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In this week’s issue ... CONTENTS

Birchfield’s Susan Moncrieff won the high jump with 1.84m at the UKAJumpsFest at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, last Saturday – report, pictures and results on page 21

News Andrew Lemoncello hoping for Rome steeplechase slot

MarkShearman

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AWBasics How to get over injuries quickly and successfully

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Philippa Roles back to her best after briefly quitting the sport

Mike East could miss track season after Achilles injury

Veteran thrower to swim the English Channel for charity

Jessica Ennis left stumped by Sheffield floods

Letters Hot topics of the week

Rising Stars Jordan Huggins writes history and the main World Youth Champs contenders featured

BMCNike Grand Prix Jo Pavey’s Osaka qualifying time and Andy Baddeley’s 800m win light up a meeting marred by heavy rain

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JumpsFest Samson Oni is the best over the bar at Alexander Stadium

ThrowsFest Great discus marks for Philippa Roles and Emeka Udechuku

Haile Gebrselassie Exclusive interview with the double Olympic champion

Coaching Colin Jackson outlines his views on athletes’ training

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Comment The England Athletics set-up is working, believe Cy Knibb and Mick Bromilow

Where are they now? Henry Rono’s roller-coaster journey from record-setter to alcoholism and homelessness and back to running again

Sports nutrition Why the right fuel is essential for athletes to compete at their best

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Results Stats and pictures from the British 10km in London and news of Marlon Devonish’s sub-10.1 run in Athens

AWstandards Your guide to submitting results to AW, including the event-by-event minimum criteria for publication

What’s On Comprehensive guide to July’s fixtures and beyond, plus what’s on TV and a national league preview

Last lap A vintage photo of Randy Williams defending his Olympic long jump title in 1976

Cover: Jo Pavey on her way to gaining the World Championship 10,000m qualifying mark at Watford last weekend (Mark Shearman)

Role model Mottram emphasises power of mind

ASK young, male British distance runners who their role model is and a fair number say Mo Farah, quite a few name Haile Gebrselassie as their inspiration, but the overwhelming majority pick Aussie Craig Mottram. Ambitious teenagers from these shores can readily identify with Mottram. Despite running for Australia, his father was born in England, his mother in Scotland, he owns a house in London and travels the circuit using a British passport. In addition to this, he is tall, good-looking and possesses a swashbuckling style that exudes confidence and charisma. Yet most importantly, he is the only white man in the world who looks capable of beating the best African athletes at distances further than one mile. Rather than being intimidated by top Ethiopian and Kenyan runners, Mottram thrives in his role as the

underdog on a mission. Towering over their shoulders, he appears to thrive whether the pace is fast or slow, but his 3:48 mile speed gives a menacing dimension to his tactics that even the great Kenenisa Bekele has struggled to react to. Last year Mottram out-kicked Bekele in the 3000m at the IAAF Grand Prix final. In August 2005 he won bronze at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki and next month in Osaka many believe he could become the first non-African world champion in that event since Eamonn Coghlan, of Ireland, took gold in 1983. Aged 27 last month, Mottram is at the height of his powers. Earlier this week, the Daily Mail carried an interesting interview with Mottram’s agent and coach, Nic Bideau. In it, Bideau claimed British athletes can match Mottram if they

only believed in themselves. “It’s not a question of work harder but think differently,” he said. “The British don’t give themselves any chances in the head. For some reason, Australians do. That’s the key difference. Craig has British genes but he was raised in Australia and he has Australian thinking.” Success breeds success, though, and it’s no coincidence that the Mottram and Bideau camp is full of winners. From Australia’s ex-world cross champion Benita Johnson, to Irish great Sonia O’Sullivan, the group has also included Farah and also British miler Andy Baddeley, who not surprisingly is currently rounding into world-class form. I have told this story once or twice in the past in AW, but it is worth repeating. When interviewing Mottram at the Great North Run a couple of years ago, I had to wait

while Mottram went for a lengthy warm-down run of a few miles. It was late season and almost every other athlete had greedily dived into the restaurant, yet Mottram’s superior dedication was clear to see. What’s more, Farah was following his lead and it is probably no coincidence that he went on to enjoy such a good 2006 season. So what are the secrets of Mottram’s training? In short, it is a throwback to old-fashioned methods – he runs more than 100 miles per week and trains on the track once a week, if that. Much more importantly, though, to complement this physical work he has a winning mental attitude. “Every time I run a race I try to win it,” he says. “It’s an attitude, simple. All it takes is hard work, patience and attitude.” Jason Henderson, Editor

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