by Stuart Weir
Danny Talbot, photo by World Athletics
Danny Talbot is a fine British sprinter, who focused on the 200 meters, and the 4x100m relay. This piece was contributed by Stuart Weir, our European editor.
DANNY TALBOT TO RETIRE FROM ATHLETICS
Danny Talbot will always be remembered for being part of the GB men’s sprint relay team which took gold in the 2017 World Championships, in a packed London Olympic stadium, finishing ahead of USA, Jamaica and, well, everybody!
The medalists in the London 2017 4x100m relay, photo by World Athletics
As an individual sprinter, he favored the 200m, gaining two European Bronze medals (2012 and 2016) as well as European Under 23 Silver and Gold in 2013. He also took relay gold at the European Championships and silver at the Commonwealth Games, both in 2014.
Aged 30, Talbot spoke of retiring on his own terms: “Ironically, I am back healthy and fit now [after the back injury], but for me it’s absolutely the right time to move on. It is nice to know it is my decision to finish and it has not been taken away or forced upon me. The last few years may not have been the best, but I can genuinely look back and be happy and say it’s been fun!
“Athletics has shaped me as a person, I have been able to travel the world and compete in major championships and I have so much fondness and positive memories from the sport, I’m nothing but grateful for what it has given me.”
The gold medal winning British 4x100m team, London 2017, photo by World Athletics
He has been part of growth and development of the GB spring relay team, of which he said: “Thinking back, it was an amazing time from that relay at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015 where it all fell apart, building back up together, growing closer as a team and getting it right”.
He ran in the 2015 World Championships relay when GB qualified for the final but failed to finish. He was not in the team in the 2016 Olympics.
In the 2017 World Championship, Britain qualified for the final with the second fastest time of 37.76. In the final Usain Bolt on anchor for Jamaica pulled up injured with GB winning in 37.47, a world lead and European record with USA second in 37.52. With CJ Ujah on first leg, Talbot on three took the stick from Adam Gemili and gave it to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.
Battling Usain Bolt in 2014 Commonwealth Games, photo by Martin Bateman
Talbot said at the time: “We’ve worked so hard for this – we wanted the gold so much, we knew we could do it, and we have. We’ve been involved for a while and 2012 didn’t just go away. Guys come in and guys come out and it’s just a massive team effort. We’ve always said we win as a team and we lose as a team, and tonight we won as a team, and it’s not just us four, it’s everyone who’s been involved with us. I think the public have probably heard enough about us being the best generation of sprinting, with no results. So it’s nice we came here in front of our home crowd and did exactly what we thought we could. We had so much self-belief, we didn’t come here to just get on the podium, we came to win and that’s what we did. The time was a bonus, that wasn’t a focus of ours.
“I came around the bend and I couldn’t feel anyone and I thought, ‘These two have put me in an unbelievable position’. I just had to go with it, then I saw Nethaneel ahead and thought, ‘We’ve won this.’ We’re just grateful for the opportunity to be in the best shape of our lives to come to the World Championships and become World champions
Reflecting this month on that race and the win, he said: “I genuinely remember us knowing as far back as February in 2017 that we would win gold that year at London 2017. We felt so confident in each other and when we did win, I didn’t feel relief, just pure joy as that’s exactly what we knew we could do”.
Fortunately, we may not have seen the last of him in the sport: “I’m determined to give back to the sport and it’s my aim to stay involved. I did my coaching qualification last year and I’m looking forward to seeing what direction I’ll go in.”
Receiving an award from Sports Journalists Association – Danny, Richard
Bowker (then Chair of UKA) and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake
