es
w
elsh
etty
g
ames
i
was
i

es pr
but
w
orld of
.
A spell in
o
l
ympic
oung,
y and
ocus on
s
o, as the
v
er 200 metr
e
s
ydne
s page mak
v
er o
i
t’s
, what does that accolade
So
, and often cruel, er
ent to
been ten years since t athlete’v
er
y major track and field b
riton ed successiv
a
thens
e of
sprinter Christian Malcolm or a thir
y when I finished fifth in the final
edictable
catapulted himself to international
orld Junior Championships in
n
e
wpor
.
i
t was so diff
i
was in with a chance of a medal if
om that experience and f
e natur
sprint success winning double gold
w
a
nd, as is often the case in elite
the
It was onl
ving
at the
o
,
s competed in e
.
s
election f
eam come true because I was so y
v
e on fr
g
old medal in
a
nnecy.
v
itaes g
he’
is the second fastest
yself justicee belie
sport, the ensuing decade has been peppered o
lympic Games bound into focus, so too does
e a dr
W
elsh track and field athletes.
v
er
y moment.
eparation phase at the Cyprus training camp
with both glory and disappointment. riculum
or the final.t do m
e seasons when the body
eek in London training
b
eijing
c
ur
Since 1998, y was lik
.”
ect example of the unpr
Malcolm’s vision.
e a perf
i
couldn’
ol.

i
w
ent ther
albeit unexpected,
egimes and the explosiv
t of his w
e r
eading.
ela
y medals to his name
w
er
y contr
c
ar
diff.
ement of his long- term coach e in
a
s athletics
essiv
ympics in Sydne attempt to qualify f
etir
impr
e the time to absorb ea
thens,
e during his vital final pr
c
entr ough
championship both indoor and out,v
e him into an elite band of or the smiling sprinter?t tak
y out of m
.
i
’v
e had no option other than to mo
t.
Intense training r
y he spends par
and has a host of r
y first Ol
i
’d done on such a stagey failur
ell
y poor health meant
orld class athletes to miss entir
will moy mean f w I didn’
a
thletics l
oughbor
w w
ears later in er
e totall r
entl
wing the r
or w

r
eall
. Cur
ollo
f
our y
er
ed kidne
v
e
, y
et unsuccessful,
ela
y team to claim an outstanding, oung,
usual f
i
ndoor
o
l
ympic trials
“Competing in m y a bra
c
hristie (f
or me because m v
er 150m at the
op of y
looking back no
g
ames,
easons that w
orgiving and fickle spor
ed b
that it hit home ho
wing w
or r
y it was not meant to be
s not un
n
ational
l
inf
or
d
eady done the
ollo ollo
w point f
t
he
orm f
a
merican sprint r
t
he f
eal lo
pped out until the
v
e alr
e open.
athletics when Malcolm suff
Athletics is an unf
c
hampion
t
eam is stiff as a cr
is mor
hospital was f
y best but obviousl
ell that success means sacrificeeek training at
b
ritish v
en men ha
y is commonplace and it’
.
s
e
v
ent,
“
a
thens was a r y too w
o
l
ympic 100m
on his opening domestic race o
ed e
es,
“but the 200m will y in the sprints
.
ear
de
vastated to underperf
ormed to m
e
.”
ws onl
est of the w
ting stage
ef
er
r
perf
b
ritish team mates beat the ormer
s pr
he jok
the futur
v
e helped the situation.
y
e of f
m
alcolm w
or places on the
ter”,
ee and has his racing schedule ma
m
alcolm’
s shor
s
eeing his ter sprints mean injur Malcolm kno
y fr ”
could not ha
wn.
a
nderson) and the r or a
the shor , is injur
ear competition f
or the ultimate spor
or us all.
br
eaks do
J
ock
ood this season as m
a
y
egion to be making s been f
under the watchful e
e it’
and friend,
, so g
t
his y
ying the competition and domestic rivalr
ul
y 13th .
or the 100m but the 200m,
i
’m enjo
w 20 second r
his personal
y
i
t’
s a case of so far
orld
i
nternational at the end of
v
ents on and raises the bar f
s
w
in
b
irmingham on J
y qualifying time fef
er to concentrate on the 100m because it’
a
t the moment
ear’
ded
ambitious and talented athletes gear up fi
’d pr
o
l
ympic glor
or
ecor
necessar y f
ocus.
,
m
alcolm is under no illusions about the size of the task ahead this yorld stage is the most competitiv
c
ar
ter and the
s a

y best and running in the lo th at last y
om
“
o
f course
ys be m
s what brings the e
der and to put it into context,
our
vier
ving just r
of
essing he’
al
wa
because it’ Sprinting on the w

v
e placed him f
, the main contenders fs
pearman and Xa
t
he latter ha
t
alking of raising the bar
v
er
.”
e a tall or
y need to be back at m
ear
b
olt.
ould ha
allace ela
y medals,ol.
“
i
r
eall
, if not e
orld stage ar
t
his y
u
sain
v
er 100m despite pr
championship finals.
g
a
y
,
w
e a bit of an understatement fr
long time
o
saka.
ell and
om 2001 w
t
yson
p
o
w
e seems lik
m
edals on the w
a
safa
tance he places on r
i
’m
best time fra
mericans
if
i
’m not
c
hampionships in

c
ompetitiv
include d holder!
uch impor
ef
ers to stick to what he can contr
Jamaican duo of
a
fter all,
orld-leading time of 9.76 seconds oecor
w m
ormances at the moment and
a w
200m specialist.w
elsh r
wn perf
the y o
then so be it.
w
hen pushed on ho ppens,
v
el
i
want to as an individual then
” competition is
s not confuse
the understated sprinter pr
let’
ything
ocussed on m
e high,w
ed, or an
“
i
’m f y success haela
y team.
es ar
if r
ela
e r
ene ealising his
competing at the le
no use to a r

ear when stak
y and modest athlete f
y f
ocussed on r
i
n a y
tough and rivalries ar
this friendl
other that totall
undoubted potential. Christian Malcom
SW
37
sportingwales
junetwothousand&eight
53165-p37.pdf
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