Page 6 - Summer2016Gazette

6 Athletics Report

Adam’s Golden leg(end)

his head he needs to dismiss even clearer but the race is still
Adam Gemili selected for the sec- such thoughts and focus on the open with America were not far
ond leg of the relay, played a vital next 100 metres for no more behind in second place while
role in setting up what would be than 9 seconds. third-placed Jamaica had Usain
a famous victory for the British He sees Adam coming in to him Bolt, competing on a track in
sprint quartet. But in training it and from where he waits arm a global championships for the
has been revealed that there were out to receive the baton Adam very last time. GB have a great
still some technical difficulties seems to be flying, the momen- break when Bolt breaks down
with changeover of the baton, tum hurtling him forward with with injury. It offers a very
athletes colliding with each other, such force that Talbot fears he’s realistic chance of victory now
old fears from previous eras. Yet going to run straight into the to the British quartet.
the quartet selected for this the back of him if he doesn’t get out
4x100 metres had worked hard of the way. Mitchell-Blake drives on down
and could now run as one. They the home straight and over the
had got to the final, could they At the changeovers he must line. The British team clock
reach the golden heights? keep his head when all around 37.47, a European record. They
in the stands, and throughout have put in the practice, they’ve
The gun goes off and CJ Ujah the world people watching on trained, they’ve sacrificed. They
know it would have to be per-
takes a fraction of a second to TV, are losing theirs. Now he
get off the mark and put the GB has to find a level of concen- fect but in the end it was perfect.
team in pole position. However tration that will enable him to It is the first relay win for a Brit-
will he make a smooth change- pick out just one voice above ish team since 2004 and veter-
over with Adam Gemili? After all others, the voice he must ans of that triumph are saluting
the first leg from Ujah the first hear. All his senses have been them and recognising what they
handover, from him to Gem- finely tuned to do just that and have done. This is a new dawn
ili, is smooth, the baton being the voice which he hears is for British sprinters. They have
passed into the hands of a man that of the incoming runner, the achievement but they have
whose anger at being overlooked whose voice is the only one that youth on their side, too, and un-
for individual selection at those matters, and now that voice, the doubted potential. Whatever the
championships has completely voice of Adam Gemili shouts future brings, however, CJ Ujah,
galvanised his determination. “hand”, and his recipient’s Adam Gemili, Danny Talbot
Fresh and running with a point hand is there, the baton firmly and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake
to prove, Gemili’s acceleration grasped and into that hand. will always have London.
along the back straight suggests By the time the baton reaches
that something special is about Mitchell-Blake, Britain’s lead is Hugh Stanbury
to unfold. This isn’t lost on the
anchor runner Nethaneel Mitch-
ell-Blake, either. For he knows
that Adam is a big competition
athlete and as is watching him
start to come past the Japanese.
Mitchell-Blake starts to think
with growing certainty , this is
going to come down to himself.
Meanwhile Danny Talbot waits
for the next change. Though all
sorts of different outcomes and
scenarios start going through The gold medal winning GB relay quartet….the first of many?