by Stuart Weir
Adam Gemeli and Christian Malcom, photo by British Athletics
This is part 3 in Stuart Weir’s series on Christian Malcom, the new British head coach. How will he deal with the coming challenges ?
Meet Christian Malcom – British head coach Part 3
In part 3 Christian Malcolm talks relays and absent friends.
1. Why has GB been so successful in relays?
I think the team that has been brought together. I was fortunate to be part of that at the beginning, working with Stephen Maguire and Jenn Savage our psychologist, Ross Tugwood, Benke Blomvkist. I think we have a good team. And we were able to bring a good crop of athletes together and help them to understand that beyond the individual they could be good as a team. I think it was just having those conversations and helping them to understand that and also the technical element of the training and coaching. Helping them to understand that you have to leave your individual mindset aside and work as a team. It was all those things coming together because we have the talent there. The athletes had the flat speed it was just a matter of bringing the other things together.
2. But how can four British sprinters, in a major championship, run against four Americans or Jamaicans who are individually faster, yet beat them?
That’s easy to explain! It’s the work we do in relay practice which is so important. It’s the speed of baton through the transition in the relay zone. That’s what we work on when we come together. It’s not so much the speed of the runner but how we can maintain the baton speed through the relay zone. How do people see the check marks as they’re coming in? Are they hitting the right check marks so that the baton speed doesn’t drop. You want to maintain that speed so that the receiver is accelerating at the right time. That comes with the training and with working together. You also need good hand positions and the hand to be steady. The person coming in needs to see a nice wide hand and not too low.
It’s those fine margins that we work on constantly, which makes so much difference in the relay zone because you can make up so much speed and so much time through that relay zone if you get it right. Sometimes what you see is – yes, they’re coming at speed but the speed gets lost because the receiver has gone too early or gone too late and they run into the back of them so the baton speed is lost. So what we’ve been able to do is maintain the baton speed through the zone and through the exchange. We recognized a gap and have been able to capitalize on it.
3. Some people have expressed concern that our sport is being run by people who are not athletics people and about the loss of people like Cherry Alexander and Stephen Maguire – does any of that bother you?
No. I don’t think it should. Look, I miss Cherry and Stephen. I have known Cherry since I was 16-17 and I still have conversations with her. She has been brilliant. I worked well with Stephen. But this is part and parcel of the industry; people move in and people move out and it is down to the people who are in place now to continue the sport and to make the sport greater and better than what it was. It is unfortunate that these guys have moved on. I’m gutted but we’ve got to move on. I think there are also some great people who have come into the system, regardless of whether they’re from an athletics background or not. And they are pretty passionate about driving the sport on as well.
Christian Malcom, photo by British Athletics
4. Is Stephen Maguire a big loss?
We’re gutted that Stephen’s decided to move on. He’s done a fantastic job with the relays. But we still got a team in place to work with the relays and they’ll continue the work that he’s done.
I totally understand a lot of people who would have wanted this job. For a lot of people, it’s a dream job and a great opportunity. I do totally understand anyone who didn’t get the job going forward. As an athlete myself, I missed out on things. So I totally get that.
5. Did you have a conversation with them and try to talk him out of it?
No, I didn’t. Stephen’s a grown man and I respect Stephen 100%. Stephen brought me in as the technical lead for the 4 by 100 and we had a good relationship there and that’s a decision I’ll always respect.
6. How important is 2021 when arguably the profile of athletics is never been lower?
It is important but I think that is so for all sport. It’s been a bit difficult in 2020 for all sports. 2021 will be fantastic just for the Olympic Games to go ahead and for people to watch it. From a British perspective, it’d be great for us to be able to win some key medals there. Is that the be all and end all, I don’t think it is. I think we have an opportunity to pick up a few medals in Tokyo but more important for me is building towards 2024.
