Issue 48 | Spring 2018

After all the excitement and euphoria, the spills and disappointments, one encouraging fact stood out at the Olympics in PyeongChang: Britain had their most successful Winter Games in history. Their five medals topped the number both at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and in Sochi in 2014, when four were won on each occasion.

PyeongChang was a particular rollercoaster of a Games for Britain in emotional terms. There was Elise Christie, a double world champion in short-track skating last year, both failing to get a medal and also being injured in a series of accidents, injuries and disqualifications. Her experience contrasted with the joy of Lizzy Yarnold, who retained her skeleton title, with another Briton, Laura Deas, taking the bronze in the same event.

With a record £28 million put towards the four years of preparation for the team, there was always the expectation that Britain would reach their minimum target, set by UK Sport, of five medals. That they did so is a testament to the diligent preparations both by the individual sports and also by the British Olympic Association.

Yarnold had not been necessarily expected to be on the podium, let alone win the gold, following her triumph in Sochi four years ago. After a year out from racing in 2015-16, she had a steady if unspectacular return to the sport and it was her ability to reach her peak at the Olympics that brought her a second title.

She duly became the first Briton and the first skeleton racer to win two successive golds at the Winter Olympics. When the final run had ended, she was able to say: ”As each minute passes, it”(victory)” becomes more of a reality but it is still an unbelievable series of events, of everything just coming together.”

And to complete her and Britain’s happiness, her team-mate, Laura Deas took third place. As Laura said: ”I do not think many people get to share an Olympic podium with one of their best friends. Before each run, we would give each other a very purposeful nod, as if to say ’You know what, let’s do this, we can do it”.

Britain’s fine record in this sport over recent Games was consolidated with a bronze medal through Dominic Parsons in the men’s competition. A former 400 metre runner, he switched to skeleton in 2007 and had been a consistent performer, albeit not an outstanding one internationally in recent years. Nicknamed ‘The Walthamstow Wizard’, since a team member had added a wizard’s cap to a picture of Parsons on Snapchat, he had come fourth in a World Cup race in January and then like his two female compatriots, timed coming to a peak with perfection.

Izzy Atkin took Britain’s first-ever skiing medal at the Winter Olympics, when she came third in slopestyle. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to an English father and Malaysian mother,

Team GB record haulLizzy Yarnold gets gold again in skeleton

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she began skiing at the age of three and 11 years later, she moved to Park City in Utah so she could develop her ability in the sport. Her performance in PyeongChang demonstrated how worthwhile that had been.

Britain’s final medal, another bronze, was from Billy Morgan in snowboard Big Air. He achieved his podium place despite badly damaging his left knee five weeks before and doubting whether he would even compete at the Games. He successfully pulled off his final jump, a frontside 1440, a move on which he had fallen four times in practice the same morning, and two of his leading rivals fell on their final efforts to give a place on the podium.

There were near misses in the curling competitions, which had brought delight in previous Games. This time the men went out to Switzerland and

the women lost their semi-final 5-10 to Sweden and then 3-5 to Japan in the bronze medal match.

The acute disappointments of Elise Christie in all her three events, the 500 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres, only seemed to highlight the triumphs elsewhere. Short-track skating is notoriously unpredictable, with accidents so frequent that forecasting is almost as hazardous mentally as the races themselves.

Norway just pipped Germany for the top place in the medal table with 14 golds each, with Britain finishing 19th, probably as high as could have been reasonably anticipated and certainly fulfilling the expectations. And now to Beijing in 2022.

I wish to congratulate Team GB’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic athletes for the most successful Winter Games in history and welcome many

of them as new members to the GB Olympians.

I am particularly looking forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to our flagship event, the Olympians Westminster Mile which will take place on Sunday 27 May. You’re all invited to take part or to watch from our VIP London Marathon hosted marquee on The Mall, so please get entering using the Olympians portal (see page 5 for details). This year we are giving you the opportunity to collect your OLY. If you’ve not yet registered, please see details on page 7.

