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Thursday, 28 September, 2000, 12:46 GMT 13:46 UK
Malcolm hailed as new Welsh star
Christian Malcolm (right) finishes fifth in the 200m final
Former Olympic champion Lynn Davies believes Christian Malcolm can go on to become one of the world's premier sprinters.
Speaking after the 21-year-old Malcolm finished fifth in the men's 200 metres final at the Sydney Olympic Games, Davies said Malcolm was now in a position to succeed Colin Jackson as Wales' leading track star. "It was a magnificent performance. We could have asked for no more," Davies told BBC Radio Wales. "In the Olympics, Christian ran two personal bests, he reached the final and he finished fifth on the greatest stage in the world with the greatest athletes. "That is a magnificent achievement." Coming of age The Sydney Games represent a tremendous leap forward for Malcolm - who at 21-years old has only in the last few seasons fully made the transition from junior to senior racing.
The final marked a coming of age for the Newport athlete, as he proved that he can compete with the best in the world and not be overawed by the big occasion.
"He was the youngest in the field and for a lad from Newport to be amongst those world-class athletes and to have performed as he did must have been a dream come true," Davies said. Temperament The 1964 long jump gold-medallist believes that Malcolm's great strength is his mental durability and maturity - despite the fact that he is only 21. "He's always been very relaxed, very laid back, but then he met coach Jock Anderson who got him to knuckle down and helped him become a disciplined, mature athlete," said Davies
Jackson's heir And with Colin Jackson coming to the end of his world-beating track career, Davies thinks the time could be ripe for Christian Malcolm to assume Jackson's role as the leading light of Welsh athletics. "We need someone now to take on Colin Jackson's mantle," he said. "He's already been called the next Carl Lewis but when I say that to him he says, 'No, I'm the first Christian Malcolm!' He really is going to be one of the world's great sprinters." Buzz Christian Malcolm's ascent, along with that of Darren Campbell, can be attributed in no small measure to the improved training facilities and structures that exist in and around Cardiff.
And Lynn Davies is quick to point out how success breeds success.
"There is a real buzz around Cardiff now," he said. "With the likes of Darren Campbell, Katharine Merry, Jamie Baulch and Linford Christie training down here that rubs off on the youngsters as well. "Christian Malcolm has shown it's possible for youngsters from any part of Wales to reach the Olympic final. "His fifth place was brilliant." |
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See also:
28 Sep 00 | Wales
28 Sep 00 | Athletics-Track
28 Sep 00 | Wales
28 Sep 00 | Wales
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