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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | London, ENG |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Birchfield Harriers: Birmingham, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | He tore a quadriceps muscle in June 2012, just one week before the Olympic trials. It was his second quadriceps injury of the season. (standard.co.uk, 28 Jun 2012) He sustained a partial tear in his Achilles tendon during training in Cyprus in April 2008. He required an operation to limit the damage and was forced to miss the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China as a result. Due to his injury, he missed out on the 2008 season. (BBC Sport, 21 Apr 2008; England CWG Handbook Guide, 2010) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs | Before most races, he will drop to one knee and say a quick prayer. He will then turn smartly, clap his hands vigorously twice and jump high into the sky clenching a fist, as if celebrating the winning goal in an FA Cup final. (UK Athletics, 08 Nov 2001) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning gold in the 4x100m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. (BBC Sport, 21 Apr 2008) |
| Most influential person in career | Former athlete and current coach Linford Christie. (guardian.co.uk, 01 Sep 2007) |
| Hero / Idol | Athletes Carl Lewis and Linford Christie. (The Observer, 07 Jul 2002) |
| Awards and honours | He was awarded an MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire] in the 2005 New Year Honours List for his services to athletics. (BBC Sport, 31 Dec 2004) He was named British Junior Male Athlete of the Year in both 2000 and 2001, the first man ever to win this honour twice. (UK Athletics, 30 May 2002) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Linford Christie |
| Coach from what year? | 2005 |
| Training Regime | He spends his time in the gym, on the track and bounding. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He started at age 12 when his father took him to see if athletics would suit him. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 1999 |
| Competing for | Great Britain |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | 'MLF', 'Darlaston Dart'. (sundaymercury.net, 27 May 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Coach from which country? | England |
General Interest | |
| Other information | NO OLYMPICS IN 2000 He turned down the chance of running at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney to concentrate on winning two gold medals at the World Juniors in Chile in October. He finished third at the UK Olympic trials. (athleticsnet.com, 09 Nov 2001) DOPING BAN He tested positive for cannabis after winning the silver medal in the 60m at the 2005 European Indoor Championships in Madrid, Spain. He was stripped of the medal and given a public warning by UK Athletics. He avoided a two-year ban by claiming that he had not intentionally ingested the drug. (BBC Sport, 13 May 2005) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Son Romeo. |