Athletics: New generation of sprinters need Christie's mindset

Britain's exciting group of world-class 100m and 200m runners must develop their mental strength to become true champions

Athletics, more than any other sport, boils down to statistics. Here are some. Linford Christie was the first British sprinter to break 10 seconds for the 100 metres. When he retired from international competition in 1997 no other Briton had managed to do so.

Five years on there are three young Britons – Dwain Chambers, Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis-Francis – who have crossed that demarcation line that separates the good from the seriously good in 100m running, a feat they have all managed at an earlier age than Christie, whose international career only took off when he was 26. And at the Norwich Union European Trials and AAA Championships taking place in Birmingham this weekend, Britain's selectors are certain to have to leave out world-class performers in both the 100 and 200 metres because there are simply too many talented runners to fit in.

This is how it goes with athletics events. A couple of years ago there were three Britons in the Olympic triple jump final. In 1996 it was the 400 metres that was the enterprise zone within the domestic sport. At that year's Olympic trials the places were taken by Roger Black, Du'Aine Ladejo and Iwan Thomas, all of whom had been or would be European champions, with runners of the quality of Mark Richardson and Jamie Baulch having to settle for a relay place.

Now however it is the sprinters who are in the zone, and, although every era has its contenders, it is hard to recall one that could offer such a depth of talent.

Chambers is a former world bronze medallist who has twice beaten the world No 1, Maurice Greene, this season. Mark Lewis-Francis is world junior champion with a legal best of 10.04sec and a timing of 9.97 that was disallowed because of a faulty wind-gauge. Jason Gardener has a best of 9.98 and is a double European indoor 60m champion.

Darren Campbell is the reigning European 100m champion and Olympic 200m silver medallist. Christian Malcolm won world junior titles at 100 and 200m four years ago, as well as a Commonwealth silver, and has since added a European indoor title and fifth placing in the Olympic 200m final. Julian Golding is reigning Commonwealth 200m champion. Doug Turner is a European 200m silver medallist. Marlon Devonish is the reigning European Cup 200m champion. Chris Lambert, world junior No 1 at 200m three years ago, has recovered from injuries to earn a Commonwealth place this season and is now challenging strongly for European selection. And Allyn Condon has been winning relay medals at world and European level for the past four years.

Then there are others on the fringes such as Jonathan Barbour, the European Under-23 100m champion in 2001, and Graham Beasley, who took third place in the Commonwealth Trials 200m.

So many. Why?

Mike McFarlane, who coaches a number of top-class sprinters including Chambers, Barbour, Golding and Beasley, had a career that saw him race against two British Olympic champions in Allan Wells, with whom he shared the Commonwealth 200m title in 1982, and Christie, who dominated the 100 metres in the mid-90s as he collected world, Olympic, European and Commonwealth titles. McFarlane believes that the sprinters who operate nowadays do so in a different environment to that in which he competed.

"Things have changed a lot from when Linford and I were running," he said. "Sprinters now have a different diet, different training, different attitude."

Money, too, he believes, is an additional factor in keeping up a widespread level of interest. "Whatever money I made on the track in a season, these guys can make with any two races," he said. "When I was competing, and for a number of years after, there would be only two or three men at the top. Christie, John Regis and me. Then Christie, Regis and Marcus Adam, or Mike Rosswess.

"Now you've got a group of five or six at least. In the 200m this weekend someone could run 20.1 and not make the team."

McFarlane believes a part of the reason for the current level of achievement within British sprinting is down to the efforts of previous athletes who have attained the highest levels. "Wells did it. I was on the periphery. Linford kicked the door down," he said. "That left a legacy. Now we have not just one person in that mode, we've got four or five all coming through at the same time."

The next question to be asked is – can anyone come through and do a Linford again? Can one of the current generation establish the kind of pre-eminence over his peers that Regis well described last month when asked to identify the factor that marks out the true champion. It comes down to fear.

"That's why Maurice Greene is so good," Regis said. "That's why Linford Christie was so good. When you race them you think: 'Oh shit. If they fall over, we've got a chance'."

McFarlane does not believe there will be another Linford-like rise from among the current crop. "There are too many good athletes around," he said. "I believe there are more sprinters capable of running 9.9sec than there were when Linford was dominant. The margins are narrowing. I tell Dwain now not to expect metre gaps. It's going to be three-hundredths of a second here, a dip on the line there.'

