Athletics: Britain's success reveals spirit and confidence

Shortly after anchoring Britain's 4 x 400 metres relay team home for his country's seventh gold of the European Championships in Munich, Daniel Caines emerged briefly in the media mixed zone. "I've had 10 races in a week and a half,'' he said. "I'm absolutely knackered.''

In that respect, Caines was briefly Everyman for a British team that has struggled against the odds to perform in a championship that got under way six days after the track and field programme concluded at the Manchester Commonwealth Games. A team that has struggled and succeeded.

Four years ago in Budapest, Britain came away from these championships with nine gold medals. That was always going to be a hard act to follow, particularly as it came less than a week after another major event. But Britain's athletes have matched the total of 14 medals projected by UK Athletics' performance director, Max Jones, and surpassed his expectations in terms of victories.

"We've had two good Games in a row, which has been huge for the sport,'' Jones said. "It will be great for our sponsors, and our recruiting. The trend is for more and more countries to get medals at these championships, so to hold on is very difficult. But we've done it.

"I didn't think we'd get seven golds, but I did say we'd get 14 medals and we have, which is great. And some of the golds we won – through people like Paula Radcliffe, Steve Backley and Ashia Hansen – were best-in-the-world performances.

"It was very difficult for our sprinters and hurdlers here. They've found it particularly tough coming straight on from the Commonwealth Games. But we've managed to show here that only winning two medals at last year's World Championships in Edmonton was a blip, not a trend. We are back to where we are at the Sydney Olympics, and we have done it without athletes like Denise Lewis, Dean Macey and Katharine Merry.''

Radcliffe's performance in winning the 10,000m in the second-fastest time ever recorded was one which Jones believed could ignite interest in a new generation of runners. "I'm sure all the young girls watching back home on television will be thinking 'I want a piece of that','' he said.

Dwain Chambers, who saw home Britain's sprint relay team to a gold medal which added to the one he took in the individual 100m here in a personal best of 9.96sec, was equally upbeat in his position as British team captain.

"We've proved we can handle two championships back-to-back and that wasn't the case four years ago,'' he said. "We are a young team, a confident team, and we'll go from strength to strength.''

If you were looking for signs of confidence, you did not need to search any further than the inspired second-leg display by the 400m hurdler Matt Elias which transformed Britain's fortunes in the 400m relay. Elias's split time of 45.3sec was bettered only by Caines, an individual bronze medallist here, and the Welshman's exuberant display, both during and after the race, exemplified the spirit and promise of this British team.

Having run a sub-45 sec split for Wales at the Commonwealth Games, where he lost out on the gold medal to Caines and England by thousandths of a second, Elias has since been asked on numerous occasions whether he would not be better to start considering a career running 400m on the flat.

"Everyone keeps telling me that,'' he says. "But like Michael Johnson told me in the Commonwealth Games, if I can get my hurdling sorted out I can be up there with the best in the world.''

Accordingly, the 23-year-old Cardiff athlete has arranged to get technical assistance from the former international high hurdler and Welsh rugby international Nigel Walker.

The other pleasing feature of these championships from a British point of view was the way in which some of its most experienced performers came good once again.

Although Jonathan Edwards, at 36, slipped off the gold standard in the triple jump, Steve Backley, at 33, came through for a superbly competitive javelin victory against a field that included all the world's best throwers. Ashia Hansen also showed her new competitive maturity at the age of 30 with a second major triple jump gold in the space of 11 days, both times requiring a winning jump with her sixth and last attempt.

And Colin Jackson, at 35, rose to the challenge once again in what was his last major outdoor race of a 17-year career in the 110m hurdles. Jackson has one target left – the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham next March. "I want to run the perfect race,'' he said. "I believe I can get under my world indoor record.''

Fingers crossed that Jackson can round off his career in fitting fashion.

BRITAIN'S MEDAL WINNERS IN MUNICH

GOLD
Dwain Chambers 100 metres
Colin Jackson 110 metres hurdles
Paula Radcliffe 10,000 metres
Steve Backley Javelin
Ashia Hansen Triple Jump
Men's 4x100 metres relay
Men's 4x400 metres relay

SILVER
Jade Johnson Long Jump

BRONZE
Darren Campbell 100 metres
Marlon Devonish 200 metres
Daniel Caines 400 metres
Jonathan Edwards Triple Jump
Lee McConnell 400 metres
Kelly Holmes 800 metres