WHILE browsing through some old issues of AW from 2006 recently, I noticed the cover of the July 13 issue. “2012 here we come!” it proclaimed in big type. “Future Olympians in action at Sainsbury’s English Schools Championships.” That set me wondering how many of the competitors at those championships in Gateshead did indeed make it to the London Olympics. The answer was seven: Gerald Phiri (but representing Zambia) and James Dasaolu in the 100m, Danny Talbot in the 4x100m relay, Nigel Levine in the 4x400m relay, Andy Pozzi in the 110m hurdles, Laura Weightman in the 1500m and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon.
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Gerald Phiri: represented Zambia at London 2012
KEITH MAYHEW
Of that group, only Phiri won an English Schools title, the senior 100m. Dasaolu didn’t get through his heat in that event, and neither did Talbot in the intermediate 100m. Levine placed fourth in the senior 200m, while Pozzi finished 10th in the junior long jump, Weightman fourth in the intermediate 1500m and Johnson-Thompson third in the junior high jump. It should be mentioned that senior 3000m winner Steph Twell may have missed out on the 2012 Games following her horrendous ankle injury of the previous year but she did contest the 2008 Olympic 1500m in Beijing while still a teenager.