Sportingwales 8

hurdles
GREENE FOR GO
– AT LAST
If the cliche 'one step at a time' Under-23 Championships title in Hungary Now he will go to Berlin and face big guns
applies to anybody, then it is despite the pain. like American Bershawn Jackson, the
athlete David Greene. former world champion who has clocked
But 13 days later it was too much for 48.03secs this season, and Jamaican Isa
After years of more lows than highs, him when warming-up at the World Phillips, who ran 48.05secs to win his
Greene is ﬁ nally beginning to achieve his Championships Trials in Manchester. National Championships last month.
potential and rise to national promience. Despite being the fastest man in the
country over the distance at the time, The pressure is on those men plus
Just two years ago, when he returned home Greene pulled out of the ﬁ rst heat. defending champion Kerron Clement,
from Hungary with European Under-23 Olympic champion Angelo Taylor and
gold, few outside athletics had heard of the He went as a travelling reserve to the American Johnny Dutch to deliver. Jackson
400 metres hurdler from Swansea Harriers Osaka World Championships but did not has a personal best of 47.30secs and said:
race and only pulled on his spikes again 11 "That's what I'm shooting for there but
And, while he may still be less well known months later at a low-key British League I'm going to need to break that to win in
than other Welsh athletes like Rhys meeting in July, 2008. Berlin."
Williams or Tim Benjamin, Greene is
getting there as he begins to ﬂ ourish. Another 12 months on, though, and his Realistically, if Greene makes the ﬁ nal, he
foot injury has gone - touch wood - and could ﬁ nd himself halfway down the home
Indeed Steve Cram, the former world his performances have been magniﬁ cent. straight when the winner crosses the line
1500m champion and record-holder He beat the rest of the ﬁ eld at the Aviva but that is of little concern.
now a BBC commentator, called Greene World Trials and UK Championships by a
home with great enthusiasm at the UK country mile and is now focussing purely "I want to enjoy it," said Greene of his ﬁ rst
Championships (AAAs) title in Birmingham on the biggest occasion of his athletics senior major championships appearance.
last month, a storming run which booked career in Berlin. "I saw people at the European Team
his ﬂ ight to Berlin and a ﬁ rst major Championships this year and got to speak
senior competition vest at the World "It shows what I can do," said Greene, who to Colin Jackson and Jonathan Edwards
Championships. is top of the European ranking list and about the experiences of being in a major
whose time in Prague last June would have competition."
Being free of injury is the secret behind put him into the Beijing Olympic Games
Greene bursting into the top stage, after ﬁ nal if he had qualiﬁ ed for the British team. He was favourite to win that European
suffering countless foot problems which Team 400m hurdles in Portugal this
wrecked his chances of reaching several "I am looking forward to it and I hope I June and he duly obliged in 49.26secs.
other major events. can get to the ﬁ nal but I know I have to Beforehand, he wanted to know what to
perform to best of my ability to do that. expect when the spotlight suddenly shines
Llanelli ace Greene, 23, ran a personal best on him.
of 48.62secs in Prague on June 8 which put "I put all of this down to the hard work
him sixth in the world this year and top of I've done in the last three years. Those last "As I explained my situation (to them)," said
the UK rankings by some distance. three years have been hard. I could have Greene, "in that I had so much expectation
given up on this when I had those injuries on me, they totally sympathised with that
It is all different from the pain and anguish but my parents and my family have always but they said 'you will not feel any pressure
he suffered a few years ago. been there and had faith in me, while my after a bit, you will race and you will get
girlfriend has given me fantastic support. used to it.’
Greene was ﬂ ying in 2006 with victories
across the world. Then, in 2007, he was "So, if you would have said two months ago "Over the last few years, I have not
David Greene
going well again until the critical part of that I would be in this position (fastest man achieved what I could have achieved. Now
the year, the outdoor season, when a in Europe, UK champion and qualiﬁ ed for I'm getting rewards and it is great."
foot injury struck. He won that European the World Championships), I would have
SW
been chuffed to bits."
13
sportingwales
issue8twothousand&nine
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