Athletics: Meadowbank musn't go to waste, insists Sally Gunnell

Published on Wednesday 21 July 2010 15:45

FORMER champion hurdler Sally Gunnell is calling for athletics facilities at her old Meadowbank glory track to be maintained so as to cope with spin-off from forthcoming Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

The 1992 Olympic 400 metres hurdles gold medallist has been in Edinburgh helping to promote the First Monster Challenge, a 120km team relay duathlon around the shores of Loch Ness on 11 September.

But she also made clear all athletics roads could lead back to Scotland again soon in urging authorities to halt any decline in the country's ancestral home at Meadowbank - now in its 40th year but operating under the shadow of redevelopment plans which have been shelved in the current economic situation.

"I have a place in my heart for Meadowbank because it is where, in 1986, I competed in a major event for the first time and, not only that, won a Commonwealth title.

"Someone told me that Meadowbank is not as it was. For me, that's sad.

"Meadowbank gave me my first experience of a major championship and it was massive, a really important stepping stone for me.

"I would hope any future plans would include rebuilding. Athletics is a great sport and from the 2012 (London) Olympics onwards we need to get as many people into it as possible.

"Athletics has been very strong in this part of the world and having the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 is going to be brilliant.

"Manchester staged great Commonwealths in 2002 and I'm sure Glasgow will too.

"Certainly, Edinburgh's 1986 Games made a big impression and I remember the beautiful walks back from the track through Holyrood Park to our athletes village (Edinburgh University's Pollock Halls)."

By contrast with later successes at 400m hurdles, Sally triumphed over 100 metres hurdles in 1986. "Meadowbank was where I learned I had to move from 100m to 400m hurdles. My coach said if I wanted to be the best in the world I was doing the wrong event."

Six years later, Gunnell achieved an Olympic dream and she remains very much involved with a keen interest in next week's European Championships which are regarded as the start of the build-up to London 2012.

"I see the main medal hopes as Martyn Rooney and David Greene in 400m and 400m hurdles as well as heptathlete Jessica Ennis," revealed Gunnell.

Lee McConnell is one of five Scots selected along with Eildh Child, the Scottish 400m hurdles record-holder, Steph Twell (1500m) and marathon runners Martin Williams and Susan Partridge.

Gunnell says: "Lee did really well to win the trials and beat Nicola Saunders. I'm hopeful she'll do well while Perri Shakes-Drayton (400m hurdles) is starting to believe in herself and is another to watch out for. For all the competitors, it is a chance to really get preparations underway for 2012.

"I want to see people running at the top of their game. It's now about gold medals and not about making up numbers."

As for the benefit of the London Olympics to the rest of the country Gunnell insists: "Edinburgh is hosting the holding camp for the swimmers and we are going to see a lot of that type of thing around the country. At the start people were thinking 'what's in it for us'?

"Now more are starting to embrace the Olympics."