Atheltics: Malcolm still hopes to be big in Japan

Jul 30 2007 by Blair Wood, Western Mail

HAVING stepped up his comeback from an Achilles injury at the UK Championships, Christian Malcolm was in a buoyant mood about both his own fitness and the general state of Welsh athletics.

Having made it to the final of the 100m on Saturday, Malcolm opted not to run in the 200m yesterday in Manchester, but said he was delighted, and even surprised, about how well the weekend had gone.

The Newport 28-year-old has missed out on several major championships through injury in recent years, but is now hoping caution allows him to compete in next month’s world championships in Osaka.

Having barely trained in the last two months, the Sydney 2000 Olympic finalist insisted his main aim had been just to compete again.

He said, “It was a big surprise for me to make the final (on Saturday).

“I haven’t really been training and all I’ve done is rehabilitation work so far.

“So for me to make the final was a big confidence boost.

“You always need things like that and it was a case of just coming out and running to get a feel of things.

“To get three races under my belt and to make the final was really good.

“All I need now is for the injury to heal completely.”

Malcolm was wary of pushing himself too hard and knew he needed to be careful not to aggravate the injury.

“He said, “Running (on Sunday) would definitely have been a step too far.

“After all three of the sessions last week, I took a day off afterwards and it’s always a little sore.

“So to try and jump back in and do what hopefully would have been six races in a weekend, would have been a bit stupid.”

The sprinter will have to wait until next season for the injury to have healed 100 per cent, but he has been told it is now safe for him to race again.

“It’s still lingering and because it’s an Achilles problem it’s something that I won’t be able to get sorted until the end of the season.

“But what the medical staff have done is help me run with a lot less pain, so at least it’s possible for me to compete now.

“Six weeks ago I couldn’t do anything and now it’s important for me to train and maintain my levels.

“The bigger picture is for next year and I’ve got to protect myself.

“The doctors have said I won’t cause any more damage by running on it, but I’ve got to persist with the treatment I’m getting and just be careful really.”

Malcolm’s times in the 100m were not good enough to secure him a place in the squad for the world championships and his withdrawal from the 200m means he now only has a few weeks to convince the British selectors he should go to Japan.

Despite the odds being against him, the former European champion’s performance suggested to him he still has a good chance of making it.

He said, “I’m still hoping to make it to the world championships.

“I’ve had six weeks off and on Saturday I ran the 100m in 10.4 seconds, so I know I can get myself into some kind of shape with four weeks to go. It’s just a case of having the opportunity to do so.”

Missing out on the 200m was not an issue for Malcolm and he insisted he was just happy to be running again.

“I’m not really that disappointed about it,” he added.

“These things can get you down and I had to cope with disappointment when I had to go through six weeks of rehab.

“But now I’m back running and I’m trying to get focused on making the team.

“You don’t realise how much you love running until you have to take time off and stop doing what you do best.”

Malcolm has been one of the big stars of Welsh athletics for several years now, but he is confident the nation’s medal prospects have drastically improved with the emergence of a new group of runners.

He said, “There is a lot of talent in the Welsh team and the boys just have to have a chance to come through.

“The likes of David Greene, Rhys Williams and Tim Benjamin are all world-class athletes, but they have all been injured.

“On a perfect day I would love all of us to be 100 per cent fit, but that’s not how it goes. You’re not always going to have your best side out.

“It’s just been unfortunate that we’ve all had our injuries at the same time.

“But we have definitely got strength in depth and world-class athletes in Wales. I hope we can have a successful build-up next year, but as with any sport, it depends on injuries.

“There’s no doubt that we’ve got the talent in Wales, it’s just a case of everyone staying fit and carrying on our development.”

Whether he makes the world championships remains to be seen, but Malcolm is hoping his latest injury will be his last as he prepares to make a serious challenge at the Beijing Olympics.