Page 6 - Summer2016Gazette
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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?
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