All the more reason, therefore, to seek an extra edge through new techniques and psychology. Chambers' achievements this season have followed a nine-week warm weather training trip to San Francisco in which his running style was recorded and minutely observed by the former Soviet coach Remi Korchemny. "Talent is only a percentage," McFarlane said. "You have to have attitude, and work-rate, and sports mechanics. And the mindset. That's the mysterious bit."

Christie concurs, although his assessment of the current generation of speed merchants is more withering.

"I have been watching some of these guys for a long time," he said. "In order to dominate you need the right personality and I don't think they've got any personality. When Carl Lewis walked into a room everyone would think: 'Oh God, that's Carl Lewis'. You need an aura. The sprinters we have coming through are running faster but I don't think they have that aura.

"Mark Lewis-Francis believes he can beat Dwain. Dwain feels he can beat Mark. Darren feels just as good as them if he is fit at the right time. Jason feels the same.

"I made people believe they couldn't beat me. I really don't see any of the guys that have got that way of thinking. You've got to put it to the opposition, make them feel there's no way back."

Christie believes that Chambers, who used to be with his management company, Nuff Respect, but is now looked after by Regis's company Stellar Athletics, needs to rethink some of his strategies: "When Dwain beat Maurice twice you heard him saying afterwards: 'Maurice was tired'. I would never, ever say that. No way I would talk about Maurice like that and put myself down. I would want the public to know that I whupped him whether he was tired or not.

"The guys now are using their ability to run but they are not using their brains.'

Chambers' other comment after his second win over Greene in Sheffield, namely that there was a new sheriff in town, also activated Christie's disapproval. "You can't say there's a new sheriff in town because someone will pull a gun out and shoot you. I believe you never slag off opponents because it gives them 10 per cent more to beat you.

"Dwain's talking but I don't think he's still quite sure about exactly what he can do. I think he should have followed Maurice after beating him rather than pulling out of Lausanne and Paris. I would have followed him and beaten him again and again.

"When I was racing, Chidi Imoh was always my bogeyman. I just couldn't beat him. The first time I did it at Crystal Palace, I asked where he was running next and I followed him round Europe. I won three times in a row. That put the damper on him. Dwain has given Maurice room to get back."

Christie would employ similar crowding techniques on the man currently on Chambers' shoulder, Lewis-Francis. "He's a hothead on the track. If I was racing him I would upset him and make him mad so he ran aggressive and couldn't beat me."

For all the talent of the class of 2002, the former Olympic champion believes it still has a way to go to make the ultimate grade.

"I meet people in the street and they will say to their kids: 'There's Linford Christie, the fastest man in the world. If you wanted you could still go out there and beat them'. Now, I keep in shape, but I am 42. That tells me that the guys out there haven't dominated enough to get rid of the ghost."

Best of British: The three home-grown sprinters who can leave the rest of the world in their wake

Dwain Chambers

Age: 24. Born: Islington. Coach: Mike McFarlane. PBs: 100m, 9.97 (9.95w); 200m, 20.27. World junior 100m record 10.06, 1997; European 100m silver 1998, world bronze 1999.

Linford Christie's view: "Dwain is very strong, and he hates to lose. That works in his favour. But he needs to use his own head. If he does that, I think he's got a future. But now is the time he has to dominate. Time waits for no man."

Mark Lewis-Francis

Age: 19. Born: Birmingham. Coach: Steve Platt. PBs: 100m 10.04sec (9.97 adjudged wind-assisted though gauge was faulty); 200m 20.94. World youth champion 1999, world junior champion 2000, world 17-year-old best of 10.10sec, indoor 60m bronze 2001, European indoor 60m silver 2002.

Christie's view: "Phenomenally talented, he's got the package, but he hasn't unleashed it yet. Needs extra strength and discipline. Like to see him work more over 200 metres."

Jason Gardener

Age: 26. Born: Bath. Coach: Dave Lease. PBs: 60m, 6.46sec (Eur record); 100m: 9.98. World junior silver medallist 1994; world indoor 60m bronze 1999; European indoor 60m winner 2000, 2002.

Christie's view: "Superb start and ability over 60m, but it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Jason is too brittle. Part of his problem is that he doesn't do enough background work. If you do too much speed work you're always going to get injured."