We continue to reach out to you through our Olympians’ Hub on the Team GB website and also on Facebook. If you’ve not yet joined, I encourage you to search Facebook for ‘GB Olympians’. It is a closed site for Olympians only, so you will need

to click the button to ask to join and await confirmation. The Hub, which has a raft of information and news about our organisation as well as back-copies of our newsletters, also requires authorisation which you can get by logging onto http://hub.teamgb.com and selecting ‘forgotten password’.

Aside from the 2018 Westminster Mile, what can you expect from us over the next 12 months?

Our most significant event is a superb reunion for 1968 Mexico and Grenoble Olympians, which will take place in October. We are delighted to announce that this has proved so popular that it is now oversubscribed.

At our AGM, details to follow in the coming months, we are planning to present as many OLY pins to those who have applied and received their OLY certificate. Use the link on page 7 to sign up for your accreditation.

I want to finish my note by thanking you for taking the time to keep in touch through our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages. I am grateful, as always, for any feedback about how you think we can best support our members.

President: HRH The Princess Royal,

Chairman: Joslyn Hoyte-Smith (athletics ’80, ’84)

Secretary: Linda McMahon (fencing ’80,’84,’88)

Treasurer: Liz McVeigh (rowing, 1980)

Company secretary: Vacant

Chris Baillieu MBE (rowing ’76,’80), Louise Collins (athletics ’88), Ralph Johnson (fencing ’68, ’72, ‘76, ’84), Dave Long (athletics ’88,’92), Hilary Philbin (fencing, 1976 & 1980), Gavin Stewart (rowing ’88, ‘92), Adam Whitehead (swimming 2000)

Editor: the Olympian John Goodbody

Email: john@jbgoodbody.co.uk

Tel: 07889 506914

Enquiries: Linda McMahon

Olympians Secretary Email: secretary@gbolympians.org

Tel: 07778 468099

British Olympic Association: Christine Bower, Athlete Services Co-ordinator

Tel: 020 7842 5729

Email: christine.bower@teamgb.com

The opinions expressed are those of the writers and interviewees and should not necessarily be taken as those of The Olympians.

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The Chairman’s Message Jos Hoyte-Smith

Continues pg 1

The vast majority of British Olympians owe a calculable debt to SportsAid, the charity, which has supported such leading figures as Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Sarah Storey, Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Ben Ainslie.

Although UK Sport has been able to use money from central government and the National Lottery to fund the elite over the last 22 years, this was previously the responsibility of the Sports Aid Foundation, the forerunner of SportsAid.

But since the late 1990s, when lottery funding came on stream, SportsAid has had a different role in financially supporting youngsters with elite potential across a huge range of sports, predominantly but not exclusively for those in the Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. At the recent Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, a total of 393 members of the British teams, representing the separate nations of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland had received backing earlier in their careers.

Money is largely obtained through fund-raising to help those youngsters aged between 12 and 20 years-old, although predominantly from 15-18 years-old, to get backing in the initial stages of their sporting development. Currently about 1,000 athletes receive the core award of £1,000 annually, as well as awards to 350 athletes for those involved in tertiary education. In all cases, this money goes towards their training and competition expenses.

In addition, the 17 members of the SportsAid staff, carry out two further funding exercises. The first, in partnership with Sport England, uses exchequer cash of up to £3,500 a year to help youngsters in the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS). This gives them the support to access help in areas such as strength and conditioning and psychological preparation. Since TASS was brought in by Dame Tessa Jowell, then the Culture Secretary, £40 million has been allocated.

The second scheme is ‘Backing the Best’, managed by SportsAid for Sport England. This provides up to £5,000 each for individuals in deprived areas,

using money from the Lottery. Tim Lawler, the SportsAid chief

executive, says that in the applications, the organisation gets “different responses from different national governing bodies” but that virtually all the applicants are then interviewed, often at a training venue or social setting, “so we can get a feel for the person and his or her situation.”

How can the Olympians help an organisation for which many of them owe a huge debt of gratitude ? Tim says: ”First, we would love to re-connect with you, to know where you are so that you are back on our books.

