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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Bath, ENG |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Swansea Harriers: Swansea, WAL |
Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Leisure Management, Sport Management - Cardiff Metropolitan University [UWIC]: Cardiff, WAL |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | A series of injuries affected his performance at Britain's Olympic trials for the 2008 Beijing Games. (redbull.com, 14 Sep 2011) An inflamed tendon in his ankle prevented him from competing in the European Cup in June 2006 and kept him out of competition for six weeks. (bbc.co.uk, 15 Jul 2007) At the age of 17 he was diagnosed with epilepsy. In 2006, having identified that a combination of alcohol and lack of sleep were the most obvious triggers of his epilepsy, he decided to stop taking prescription medication for the condition because he felt it was limiting him as an athlete. (guardian.co.uk, 26 Sep 2011) When he was younger he suffered from Osgood-Schlatters disease, a knee problem that affects the patellar tendon. The condition forced him to give up a promising football career. (icwales.co.uk, 17 Jun 2007) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning gold in the 400m hurdles at the 2011 World Championships. "It's a great feeling to know that you've executed it to the best of your ability and been rewarded with the gold medal. It was unlike anything I have ever felt before." (redbull.com, 14 Sep 2011) |
| Other sports | He played football as a left winger for Swansea City's youth academy and once scored in a penalty shoot-out against Real Madrid's youth team. He was offered a youth team contract at the age of 16. (icwales.co.uk, 17 Jun 2007; spikesmag.com, 21 Jun 2009) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | He had a natural ability to hurdle and liked athletics when he was at school. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Former coach Darrell Maynard. (thepowerof10.info, 20 Apr 2012) |
| Ambitions | To break Kriss Akabusi's British 400m hurdles record of 47.82 seconds and win gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (walesonline.co.uk, 23 Aug 2010; redbull.com, 08 Sep 2011) |
| Awards and honours | In 2011 the Jaguar Academy of Sport gave him its 'Jump off the Sofa Moment' award for his performance in becoming world 400m hurdles champion. (jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk, 27 Nov 2011) In 2006, he was awarded the University of Wales Institute's Darren Griffiths Trophy as the most successful sporting student not based at the university. (uwic.ac.uk, 27 Aug 2007) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Malcolm Arnold |
| Coach from what year? | 2009 |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began hurdling as a teenager at school, but only took up the sport seriously when he began studying at university. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | Wales |
| Tournament | Commonwealth Games |
| Location | Melbourne, VIC |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Dai. (bbc.co.uk, 26 Mar 2012) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "I take more control over the controllables - training, preparation, diet, sleeping habits, routine. That's where my confidence comes from. That's what keeps me calm. If I'd have shaved the odd rep here and there, or not done the extra core session, or not eaten properly, I would be more nervous. But I've done everything I can to prepare for any race." (bbc.co.uk, 23 Jan 2012) |
| Other information | THERE ON MERRITT If the two race each other at the 2012 London Olympic Games, he is prepared to tell the United States' LaShawn Merritt that he considers him a cheat. Merritt, who won 400m gold at the 2009 World Championships and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is eligible to compete in London - despite serving a 21-month ban for testing positive for a banned steroid in 2010 - after using the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] to overturn an International Olympic Committee [IOC] ruling that stopped him competing. "There's every chance we'll be lining up against Merritt," he said. "I'll happily go and find him at the start and tell him to his face: 'You're a cheat and you shouldn't be here.' I'll be so motivated, so pumped up by his very presence in the race. If I get my chance to do this, I'll take it." Merritt's United States teammate Bershawn Jackson responded to the comments, saying that Greene had written a cheque he couldn't cash and that it would be difficult for him to stop an American sweep in the 400m hurdles at the 2012 Games. (guardian.co.uk, 04 Mar 2012; nbcolympics.com, 19 Apr 2012) TICKET TO RUN After using Twitter to express his frustration at receiving a limited number of tickets for his events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, fans stepped in to help him secure extras for family and friends. "This is somebody going out of their way to help others. This is exactly what the Olympic spirit embodies." (bbc.co.uk, 26 Mar 2012) DIVIDED LOYALTIES He says he's happy whether representing Wales or Great Britain, and that both teams are keen to lay claim to him - especially when he's running well. "If I wasn't running very well then I think I'd be called more Welsh than British. I love running for both and I get loads of support, it doesn't matter which vest I have on. I live in England but I am a Welsh boy at heart." (redbull.com, 08 Sep 2011) STRANGE FEELING Despite being the first British male athlete to become world champion in the 400m hurdles, moments after the race he experienced the strange feeling that winning world gold didn't seem so special. "I wouldn't say it was a feeling of emptiness. When I crossed the line first I thought, 'Yes. Fantastic.', but at the same time I didn't find myself getting carried away with it. I felt, 'Well, I expected this to happen'. (bbc.co.uk, 23 Jan 2012) UNUSUAL EXERCISE He was required to do some unusual exercises in an effort to strengthen weak tendons in his feet, using his feet like hands to pick up coins, pencils and pens. (spikesmag.com, 21 Jun 2009) EARLY DAYS Nerves and anxiety once got the better of him during a school sports day in Llanelli at the age of 10, and he wet himself on the start line. "I'm standing there with shorts on and it's flowing down my leg. The guy next to me notices and I'm like, 'Nah, nah, it's just sweat.' I tried my best to pass it off but by the time I'd run it was everywhere. I think I came third or fourth." (independent.co.uk, 01 Sep 2011) |