Linford Christie and Darren Campbell Talk Sport

11 September 2008

At the height of both of their careers Linford Christie and Darren Campbell were two of the most successful British sprinters both Olympic champions in their own right.In the 1990's Christie was the pride of the British track team and is the only British man to win the 100m at the Olympics, World Championship, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.Darren Campbell, after a spell playing football, returned to athletics to also find success at the major competitions taking a silver in Sydney in the 200 meters before finally achieving Olympic gold four years later in Athens as part of the 4x100m squad.With their competing days behind them the pair are now keen on encouraging the next generation into the sport and were taking part in the Street Athletics Final in London when I caught up with them for a chat about this project, Beijing and what lies ahead for London 2012.

You are supporting the Street Athletics Final in London what do you hope will come out of the event?

Darren Campbell: We have been doing it know for four years, myself and Linford, and it's not that we are supporting it we actually came up with the whole concept for us it's really about getting young people to get involved one in athletics but to also do something with their lives. Initially we go to their local estates and run the races there today in London it's the London finals so all the ten areas that we visited all the kids that came in the top three places there in the different ages groups are now here competing for a place in the national final which takes place on the 20th in Manchester.

Linford Christie: What we are all about it we are trying to engage kids of all ages to become interested in sport and we are trying to get them to take part in sport because it's been proven that children who take part in sport are better disciplined and they learn more so it's healthy.What we are trying to do if give kids a taste to show them that sport is fun we are not telling them that they have to be athletes but we hope that they enjoy themselves and what to continue.

Why did you decide to get involved with this project?

Darren Campbell: Well myself personally I grew up on a council estate and if I hadn't have had people encouraging and supporting me then I might not have made it so I just felt that it was important that on becoming Olympic Champion and achieving my dreams that I go back and encourage the next generation of young people to get involved in sport because I know it can make a difference.

Obviously you are best known as a sprinter who has enjoyed Olympic success what are you doing now that you have retired?

Darren Campbell: I know, along with this during the summer, I run a sports nutrition company that I set up two and a half years ago. I like not competing I was in Beijing working with the BBC and I have to say I really enjoyed it it was good to be on the other side. To be honest with you I just felt that throughout my career I did all the things that I wanted to do I have no regrets and I just wanted to retire and spend more time with my kids.

That leads me into my next question what did you think of Beijing and in particular the performance of Team GB?

Linford Christie: The Beijing Olympics were absolutely wicked China did put on such a tremendous show and we hope that the kids will be inspired by that and going into 2012 we hope that, not just from those who run, but those who also volunteer that there will be this great enthusiasm and feel good factor.

Darren Campbell: I thought Team GB performed amazingly people were talking them down before they even got there and i was one of the few people who said lets wait and see how can you slate people before they have even got there? It was good to see them go out there and perform to such a high standard and it just proves that if you believe in yourself and never give up anything is possible.

And how about the athletics just one gold was it a below par performance?

Darren Campbell: I think, without being inside there, the main man who was in charge at the time said they were going there to get five medals but they only got four so that's disappointing. For me I just wanted to see the younger athletes make finals because on making an Olympic final it shows that you have arrived and you can build on that and in four years time you could make that a medal or even gold.

Yeah it was slightly disappointing that we only came back with four medals and I get the head man paid the ultimate price by losing his job it's the way sport is, you are judged on success, and some people did slightly underperform but I think on the whole they did extremely well.

Linford Christie: Well the problem is it's something that the hierarchy really needs to sort out, to be honest with you I'm a coach I just coach people, they predicted that we would win five medals and we won four so really truly it's not so much a failure is it?

The thing about athletics is it's a world sport it's not like rowing and swimming there are more people who take part in track and field so it's always going to be hard what with the break up of the Soviet Union we have got some many different countries that it's going to be difficult. We did well but we shouldn't rest on our laurels.

What about the relays?

DC: The relays were a bit disappointing four years ago I was part of the team that won Olympic gold and to not even defend it was upsetting for me if we had got round and beaten by better teams you could deal with that.

