Athletics: Jackson gives helping hand to pretender

Generosity may ruin Britain's greatest hurdler's quest for golden swansong

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Asked in the aftermath of his latest golden hurdling performance what the secret of his enduring success happened to be, Colin Jackson smiled as he leaned against a barrier in the corridor of the Ferry Dusika Hallenstadion and replied: "You'll have to wait for the book." His rivals, however, are already following the script.

Indeed, one of them is following it to such good effect he could yet upstage the grand master of high hurdling on his grand outdoor finale this summer. Elmar Lichtenegger very nearly stole Jackson's thunder in Vienna with a lightning quick run that left the Austrian on course for gold until the desperate dash for the line from the last barrier in the 60 metres hurdles final at the European Indoor Championships on Saturday night. Only then did the Welshman edge in front, wriggling across the line 0.04 seconds ahead of Lichtenegger in 7.40sec, the fastest time in the world this year.

"Elmar pushed me all the way. I was behind on hurdle three and I tried just to stay focused. I knew what I needed to do," Jackson said. "I said I would have to run 7.40 – and I hit it bang on the nail."

Jackson thus extended his British record collection of individual gold medals from major championship competition to a 12th chunk of sparkling precious metal – but there is a question mark lingering over what could be the 14th and final one. One month after contesting the Commonwealth Games in July, Jackson will have to contend with the fast-improving Lichtenegger at the outdoor European Championships in Munich.

It will be Jackson's international championship swansong in mainstream outdoor competition, although he may well continue until the world indoor championships in Birmingham next March – "I'd like to win the world championship title in Birmingham and go out there," he said yesterday. And in Munich he may well be upstaged by the man who is following his hurdling textbook.

Lichtenegger attributes the major progress he has made this winter to the first-hand guidance he has received as a guest of Jackson and his coach, Malcolm Arnold, at their training bases in Bath and Cardiff. He will benefit from the same help, too, as he prepares for the outdoor season, having accepted an invitation to spend a month training in Melbourne with Jackson.

"I can't believe I've won a medal here," Lichtenegger said, "and I have to thank Colin for that. I have put into practice what I learned from him when he invited me to train with him. And now it seems I am getting everything right." Not quite yet perhaps. There was room for a 0.04sec improvement on Saturday and, judging by his form in the indoor season, Lichtenegger can expect a drastic revision to his 110m best time this summer, which stands at a modest 13.33sec at present.

Asked whether he feared he might live to regret helping a rival beat him, Jackson – who faces Lichtenegger again in the Norwich Union Indoor International in Glasgow on Saturday – replied: "It makes no difference to me. It's great to see Elmar doing so well." Such generosity of spirit alone defines Jackson as an exceptional man. As indeed does his enduring record of success on the international stage.

His latest triumph has emerged from the adversity of an Achilles tendon injury that kept him off the training track last winter, persuaded him not to defend his outdoor world title in Edmonton last summer and had some people convinced he had stepped on to his last medal podium.

"I'm really happy for my coach, Malcolm Arnold," Jackson said. "I've had some crap years and he's pulled me through." And now the veteran with the Midas touch is pulling through a potential golden boy in his high-speed wake.