“We would also welcome Olympians volunteering to speak at

workshops for those, who are aspiring to go to the Games”. Adam Peaty, the Olympic 100 metres breaststroke champion and world record-holder, is one well-known individual to have addressed audiences.

“Then there are corporate events, where Olympians can use their reflections on their past experiences to help shape the future.”

And finally there is the invaluable networking of getting Olympians, who are now in business and commerce, to speak about SportsAid in areas and organisations, who are not aware of what it does and how they may be able to help financially.

SportsAid wants your help

By John Goodbody

By John Goodbody

Data PrivacyPrivacy laws are changing from 25 May 2018 and, in readiness for this date, the BOA is reviewing the personal data it holds and how it uses and stores it. As a GB Olympians Club member, both the BOA and the GB Olympians Club securely store some personal data about you. We will both continue to do so for the purposes of sending you communications in relation to the GB Olympians Club, unless you unsubscribe. You can contact us at any time to unsubscribe from the Olympians Club, and request the deletion of your contact details, at olympians@teamgb.com. To read our privacy policy in full, visit www.teamgb.com/privacy-policy.

t’s that time of the year again, when we older GB Olympians take those creaky stairs (or was it those creaky knees) up to the loft, by-pass the Christmas decorations to brush the dust-off kitbags from Tokyo, Lillehammer, Sapporo, Mexico and Los Angeles. Mouldy kit is tentatively removed to stop it falling to pieces and then put on.

A glance in the mirror reveals that 30, 40, or even 50 years haven’t done anything to stop you looking a prime physical specimen, capable of taking on all those younger Olympians…the ones who really are in their prime. Yes, the day of the Olympians’ Westminster Mile is fast approaching once again.

This year will be the fourth annual running of the event and it is hoped that the field will be larger than ever. The ‘race’ will take place on Sunday, May 27, with an expected start time around 1 p.m.

To give a bit of history, the inaugural event in 2015 was the result of an off-the-cuff chat between the London Marathon’s Lisa Thompson and me to see whether they might be interested in we Olympians taking part in a capital city 10k.

As a committee, we were very keen either to develop our own event or piggy-back on something already established. Lisa thought this was a great idea that would fit well with the London Marathon ethos, but quite rightly she added an appropriate dose of reality saying “…a bit far for your lot, Dave, how about the mile?” For some time now, the Marathon has organised a series of Mile races for a host of different categories around the iconic Mall and Birdcage Walk course, using Buckingham Palace as the dramatic backdrop to the finishing line.

I personally think the deal was sealed when we came up with the stipulation “..and you’ll have to wear your original Olympic kit if you can.” The idea was rubber-stamped at our next committee meeting and that was that.

The 2015 race was hastily arranged and won appropriately by Steve Cram, 30 years after he’d set the world mile record. Setting the scene for what was to follow in subsequent years, fencers ran with swords, hockey players knocked a ball between each other for the mile’s duration and winter sports athletes completed the course in full-body suits complete with helmets and bobsleigh.

If 2015 was pretty rudimentary, the London Marathon really stepped up to the plate for 2016 and 2017 by allowing us

to use the very posh VIP facilities at the finish line for drinks and lunch afterwards. The finish was reached first equally in 2016 by fencer James Williams and hockey player Jason Laslett. Jo Mersh took the women’s race just outside Shireen Bailey’s 2015 record of 6 minutes 3 seconds.

Last year, Constantine ‘Stan’ Louloudis, fresh from his Rio rowing triumph, demolished the men’s course record with a 5:05 clocking – beating Seb Coe and Jo Pavey by 55 seconds in the process. But first across the line has never really been the point in this event. In 2017, ice-skater Stacey King ran despite being 8 months pregnant, as did 1952 Helsinki Olympian Frank Dobson, and the incredible Eric Shirley, who was timed in 10:01 for the mile at the age of 88!

The key to all the successes of the day has been the fantastic relationships which have developed between the GB Olympians old and new and between us and the London Marathon team. Without Lisa’s work in tandem with that of Penny Dain, and with the support of Hugh Brasher, the whole initiative would have stayed at the pipedream stage.