We have come such a long way we don't make those kinds of mistakes that much anymore and to do it there it upset me really. i think the girls were just unlucky they had gone into it and nobody expected them to do anything and all of a sudden they had a chance to win a medal and maybe the pressure got to them.

They over performed in a way making that final and being in with a chance for a medal but for us not making the final I didn't like that/

What do you think now needs to be done for athletics to achieve what the cyclists and the rowers achieved at the games?

LC: I think what they need to do is use ex athletes more they need to use people who know the sport because I think that we have a lot of people who work for the sport but aren't in the sport and I think that we need people in the sport to actually get out here and stand up and be counted.

I'm the only gold medalist who is actually doing any form of coaching and we need more people out there, more people like me more ex-athletes to go out there and take part.

DC: We just need not to be soft on people I said this eight years ago with regards to Lottery it's such a good thing and it's definitely a good and if used in the right way it will encourage the next generation of athletes to be successful. But for some of them they just have the money and don't necessarily use it in the right way, I'm not sure if that continues today.

But we have just to be tough I know with cycling, having spoken to Chris Boardman, they are tough if they don't think you are going to make the final then they don't fund you. So we need to encourage young people to get involved, and that is what Street Athletics is about, but after that once you show promise and move into the top twenty in the world it's time to move onto the next level and deliver.

Dave Collins has left his post as performance director for UK Athletics what do you think of this decision?

LC: To be honest I don't know if it's going to change anything we will just have to wait and see Dave can only do and only work with what he has got. He was doing a very job, I honestly think he was doing a very good job, so now that there's change we will just have to wait and see but I hope that whoever comes in doesn't undo what he has done but try and work with it because he has some very good ideas I think.

Athletics has had a tough year with the likes of Marion Jones being stripped of her medals how do you think the sport is now being perceived?

DC: I think that anybody, if you were in the stadium of watched it on the television, and saw the performances of Usain Bolt couldn't help but be inspired and I think that was what the sport needed somebody out there having fun and inspiring the next generation of kids, he inspired my four year old who only ever wanted to be a footballer now he wants to be a runner.

That's the impact that sport has on young people and that's why we it's important that we, not shy away because we have responsibilities and if people take drugs they should duely be banned and not be allowed in the sports, but it's important that when people go out and are successful we hype them up because the performances that he did were amazing.

And if you look at America they are churning our sprinter after sprinter after sprinter what are they doing that we aren't?

DC: Well they are bigger a lot of people say why can't we but we have to look at the pool of people we are able to pull on so there's no way we are going to be able to produce the same amount of sprinters that America does, no one can. But you are slowly starting to see the power the shift as the Jamaicans have shown that they can sprint and I think if you look at the past 100 meter winner they have, in some shape or form, Caribbean heritage. It's just believing in yourself and I think that that is something that our young people don't do.

You not only competed in your home country but your home city in the Commonwealth Games what are the pros and cons going to be for the British athletes in 2012?

DC: The pros are if you don't let the pressure get to you the crowd can inspire you I wasn't in the greatest shape going into the Commonwealth Games but going into it I really didn't want to let anybody down and I met so many people walking around Manchester who told me they had bought tickets to watch my final and just knowing people had spent their money to watch me run really inspired me to get myself ready, I was lucky enough to win a bronze and a gold.

Just as you can use that as inspiration that could be a lot of pressure (laughs) if the pressure gets to our athletes then they will under perform and there will be a lot of pressure on them as we have had a good Beijing Olympics and people will be expecting as good, if not better come London 2012.

Finally how do you think London will compare to Beijing?

LC: I hope that everyone who takes part has a great time and we don't try to Beijing but just try to be London we should just be ourselves and there will be a great legacy.

