As the previous sprinter turns 50 this month, she appears again on the Commonwealth Video games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 the place she gained 400m silver in 50.71.
The now-BBC Radio commentator overcame torrid warmth and a package mishap to take silver behind the Video games file of fifty.17 from Jamaica’s Sandie Richards, producing a Scottish mark which nonetheless stands right this moment.
I grew up within the North East of England however my dad was born in Scotland as a result of my gran refused to have a baby in England. I believe he solely lived in Scotland for a yr. Once I began competing indoors, there have been solely two indoor tracks – RAF Cosford down within the Midlands and the Kelvin Corridor in Glasgow. Once I was about 15, I went as much as do a 400m and gained and a few official was advised that I had Scottish qualification. Once I obtained my medal, I used to be pulled apart and requested about it.
At that time, I by no means considered it however that was the seed of me considering: “This could possibly be good.” I might grown up watching Liz McColgan and seeing what the Commonwealths meant to Scotland, so I in a short time opted in, heading in the direction of the 1994 Video games in Canada.
They introduced me on to a growth squad with the likes of Ian Mackie, Sinead Dudgeon and Lorna Jackson. Mel Neef was round and I might hit it off along with her and joined the Edinburgh Woollen Mill membership. I knew they’d choose one growth athlete [for the Games] and I hoped it will be me, however I had a shocker on the British Champs. I do not even assume I obtained to the ultimate and I discovered on Teletext that they had been taking Ian.
I sat there considering: “1998 – it is obtained to occur.” And that subsequent three years, my profession actually did skyrocket. I might had an exceptional 1997. All the pieces had labored nicely. I gained my European Underneath-23 title and I’d run the Scottish file by then, which was the massive factor, as a result of everybody was raving about Linsey MacDonald’s file.
There have been two issues that had been essential to me: that file, which had stood for thus lengthy, after which attending to the Commonwealths and making the rostrum. I might dare to dream of it off the again of an excellent 1997 the place I might additionally gained on the World Scholar Video games and obtained to the semi-final of the world championships.
Cathy Freeman was the massive identify constructing into the Sydney Olympics however, as quickly as we discovered she wasn’t going to the Commonwealths, everybody was Sandie Richards. On the similar time, me and Donna Fraser had began constructing a very sturdy rivalry.
Kuala Lumpur was so humid. One in all our physios was Liz Mendl, and she or he was wonderful, an actual psychologist for me. I used to be horrible with heatm regardless of cheap warm-weather coaching. I used to by no means wish to prepare in the course of the day as a result of it was too sizzling and my face was purple and my hair was simply this humid mess. Liz lent me this bandana. I by no means ran in a single once more after I noticed the photographs, nevertheless it made a giant distinction.
We additionally had a nightmare with our package. We got it once we all arrived in KL … solely to seek out that when you’d ordered a dimension eight, your package was age eight and so forth. I needed to run in it within the heats as a result of they hadn’t managed to get a substitute. Cherry Alexander rang Brendan Foster they usually obtained View From package flown out to us. It was navy blue however I do not even assume that they had time to place Scotland on it. It was exhausting sufficient working within the warmth with an age eight package that was limiting my ribs.
I used to be real looking going into the ultimate. It was actually simply the three of us going for the medals. The very best factor for me was that Donna ran her PB within the semi. At that time, she had by no means overwhelmed me. That was the primary time. Within the remaining, due to that semi, I drew Lane Two. These days you would be going: “I wish to be in one of many outdoors lanes.” With the tech, the footwear, you wish to be in six or a seven, whereas again then, Lane 4 was your favorite. Donna had Lane Three and Sandie was in 4.
Donna got here from 100m, 200m and up. I used to be at all times extra of an endurance runner once I was a child, doing 800m, 1500m and cross-country. At that time, there weren’t 400m/800m runners.
I wanted to enhance my pace. Working in opposition to Donna, over the primary 200m with these lengthy legs of hers, I felt like I used to be doing two strides to each one among hers. In KL, I had the mentality that, so long as I used to be proper on Donna’s shoulder and she or he did not have a metre or two on me coming into house straight, I’d in all probability get her. And Lane Two gave me that profit. She hated that final 100m and she or he solely actually obtained it proper within the Sydney Olympic remaining, when she was only one stride away from a medal.
Generally, you go right into a race and you might be real looking. After all, everybody desires to win, however I believe we knew Sandie would get gold. I’d damaged 51 seconds however she’d damaged 50. Within the remaining, she ran a Video games file and there is not any method I used to be anyplace shut.
I by no means ran faster. And it’s wonderful my Scottish file nonetheless stands. Our BBC statistician, Mark Butler, places the rankings on the backside of all of our crib notes: world’s prime ten, the present UK all-time checklist. Once I obtained got rid of the UK prime ten, he saved including me on the backside. I’m now 13th so it wants an extended piece of paper. A minimum of I am going to seem again on his notes for the Commonwealths this yr. I did not have a protracted profession in the long run and 1997 and 1998 had been the place I made good issues occur.
As advised to Mark Woods
