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I attended my younger sister's sports day at her primary school a few years back, and I was taken aback by a girl younger than her (about 6 or 7 yrs old) who ran the sprint race against the boys. She was lightening quick, so much faster than them and her running action was like a seasoned sprinter. I'm no scout, but I could see that this was an exceptional runner.

I commented to someone that I hoped the local sports club were watching that, as she should be snapped up and given training/nutrition advice or whatever support needed for that age. I asked my sister recently what happened to this girl and if she was still running, and sadly, she isn't, and never got encouragement to continue it.

I think this is such a shame, as this girl was clearly a talent, but I don't think the athletics clubs have liaison officers where they attend these type of early stage events. Divert money from the richers sports and put it into athletics!

Most athletic clubs will not take children until they are at least 8 years old. Also the clubs are generally run by unpaid volunteers who have to work so are often not able to attend the school sports days. In the club I belong to we try to get to the major school events in our City to try and recruit athletes. There should also be a link between the schools and the clubs. However I have seen a lot of children who can run very fast at a young age, it often means they are a bit more developed than their school friends and they just turn out to be average runners when they are older. Of course they can still get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from joining a club providing the volunteers are there to run it which is the main problem really.

I asked my sister recently what happened to this girl and if she was still running, and sadly, she isn't, and never got encouragement to continue it.

I think this is such a shame, as this girl was clearly a talent
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Or perhaps she didn't want to?

Talent is about far more than physical ability, people have to really want to buy into the whole lifestyle to become successful and a lot of the time those with the most natural abilities physically are not interested. Perhaps that girl has her own dreams of being a scientist, actor, swimmer or fashion designer.

I have seent too many kids in this country forced into things that they do not want to do because of their physcial traights, while those who do want it but are not so advanced get discarded at stupidly young ages.

There is very little support for junior talent in the UK. My daughter is a top U17 athlete in Scotland, over the next 7 weeks I will cover at least 1700 miles getting her to major Championships. Apart from the UK school games there is no fundig to help cover this expense. That does not include over night accommodation for UK Champs in Bedford or the expense of a 50 mile round trip to meet her coach twice a week.

If my family were not willing to make sacrafices to support her she to would be lost to the sport.

Appreciate the comments above, the girl obviously would need to want to become an athlete, but look at all elite sportsmen and women, they would have been encouraged (or forced in some people's definition) into playing sport from a very young age (e.g. Andy Murray), arguably they wouldn't know what they would want to be so young.

The point is, the option should be given and the support provided. Maybe Yoyomac spotted the talent their daughter had, and is now making the personal sacrifice to make it possible. I'm just saying some assistance and spotting this talent early would help matters greatly. If you look at all nations that punch at or above their weight in sporting terms, they have a system in place to spot talent early.

If I was a talented kid and I was told by a coach if I worked hard, I could be an athlete, it would help encourage me to try harder.

Hi Katherine,

I apperciated your comments tonight on Chambes on Drugs cheats. Fully behind you & Steve on that one.

Every year, in my various coaching roles around the world, I come across quite a few very talented athletes who have the genetic, god-given ability to make their respective National athletics teams. Perhaps they could even go on to become Olympians.. They key reason why very few of them do is..coaching.

There simply are not enough quality coaches out there to help guide these kids towards what could be their destiny.

I have a shrewd idea that the reason for this is that coaches are simply not valued enough - not necesarily in a financial way - but by parents and ultimately, the governing body.

Throughout this championships the commentators have mentioned numerous 'celebrity' coaches who have achieved amazing things as athletes and are then automatically assumed, upon retirement, to possess similarly amazing ability as coaches. This rarely follows and worse still, totally dis-incentivises club coaches who will believe that, because they have never achieved great things as athletes are never 'worthy' enough to coach champions, even at County level. I come across it all the time and it saddens me because the sport loses out on some very good people. What especially saddens me is hearing that an athlete, who is looking promising, has left their perfectly good coach to go off and be coached by XYZ ex-Olympic athlete who, I know, does not possess sufficient knowledge to maximise the potential of any athlete except perhaps themselves. Imagine doing all your coaching badges diligently in soccer, over many years and with countless cost, only to find yourself overlooked as a coach by someone like Paul Gascoigne? A truly sublime football player - but a coach? I think I would just give up.


The much talked about 'Golden Age' of British athletics occured under the guidance of some fairly unfashionable middle aged men, Anderson, Paish, McNab e.t.c. who between them produced hundreds of International athletes including world record holders and Olympic medallists of every colour. They spent their time between coaching sessions on the road 300+ days a year, teaching other coaches how to do what they did. Much is talked about 'passion' in sport and these guys had it in droves. This pitifully 'thin' team in Barcelona would never have occured under their leadership. And not a celebrity amongst them! Except perhaps John Anderson who laterly appeared as the Gladiators referee..

A rant maybe, but when I hear of young athletes ignored or faced with poor/no training facilities, little support and encouragement I know that we need to do something. Celebrity coaches are happy to take on the glamour athletes who will enhance their reputation but the athletes slightly beneath that level are left largely ignored.

A bit like the premier league taking all the good players from around the globe, but leaving the national team in a mess..

Every athlete here in Barca has done well, but they have been lucky to find support - as you were Katherine - and it's sad that, in my experience, this support is far less widespread than it should be - for a number of lamentable reasons..

This has been a brilliant championships so far. 16 medals with a day of relays & Lisa to come.

The Men's 4 x 400 look great & I am sure Lee McConnell & the girls can medal.

Pity about the rumours about the Russians performances but I guess it is inevitable as the women in particular seem so dominant.

CVC wanted 10 - 15 medals, he could be looking at 18 - 19. Surely now pride has been restored in UK Athletics.

Katherine what are the athletes saying about CVC ? From the outside he is doing a great job !

Looks to me like the British team in Barcelona is a well-disciplined, focussed bunch of athletes.

It's noticeable, though, that the mens team is a track and jumps team and the women's is only a track team. Throwing doesn't exist, despite many spear medals in the past 20 years. Perhaps this decade will add a sustainable throwing coaching system to what is a quite robust track and jumping system already in place??

Worth also looking at how many of the current team are near the end and what's coming behind. Mens sprinting? Triple jump? Apart from that, it looks in pretty good shape.

I just hope politicians realise that medals at Europeans is not the same as medals at the Olympics, particularly in long distance running. There won't be 16 athletics medals in London unless some races are rigged, I wouldn't think! But if there are 20 finalists across the team in London and 6 - 10 medals, that would be a fine return, I would think?

Or am I wide of the mark there??

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could suggest where I could go as a starting point for trying to arrange a visit from an athlete to our school? I'd really like the children to hear first hand what it means to be an athlete and how athletics has changed over the past few decades. Does anyone know of any outreach programmes in place for this, particularly geared towards younger children? I feel it would genuinely inspire the children to develop a love for sport and what they can achieve at an early age.