An amazing summer of athletics, but what now?
The 2022 track and field season has provided a brilliant platform to build on. Now, as we move into the winter months, Katharine Merry writes about maintaining the momentum
When Lizzie Bird had to be scraped off the Munich Olympic Stadium track after putting every ounce of herself into winning European bronze in the 3000m steeplechase, myself and my BBC radio colleague Allison Curbishley exchanged a knowing look.
That image, I think, just epitomised the 2022 season. After three major championships so tightly packed together, there are a lot of tired people out there, both mentally and physically.
Its been another level, hasnt it? Its been crazy but amazing all at the same time. There have been wonderful crowds (living in Birmingham Im biased, of course, but the city really did excel as Commonwealth Games hosts) and I also feel like the athletes have just had a lot more to cling on to, which has really helped those who might have underperformed in one championship. Theyve had another bite or two of the cherry.
Ive never heard or seen so much interest in track and field for such a prolonged period of time, and it raises a question what do we do with all of that now? How can we use it to build for the future?
Athletics is a massive jigsaw puzzle and its not easy to fit all of the pieces together but I think, firstly, the marketing needs to be right.
Fundamentally, you have to let people know whats happening and when and then youve got to generate that fear of missing out, which I think Birmingham 2022 did really well.
Youve got to be smart with it and, to be fair, I think that process has already begun in terms of the Diamond League in London next year and announcing that straight off the back of the Commonwealth Games. I know the ticket sales are starting to go really well for that already, but thats just one part of it.
The sport has got to be as proactive as it possibly can all the time and that means continually drip feeding athletics stories and news out to the public. Were at the end of the track season now and its going to be even more important to have some sort of presence or news about the sport every couple of weeks.
Im confident your average person in the street has no idea what happens in athletics during the autumn and winter months so tell them about the road racing culture, the cross country meetings, the indoor competitions.
Jake Wightman (Bobby Gavin)
Youve got to bring out stories, youve got to highlight whats coming up, youve got to build things up so it gets into peoples minds and you cant tell them often enough!
You cant forget the grassroots level and the clubs either, of course. Its not rocket science if you have a major championships then everyone wants to become the next Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce or Elaine Thompson-Herah and the clubs get manic.
At my club, Birchfield Harriers, weve had a juniors waiting list for a long time and thats only got worse now. There is a whole different conversation to be had there in terms of infrastructure, the availability of clubs, coaches it is so multi-faceted in terms of the long-term future.
In the short term, though, we simply have to keep the sport in the national consciousness and the athletes have a part to play and a responsibility in that, too. In my opinion, they need to be educated and by that I mean being given good media training.
I know the athletes are given some guidance about what to say and that kind of thing but it sometimes barely seems to go beyond thanking sponsors. They have to have at least some kind of understanding about how to market the sport because they are selling it and that, ultimately, means they are selling themselves as well.
It benefits them and thats what many are bothered about nowadays anyway whats the benefit to me? Many athletes dont see the bigger picture. Its a different generation now, even from my era.
There are some, of course, who are already very good at it and there has been an admirable openness from a few individuals when it has come to certain issues and topics.
I do wish, though, that more of them would reveal a little more about themselves. Ive been in the sport 37 years, but I still get interested in finding out and knowing things about people or hearing stories from them because then it makes it about human interest as well as the athletic side of things.
Alexander Stadium (Mark Shearman)
There is huge growth potential in the events we hold in this country, too. You only have to look at the British Championships next year which will be at the Alexander Stadium as an example of there being a massive opportunity.
It could be a wonderful showcase but when you compare and contrast those packed Commonwealth Games sessions with the three men and a dog who came to the national championships in Manchester earlier this year and its like night and day.
It has been made clear particularly in Birmingham and Munich that people still have an appetite to go and watch sport so if you can sprinkle in some big names, create some head to heads and fundamentally explain whats at stake and why the event matters then it would make a world of difference.
Not all spectators care if theyre coming to watch athletes running 10 flat or 10.5, they just want to see good competition.
The success of the British athletes this year will have only helped the cause, and it wont surprise you to hear I was delighted to see our 400m men and women performing well individually and in relays. I was also interested to hear the mens 4x400m relay team pay particular tribute to the influence of Martyn Rooney, who retired from competition last year but is already making a difference on the coaching side.
4x400m winners (Getty)
Ive had this discussion over the years with people whove been in head roles at UK Athletics about the use of former athletes and, frankly, I dont think we do it enough.
Under the former performance director Dave Collins, myself, Steve Backley and Daley Thompson were involved in mentoring. I had put that idea of a few of us people who had been there and done it coming in and giving advice and Dave got it. But when Charles van Commenee took over in 2012 he decided to stop it because he said it was subjective. How do you know if its working or not? he said to me. Well, because it does on a lot of levels.
That ex-athlete influence gives more than training its the mental side and you can talk to people on a certain level so then you start to get success. So its no surprise to me that the likes of outgoing British Athletics head coach Christian Malcolm, Darren Campbell, Martyn Rooney and Helen Clitheroe (to name a few!) have gone into coaching and been successful.
I would love to see a structure at British Athletics which will revolve around who can we put in to certain events groups or use to make a difference and raise the morale and the insight?
The number of former athletes out there who you could ask would you mind just coming in to have a word with this group? is large and I have no doubts they would love to help. We just need a little bit more common sense and joined up thinking across a number of areas in our sport.
