Keely Hodgkinson and Matt Hudson-Smith can win gold in Paris, but I want to see their personalities, says Iwan Thomas
Documentaries about Daley Thompson last week and Linford Christie this week have served as a reminder of just how big those two figures loomed over British sport in the 1980s and 90s.
They were dominant on the track and huge personalities off it in a golden era for British athletics.
Thomas came along towards the end of that period, winning a silver medal with the 4x400m relay team at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996.
And while he is confident the likes of Keely Hodgkinson, Matt Hudson-Smith and Josh Kerr can win gold medals in Paris over the next fortnight, he wants them to use that platform to get people talking about athletics again.
“The names are there, the Matt’s, the Keely’s, the Josh Kerr’s, we’ve got the athletes who have got the ability to become Olympic champions. What I would say to them is don’t be afraid to show a bit of that personality,” said Thomas, will be working with Eurosport and discovery+ for their Olympic athletics coverage.
“That’s what people love. We grew up on people like Daley Thompson, who were a little bit rock and roll, a little bit edgy.
“You’d walk down a street and everyone would know Sally Gunnell, Colin Jackson, Linford Christie. They commanded respect. They performed and they were personalities.
“The problem is now a lot of the athletes are a little more media savvy, they just come out with their routine answers of I’d like to thank the National Lottery etc, whereas I think if you want to cry, if you want to thank your schoolteacher, do it. If you want to go and hug someone in the crowd, do it. If you want to build a rivalry, do it.
“Coe versus Ovett, people loved that – you were either in the Coe corner or the Ovett corner. People love those rivalries, they generate interest from the journalists and from the public.
“So I think what the sport needs is first and foremost those athletes to perform when it matters and when they do, don’t by shy about it, don’t be quiet, this is your moment in the sun to go and show the world your personality.
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