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Time for Christie to show some maturity

Britain
John Crean

The athletics world is breathless with anticipation. The most momentous decision of the year will be made on July 1, a decision which could affect the outcome of the blue riband race at the Atlanta Olympics, the men's 100 metres sprint. Anyway, that's what Linford Christie would like to believe as he hedges about defending his title. The reality is quite different, though. Very few people give a damn about Christie - not his teammates, not his opponents and certainly not the media in Britain. Although Father Time has been a bit slow out of the blocks in the race against Christie, it has overtaken him and at the ripe old age of 36 he should be mature enough to realise it.

OK, Christie won the British Olympic 100 metre trials in a pretty nifty 10.04 seconds. But on the other side of the Atlantic, in the steamy heat of Atlanta, all three American qualifiers for the Games dipped under that time and seemed to have a bit more in the tank. While Dennis Mitchell, Michael Marsh and Jon Drummond looked forward to competing for their country, Christie was at his aggravating worst. 'If I feel like going, I go. If I don't, I won't,' he said with a typical lack of diplomacy. 'It is not possible to make a decision at the moment. I will decide after running at meetings in Paris and Gateshead.' This is the self-same Christie who said last year that he was going to retire and definitely would not run in Atlanta.

'The British media are the scourge - there is so much pressure from the media, they just do not understand,' moaned Christie, just under a year ago. 'They just go on about my age - I don't need that.' Well, supporters of athletics in Britain really don't need his prevarication and posturing. The atmosphere within the British athletics team has not been helped by the Federation picking Christie, even though his resolve to compete is questionable, yet leaving out world triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards, who is battling injury. Edwards is modest to the extreme and the best role model British track and field could hope for. He should have been named in the team and told to prove his fitness while Christie should have been told it was time to make his mind up - he does not deserve preferential treatment.

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