So I ask you to come to London on Sunday, May 27 to take part in YOUR Olympians Mile. You will have a great time, meeting old friends and making new ones from across a huge range of Olympic ages and sports, plus it’s absolutely free. Why not encourage your former Olympic team members to do likewise - get a group together and stage your own reunion?

As Hugh Brasher, the director of the Virgin Money London Marathon and Vitality Westminster Mile Event, says: “The Vitality Westminster Mile is all about inspiring people of all ages and abilities to come and take part. In 2017, we saw a record number of entries with more than 8,500 people signing up to what is an iconic event, taking place on the Mall with a finish in front of Buckingham Palace.

The Olympians’ Mile makes the day even more special. We get to watch the legends of British sport, of all ages, run, jog or walk their way round the course, wearing their kit from the Olympics in which they competed. It is a remarkable and heart-warming sight.”

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By Dave Long, marathon runner 1988 and 1992 and Olympians Committee member

Olympians: get your kit on & run

As a GB Olympian you and your family can purchase Toyota vehicles and genuine Toyota accessories from any Toyota Centre at a reduced price on top of any existing Toyota retail offers. Toyota are an IOC sponsor and are keen to support Team GB athletes and Olympians in the UK, with this

car scheme. They are a sponsor until 2024 and also a partner of the Team GB Ambition Programme.

For full details please log on to the Olympians Hub at http://hub.teamgb.com or contact christine.bower@teamgb.com

Enter Herehttps://app.

realbuzzregistrations.com/events/

lmel/2018-vwm-olympians/profile/

Christine Bower, who is the Athlete Services Co-ordinator at the British Olympic Association, was appointed an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List. Christine has worked tirelessly for the BOA and The Olympians over the years.

She started at the BOA in 1977 as an office junior, before becoming secretary to the Deputy General Secretary and then PA to Dick Palmer, the General

Secretary. When he retired in 1997, Christine worked with the Athlete Services Team, her role including the Athlete Passport Scheme (now the Team GB Gold Club), the BOA Athletes’ Commission and The Olympians. In recent Games, she has been responsible helping the athletes’ friends and families in the ‘nearest and dearest’ programme, supporting them with information and advice.

She says that her two

outstanding memories over the last 40 years were being present in Sarajevo at the Winter Games when Torvill and Dean won their ice dancing gold medal with their famous interpretation of ‘Bolero’. “The other was carrying the Olympic torch in Eltham in 2012. That was a great honour. “Nothing more than she has deserved for all the tasks she has carried out for the Olympic Movement over more than 40 years.

Sir Roger Bannister (athletics)As Sir Roger, who died in March aged 88, often said, if he had taken the 1500 metres gold medal at the 1952 Olympics, he would have retired and not become the first man to run a sub four minute mile. In Helsinki in 1952, he came fourth in a race surprisingly won by Josy Barthel of Luxembourg.

Two years later, paced by his two great friends, Chris Brasher, the 1956 Olympic steeplechase champion, and Chris Chataway, later in 1954 to set the world 5000 metres record, Sir Roger ran 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. When Australian John Landy in a race with Chataway in Finland did 3 minutes 58.0 seconds, all was set for what became known as the ‘Miracle Mile’ in Vancouver at the British Commonwealth Games later that summer. Bannister finished first with both runners going under four minutes again. The Briton concluded his track career by taking the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 1954 European Championships.

Sir Roger later had a distinguished career in medicine as a neurologist, Master of Pembroke College, Oxford and the first independent chairman of the British Sports Council.

Alan Geldard (cycling)Alan Geldard, who died aged 90 in February, was a member of the British pursuit team, who took the bronze medal in the 1948 Olympics. Riding with David Ricketts, Tommy Godwin and Wilfred Waters, they finished behind France and Italy in the event held at the Herne Hill track. Geldard took three weeks off work as a commercial artist to prepare for the Games but on his return to his firm, he was sacked.

In 1948, he was the national 25 mile track champion, a feat he repeated the following year. He competed for England for the 1950 British Empire Games in New Zealand but punctured. Later, he was a successful coach at two Manchester clubs. In 2012, he took part in the Olympic torch relay, handing over to Sebastian Coe.

