Post by slinger on Jul 23, 2009 13:31:38 GMT 1
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8160041.stm
I find this quite saddening, especially at such a young age. Tim was an athlete of a similar age to me and grew up alongside in the junior ranks. A prodigious talent - we often say that about our junior athletes, but Tim had serious world class pedigree. I first remember seeing his name as a 100/200m runner when he was under 15 going into the u/17's and he remained a 200m runner throughout his junior days - one highlight I'll always remember was seeing him and his lifelong athletics mate MLF doing some 30m sprint starts in a training camp we were at in Florida and he beat MLF at every one of the 10 or so they did. A week later MLF won the WJ 100m title in 10.12. The last time I spoke to Tim I reminded him of that camp and he said he thought he was going to run 9.9 for the one after stuffing Mark at the 30's! - great days.
Of course he turned his hand to the 400 and if only he had some injury free time at this event, as he could of been a real world beater - infact he was in 2005 at Palace beating Jeremy Wariner for his first sub 45 secs 400. Ranked 6th all time in the UK, only 2 tenths off the UK record, I do believe if he was fit for long enough he'd have broken Iwan Thomas' record and who knows might of even ran a 43.?
A big shame as another of our talents leaves the sport.
I find this quite saddening, especially at such a young age. Tim was an athlete of a similar age to me and grew up alongside in the junior ranks. A prodigious talent - we often say that about our junior athletes, but Tim had serious world class pedigree. I first remember seeing his name as a 100/200m runner when he was under 15 going into the u/17's and he remained a 200m runner throughout his junior days - one highlight I'll always remember was seeing him and his lifelong athletics mate MLF doing some 30m sprint starts in a training camp we were at in Florida and he beat MLF at every one of the 10 or so they did. A week later MLF won the WJ 100m title in 10.12. The last time I spoke to Tim I reminded him of that camp and he said he thought he was going to run 9.9 for the one after stuffing Mark at the 30's! - great days.
Of course he turned his hand to the 400 and if only he had some injury free time at this event, as he could of been a real world beater - infact he was in 2005 at Palace beating Jeremy Wariner for his first sub 45 secs 400. Ranked 6th all time in the UK, only 2 tenths off the UK record, I do believe if he was fit for long enough he'd have broken Iwan Thomas' record and who knows might of even ran a 43.?
A big shame as another of our talents leaves the sport.