DC: I think we will get behind it and support it and I think we will put on an amazing games all the doom and gloom and negative stuff is over now I think everybody, having seen how the team performed in Beijing, are fully supportive now of the team and they deserve all the accolades that they are getting. Now everybody will support it and I believe that we will have a lot of good performances and come out of the games in London 2012 with a lot on new legends.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

At the height of both of their careers Linford Christie and Darren Campbell were two of the most successful British sprinters both Olympic champions in their own right.In the 1990's Christie was the pride of the British track team and is the only British man to win the 100m at the Olympics, World Championship, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.Darren Campbell, after a spell playing football, returned to athletics to also find success at the major competitions taking a silver in Sydney in the 200 meters before finally achieving Olympic gold four years later in Athens as part of the 4x100m squad.With their competing days behind them the pair are now keen on encouraging the next generation into the sport and were taking part in the Street Athletics Final in London when I caught up with them for a chat about this project, Beijing and what lies ahead for London 2012.

You are supporting the Street Athletics Final in London what do you hope will come out of the event?

Darren Campbell: We have been doing it know for four years, myself and Linford, and it's not that we are supporting it we actually came up with the whole concept for us it's really about getting young people to get involved one in athletics but to also do something with their lives. Initially we go to their local estates and run the races there today in London it's the London finals so all the ten areas that we visited all the kids that came in the top three places there in the different ages groups are now here competing for a place in the national final which takes place on the 20th in Manchester.

Linford Christie: What we are all about it we are trying to engage kids of all ages to become interested in sport and we are trying to get them to take part in sport because it's been proven that children who take part in sport are better disciplined and they learn more so it's healthy.What we are trying to do if give kids a taste to show them that sport is fun we are not telling them that they have to be athletes but we hope that they enjoy themselves and what to continue.

Why did you decide to get involved with this project?

Darren Campbell: Well myself personally I grew up on a council estate and if I hadn't have had people encouraging and supporting me then I might not have made it so I just felt that it was important that on becoming Olympic Champion and achieving my dreams that I go back and encourage the next generation of young people to get involved in sport because I know it can make a difference.

Obviously you are best known as a sprinter who has enjoyed Olympic success what are you doing now that you have retired?

Darren Campbell: I know, along with this during the summer, I run a sports nutrition company that I set up two and a half years ago. I like not competing I was in Beijing working with the BBC and I have to say I really enjoyed it it was good to be on the other side. To be honest with you I just felt that throughout my career I did all the things that I wanted to do I have no regrets and I just wanted to retire and spend more time with my kids.

That leads me into my next question what did you think of Beijing and in particular the performance of Team GB?

Linford Christie: The Beijing Olympics were absolutely wicked China did put on such a tremendous show and we hope that the kids will be inspired by that and going into 2012 we hope that, not just from those who run, but those who also volunteer that there will be this great enthusiasm and feel good factor.

Darren Campbell: I thought Team GB performed amazingly people were talking them down before they even got there and i was one of the few people who said lets wait and see how can you slate people before they have even got there? It was good to see them go out there and perform to such a high standard and it just proves that if you believe in yourself and never give up anything is possible.

And how about the athletics just one gold was it a below par performance?

Darren Campbell: I think, without being inside there, the main man who was in charge at the time said they were going there to get five medals but they only got four so that's disappointing. For me I just wanted to see the younger athletes make finals because on making an Olympic final it shows that you have arrived and you can build on that and in four years time you could make that a medal or even gold.

Yeah it was slightly disappointing that we only came back with four medals and I get the head man paid the ultimate price by losing his job it's the way sport is, you are judged on success, and some people did slightly underperform but I think on the whole they did extremely well.

Linford Christie: Well the problem is it's something that the hierarchy really needs to sort out, to be honest with you I'm a coach I just coach people, they predicted that we would win five medals and we won four so really truly it's not so much a failure is it?

The thing about athletics is it's a world sport it's not like rowing and swimming there are more people who take part in track and field so it's always going to be hard what with the break up of the Soviet Union we have got some many different countries that it's going to be difficult. We did well but we shouldn't rest on our laurels.