Athletics: Edwards leaps clear of Sunday obstacle: Mike Rowbottom reports on the British triple-jumper who was inspired by a dream to relax his religious tenet before the World Indoor Championships, starting today

IT CAME to Jonathan Edwards in a dream. Not his own, but that of a fellow worshipper at Heaton Baptist Church in Newcastle, who pictured his friend being blocked by people as he prepared for one of the triple jumps with which he honours God. 'When the people moved out of the way I was able to run on and make a big jump,' Edwards recalled.

The interpretation Edwards placed upon this borrowed image was that he should discontinue the self-imposed restriction of not competing on the sabbath which had previously caused him to miss a European Cup final and a world championship.

At the time of his decision, the final of the triple jump at this weekend's World Indoor Championships in Toronto was scheduled for Sunday. It has subsequently been brought forward to Saturday, but that is now an irrelevance for a jumper who has already taken what he describes as 'a leap of faith'.

Three years ago Edwards, a physics graduate from Durham University, took a similar step closer to his athletics by dramatically reducing his hours at Newcastle's Royal Infirmary, where he worked as a geneticist. There followed a series of jumps over 17 metres as he established himself as the best British triple-jumper since Keith Connor, the British record-holder who dominated the domestic scene in the 1980s.

Faith has underpinned the whole of Edwards's career since he discovered his aptitude for hopping, stepping and jumping as a schoolboy, winning the English Schools' title. Every achievement - a third place in the World Cup of 1989, a silver medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games - has been dedicated to God. But for every high, there have been testing lows.

Even his medal in Auckland arrived in trying circumstances - having established a clear lead, he exacerbated an injury and saw a relatively unknown Cypriot jumper take the lead with his penultimate effort. Edwards was obliged to make a final attempt. The jump appeared long enough to regain his lead, but it was ruled as a foul.

If that was galling, his experience in last year's Olympics was a torment. Before the Games, he trained in Monte Carlo with Kriss Akabusi, Roger Black and the sprinters John Regis and Marcus Adam. His form was the best it had ever been - 'I was matching Marcus over the shorter distances,' he said. 'I must have been doing about 6.60sec for 60 metres.'

But the form was not transferred to the Olympic arena, where he failed to qualify for the final, managing only 15.76m. Had he matched his personal best of 17.43m - something he had high hopes of doing - he would have won the bronze medal. 'I was devastated,' Edwards said. 'I had been in such good shape. But I think now that my technique was unable to cope with such a level of speed.'

There followed a period of re- evaluation as he wondered whether, at 26, it was worth continuing. You wonder whether, as a believer, he was bound to feel that it was God who was tormenting him. Edwards, characteristically, has come to view these things positively.

'Barcelona was a real refining of my faith,' he said. 'God is good. God doesn't torment. What happened at the Olympics was like a strong father's discipline to his son.'

Within a month of deciding to carry on, Edwards was rewarded with the most satisfying performance of his career when he won the World Cup in Havana with the last jump in the competition. Curiously enough, his performance could have been seen as occurring on the sabbath - in terms of British time, it was early on Sunday morning. Edwards was not too devout a soul to see the funny side of that.

He goes into the Toronto championships which start tomorrow as one of six British 'medal shots' proclaimed by the director of coaching, Frank Dick. And there is a good chance that he will fulfil that publicity.

Last month he set a British all- comers' record of 17.16m indoors at Birmingham - and he is now operating off a run-up that is two strides shorter. The aim is to achieve greater control from 90 per cent of a natural speed that is the equal of the world's leading triple jumpers.

The absence in Toronto of at least three of them - the American jumpers Mike Conley and Charlie Simpkins, Olympic gold and silver medal-winners, and the leading Russian, Leonid Voloshin - will assist Edwards' ambition.

However, it turns out, he plans to commit himself still further to his talents in the summer by giving up his part-time job. The only regular money coming into the household will then be from his wife Alison's job as a physiotherapist. It sounds like a leap of faith far more profound than a decision to compete on Sundays; Edwards is equable about it. 'We won't be driving around in a Mercedes,' he said. 'But we've not really got any worries. God will give you what you need.'

(Photograph omitted)