Darren Campbell is one of the fastest men in the world and has won Olympic Gold. I’m probably one of the slowest men in the world and know next to nothing about athletics. The Olympics though are unmissable, especially the mens’ sprints. Campbell achieved the zenith of his success in Athens 2004 leading the British 4x100m relay team to a stunning victory against the USA. The success of Darren at the peak of world sport is all the more impressive in that he came from very humble beginnings, growing up on the Sale Racecourse estate in Manchester, a stone’s throw from Gunchester and the violent poverty of Moss Side. His mother Marva raised him as a single parent. She settled in Manchester after emigrating from home in Jamaica, part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean immigrants who faced a lot of difficulties settling into British society. The sacrifice Darren’s mother made was surely revealing and I think she was responsible for paving the way to his success. From enrolling him in Sale Harriers at the age of 8 to patrolling the estate streets keeping tabs on gang culture, his mother always had his back and I think he is a strong character able to make a critical junctures in his life the correct choices. He has never forgotten his roots on the streets of Manchester and although the anger can sometimes be revealing as part of a negative character trait, to succeed in the face of adversity is clearly demonstrated in the meteoric rise to success that his career path as a professional athlete took him. An early shooting of a gang mate when Darren was a young man led him to flee to pastures new and get out of dodge, moving from Manchester down to sunny Newport in South Wales, where under the tutelage of an aspiring Colin Jackson he could concentrate his focus on running.
The strength in unity of the UK athletics professionals is stark and it is no surprise that team GB achieved so much during Darren’s era. He was soon being coached by legend Linford Christie and working in the same training camp as the likes of Jamie Baulch and Christian Malcolm. The whirlwind of globetrotting around international athletics events were a bit of a blur. Taking in Budapest, Sydney, Atlanta, and obviously Athens, we are shown an insider’s view of life on the track. Aside from the glamour of the very short time in which the races actually take in the spotlight of the stadium it is quite sobering gaining an understanding into the immense preparation a professional athlete faces. Being at training in the middle of winter or running up and down sand dunes to improve endurance it is definitely hard graft.
I particularly enjoyed Darren’s recounting of the special event in Sarajevo which was to show unity with the people of the Balkans who had suffered so much during the conflict of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. I think that Darren’s poignant words about the athletes that boycotted this event and the gifts it gave him in understanding humanity show a depth of character in him that he should further. He came from nothing and he can relate to the children of the warzone who have lost everything.
To me the most interesting part of the book was post career when he moved into coaching. The list of professionals he’s worked with during that time is pretty impressive. Moving through athletics into team sports such as rugby union and football, to have been called by Cardiff Blues to mentor Jonah Lomu and then by Chelsea to oversee Andrey Shevchenko’s form improvement clearly indicate how well revered Darren’s achievements in sport have been. He keeps giving his skills to others and is obviously a positive role model to many. I hope he can continue into his retirement achieving further life goals and that his business PAS, a successful sports nutrition company can continue to open doors for him in the future. As a side note in the epilogue he discusses health issues but these should be trivial for a man who can sprint 100m in 10 seconds to overcome and I hope that he can rebuild to full health and fitness to continue with his obviously cherished family life.
A good book to read for anyone with even the faintest interest in athletics and professional sport.