her third Olympics in Paris as a part of the bronze medal successful GB 4x400m squad.
It turned one thing of a development on social media throughout the Paris Olympics for individuals to put up images of medallists after they had been a lot youthful. For individuals who take pleasure in such protection, the 2008 English Faculties was stuffed with attention-grabbing outcomes and pictures.
On a tragic observe, AW’s photographer at these English Faculties, Keith Mayhew, sadly died in 2021 after falling sick with Covid. This 2008 occasion apart, he additionally took a photograph of Dina Asher-Smith successful English Faculties gold that we used on our entrance cowl in 2013, lengthy earlier than she turned well-known.
In the event you had been at any of those occasions in years passed by and wish to take a jog down reminiscence lane then now you can entry our previous points by way of our new digital archive.
An eye fixed for expertise
My powers of prediction are fairly hopeless. At these 2008 English Faculties, as an example, I keep in mind two or three younger athletes actually catching my eye however their performances fizzled out by the point they reached their 20s.
I additionally not often guess on athletics (perhaps a few occasions a 12 months at most) and up to date bets have included Cole Hocker and Tara Davis-Woodhall to win main titles, though sadly I didn’t have any cash on them in Paris!
Way more profitable is my long-time colleague Steve Smythe, whose AW predictions ended up topping the Monitor & Subject Excursions Olympic predictions contest. An indication, maybe, that a minimum of considered one of us is aware of what we’re speaking about.
British subject occasions withering on the vine
One sadly predictable side of the 2024 Paris Video games was the shortage of success in subject occasions for Britain. With pole vaulter Molly Caudery under-performing, it was left to Jacob Fincham-Dukes to fly the flag with fifth place within the lengthy bounce.
A hopelessly optimistic objective promoted by UK Athletics in 2020 was to try to “fill the staff” by having athletes in each single monitor and subject occasion by 2032. Within the present state of affairs, although, it seems fairly unlikely and seems to have been quietly deserted by the present UKA bosses.
Does UKA have a plan to put money into subject occasions, although? Or is the governing physique content material for them to wither on the vine whereas the nation as an alternative maximises medal prospects on the monitor?
In a latest interview with AW, 1984 Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson stated she could be glad to supply some assist and recommendation if she was requested. I’m certain different legendary athletes like Steve Backley, Ashia Hansen, Jonathan Edwards and others could be the identical.
So long as I can keep in mind, retired athletes have repeatedly advised AW throughout interviews “we’d love to assist however nobody ever asks”. Has anybody ever requested Meg Ritchie how she’s managed to carry the British discus report since 1981, for instance?
Meg Ritchie (Mark Shearman)
No welcome dwelling occasion (once more)
One other gaping gap on the planet of British athletics is the shortage of a post-Video games ‘welcome dwelling’ assembly. The London Diamond League final month was a fantastic success however there’s nothing within the UK for the top of season interval. As an alternative, Brits are travelling to Lausanne, Silesia, Rome, Zurich, Brussels and elsewhere to seek out late season competitors.
Britain’s medal haul in Paris was probably the most profitable since LA in 1984. But after these Olympics 40 years in the past there was, amongst different issues, a Nike Basic assembly in Crystal Palace a number of days after the shut of the Video games that includes athletes like Carl Lewis, Kathy Cook dinner, Todd Bennett and Shirley Robust plus an IAC Coca-Cola occasion, additionally at Crystal Palace, in early September.
I wrote about this at size after the World Champs 12 months in the past and nothing has modified. However we are able to reside in hope that one thing may materialise after the 2025 World Champs in Tokyo, or past.
When grassroots athletics clashes with the Olympics on TV
The British Milers’ Membership Grand Prix got here to a conclusion in Bury on Saturday August 10 and noticed one other spate of superb performances. I felt a bit sorry for the athletes concerned, although, lots of whom would certainly have wished to observe the ultimate monitor and subject session on the Paris Olympics on tv?
It’s exhausting to criticise the BMC for the sterling work they’ve put in through the years. And this isn’t a significant grumble by any means. However couldn’t the organisers have tweaked their timetable to keep away from a conflict with arguably the largest athletics evening of the 12 months?
Do grassroots soccer or rugby groups schedule matches to coincide with world cup finals?
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
An acid take a look at for middle-distance runners
I’m wondering what number of middle-distance runners on the BMC occasion in Bury ready for his or her race by taking the ultra-fashionable Bicarb System – the soup-like substance made by Maurten which buffers acid within the muscular tissues and prevents runners from tying up.
Actually in Paris it was all the fad. Keely Hodgkinson is definitely recognized to make use of it, whereas Max Burgin, Britain’s 800m finalist, advised AW that just about all of the 800m runners used it.
Center-distance runners apart, I heard that maybe 70-75% of 400m sprinters had been taking it in Paris. I even overheard an American 10,000m competitor joking that she was nicely stocked up on it forward of remaining races this season.
No filming for Olympic journalists
Eagle-eyed followers of AW might have seen we didn’t put up as many video interviews on our social media channels as typical throughout the Olympics. It is because the IOC banned it and we had been met with notices that stated “no filming in blended zone” once we arrived within the Stade de France.
Apparently tv channels are aggravated at spending a fortune for broadcast rights, solely to see smaller media shops unleashing video interviews with athletes with out paying for the privilege.
It means journalists like myself and my colleague Euan Crumley resorted to utilizing our dictaphones for audio interviews solely. It felt like going again in time to a decade or so in the past, though we’re assured issues will return to regular subsequent 12 months on the World Champs in Tokyo.
Why the Video games spluttered to an finish…
As for these blended zones, with dozens of journalists packed collectively at shut quarters they’re clearly a breeding floor for germs. I returned from Paris to find I had Covid, for instance, and I doubt I used to be alone.
Noah Lyles was a high-profile Covid casualty however there are likely many different victims. Jakob Ingebrigtsen was definitely being fairly smart when he went by means of the blended zone carrying a masks throughout interviews.
When it got here to athletes carrying a masks, he was within the minority as nicely. Equally, athletes and media had been merrily shaking arms all week within the French capital. What quick recollections we’ve got…
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