Sir Durward Knowles (sailing)Until he died in February, aged 100, Sir Durward was the oldest Olympic gold medallist, being victorious in 1964, one of the eight Games in which he participated in sailing. Nicknamed ‘The Sea Wolf’, he finished first in Star Class at the 1947 World Championships and then because the Bahamas was not recognised by the International Olympic Committee, competed for Britain at the 1948 Games, where his boat was fourth, despite suffering a broken mast in one of the races.

With the Bahamas now part of the Olympic Movement, he took a bronze medal in the 1956 Games before the gold in 1964. His last Olympic appearance was in 1988. He was a philanthropist and noted worker on humanitarian causes for which he received a knighthood.

Bill Lucas (athletics)Until he died in March, aged 101, Bill was the oldest surviving Olympian, having competed in the Games in 1948 in the 5,000 metres, when he raced against the great Emil Zatopek and was eliminated in his heat. Like many competitors of his era, he would have been at his peak at the 1940 and 1944 Olympics, which were never staged because of the War.

During the hostilities, he had an extremely hazardous and distinguished RAF career, being awarded the DFC for 81 missions as a bomber pilot and squadron leader. After retiring in 1954, he was both a leading administrator in athletics and an announcer at meetings at the White City.

Always delighting younger Olympians with tales from a very different era, Bill will be sorely missed, particularly at this year’s Westminster Mile.”

Other deaths Audrey Hancock (swimming – 1936)

Peter Wells (athletics – 1952 and 1956).

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Project worth backing

Christine honoured

ObituariesThe True Athlete Project (TAP) aims to unleash sport’s powerful potential for social change. We do this by delivering a range of holistic, mindfulness-based programmes, which are designed to improve athletic performance, nurture mental health and cultivate a more compassionate society.

TAP’s mentoring programme aims to match 10 Olympic/Paralympic athletes with 10 aspiring, young competitors. Both mentor and mentee will be led through a ground-breaking, year-long programme that includes modules on performance, mindfulness, identity and values, nature and connectedness, and community responsibility. Mentees will also receive a six-week Mindful Sport Enhancement course, delivered by its creator, Dr. Keith Kaufman.

Based on the philosophy that sport is a powerful vehicle for human

development, and that too often the experience of sport does not live up to its potential, this programme seeks to give an opportunity for the best role models of that philosophy to pass on their wisdom to those who need it most.

Mentoring sessions will take place via regular video and audio calls with the aim of building a positive, supportive relationship, together with sharing experiences and ideas. The structure and unique offer of the project comes as the mentor leads the mentee through the modules of the TAP curriculum. The mentor and mentee will set and work towards goals and better understand themselves and their own role and responsibility as athletes.

Frances Houghton, five times a British Olympian and the longest-serving member of the British rowing team, is one mentor. She says: ”It is fantastic to be involved in the TAP project and to

meet Max, my first mentee. I’m really excited to get started –to share my experiences as well as learn from Max. Well-being, balance and thriving as a person are an integral part of ultimate performances and getting the most out of sport, so it is a real privilege to be able to contribute to this project.”

In recognition of the current work and vision of this programme, the World Olympians’ Association has awarded a Service to Society Grant of $1,500 to the TAP in partnership with GB Olympians. The symbiosis between these organisations is clear, as TAP’s holistic, developmental compassionate philosophy rings true with the Olympic values. The GB Olympians are fertile ground for world-class athletes with a passion for passing on their wisdom and using sport for social change.

It is hoped that this partnership will entice more British Olympians and Paralympians to apply to become a TAP mentor, to nurture and support a young, future potential Olympian in their journey through elite sport. But it’s not just the mentee that benefits from mentoring. It is clearly evident that the mentor also gets a huge amount out of building a personal relationship with their mentee and in getting the chance to pass on what they learned over so many years of dedicated hard work.

As Simon Sinek has said: ”The only true way for any of us to grow, to truly fulfil our full potential, is when we work to help others do the same.”

