Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis looking on the brighter side of life
Last updated 22/05/2009 12:21:53
Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis looking on the brighter side of life
Olympic gold medalist Mark Lewis-Francis is set to return to the track this summer after a year wrecked by injury.
The unpredictable Lewis-Francis, who has still to achieve his remarkable promise as a an outstanding youngster, is hoping that former sprint gold medal legend Linford Christie will guide him back to the big time and the big bucks the sport offers in the build up to the London Olympic Games.
The Midlands man has earmarked the Aviva World Trials & UK Championships in seven weeks time as a major stepping stone in his quest for further international glory.
The 26-year-old, who was part of Great Britain's gold medal winning 4x100m relay quartet at the Athens Olympics in 2004, will line up at the UKA event which takes place at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on 10, 11 and 12 July.
Lewis-Francis must discover over the next few weeks whether he has been bypassed by the new crop of British sprinters since his injury enforced absence.
Lewis-Francis said: "This is a big year for me. I injured my Achilles tendon last year and was forced to sit out the entire season. It was very hard to sit at home and watch the Olympic Games on TV and see Usain Bolt dominate the sprinting events and smash the world records."
"I have spent the winter rehabbing and training hard under my new coach Linford Christie. We are just back from warm weather training in California. Things are getting better day by day and I am enjoying my athletics."
"I will open my season in June with a few small meets to try to get back into racing mode. I hope to be able to race internationally by July."
The Birchfield Harrier has set his sights on qualification for the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team set to compete at the World Championships in Berlin in August – and a winning performance on home soil is paramount to that quest.