To learn more or to apply to become a TAP mentor, follow this link: https://www.thetrueathleteproject.org/mentoring.html

OLY PinsAll Olympians, who have been registered and been awarded their Olympic certificate, will be able to receive their OLY pins at one of the GB Olympians’ events in 2018, including the Olympians Westminster Mile on Sunday, May 27, the Mexico/Grenoble reunion on October 14 as well as at our Annual General Meeting.

To register, go to the website of the World Olympians Association and click on the section marked OLY. It takes about a minute to complete.

By Laurence HalstedFencing London 2012

It remains not just an indelible image from the 1968 Olympics but one from the entire panoply of British sport. It is of David Hemery, coming over the last barrier at the Mexico Games, alone and unchallenged, about to set a world record in the 400 metres hurdles with the winning margin of 0.90, the biggest in the event since 1924.

Hemery’s triumph was partly unpredictable because he had only the sixth fastest time among the finalists but, even more unexpected was his performance of 48.12 seconds, a world record by almost 0.70 seconds, giving him such a huge margin of victory. The performance earned him the award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and seldom has this accolade been carried with more grace either before or since.

When asked about the mental state in that race, he spoke about how he was “running scared. It is the fear they”[his

rivals]”are gaining on you and will overtake you.”

Four years later, he was to make a valiant attempt to defend his title, despite a damaged hamstring, suffered 10 days before the Games and needing a cortisone injection, while admitting that he was not prepared mentally for the occasion. However, his bronze medal behind the world record of Uganda’s John Akii-Bua and a silver in the 4 x 400 metres relay completed a career of rare sporting success, which continued with two triumphs in the British Superstars and one in the Past Masters Superstars.

David’s life both while growing-up and during his athletics career had always been shared between Britain and the United States, gaining academic qualifications at Oxford, Boston and Harvard Universities. And between 1976 and 1983, he studied, taught and coached athletics at Boston, a period, which

he remembers with particular affection.He recalls: ”I enjoyed coaching the

sprints and hurdles immensely. There was a camaraderie. It was like being in a family. There was a total variety of talent, men and women including ’walk-ons’, who just wanted to improve their athletics”. In 1981, he married Vivian, with whom he has had two sons, and wrote several books in that decade, including instructional books on sport.

In the last 30 years, he has been immensely busy, including being the first President of UK Athletics, vice-chairman of the British Olympic Association, organising conferences and co-developing and teaching Performance Coaching for business management.

During the 2012 Olympics, an event “which totally fulfilled my expectations”, he was ideal to act as an escort to leading sponsors, the Princess Royal as well as Prince William and Kate. The latter has, he says: ”a real passion for athletics. She was a high jumper at school with a best of 1.63 metres at 16 years-old.”

Seb Coe had asked David to set up the 21st Century Legacy, initially stimulated by London getting the Games in 2005. This has involved sending speakers into schools, although he took the advice of teachers that if there were a focus on sport, we ”would lose about 20 percent of the pupils.

“We took as our mantra the words: ’Be the best you can be, rather than the best.” The intention has been to engage, inspire and empower the pupils. We have encouraged them to follow their dreams with passion whatever they are”.

Teachers received a day of training and coaches were also helped to become better mentors. David explains: ”Apart from the technical side, they need to engage the mind of the competitor for him or herself to take greater self-responsibility and become more self-aware.” He gave examples of athletes, who always look towards the coach, rather than often taking decisions themselves.

So far 250,000 kids have been engaged in the eight-year programme. The next stage is to continue this in a collaborative approach with the Royal Society for Public Health. Meanwhile, in Wiltshire, where David lives and where he is Deputy Lieutenant of the County, he is working with local authorities to get sport, exercise, health and mental well-being all on the same website.

It is the same thoughtful approach to situations that he initially showed the world in preparing for that unforgettable triumph in October 50 years ago.

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David HemeryWhere are they now?

Committee members needed

We welcome applications to join the committee. Please contact either

secretary@GBOlympians.org or chair@GBOlympians.org

for further information.