Levine machine gains medal

Published 19 Mar 2010 16:30 0 Comments

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Athletics

NIGEL Levine admitted the gamble paid off after Great Britain's 4x400m relay squad went for broke at the World Indoor Championships and emerged with a bronze medal, writes David Jordan.

The 20-year-old Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow runner joined forces with Chris Clarke, Conrad Williams and Richard Buck to clock 3:07.52 minutes and overhaul Dominican Republic - who were later disqualified - for bronze.

Bershawn Jackson led USA to relay gold at the World Championships in Rome and repeated the trick in Doha to claim top spot on the podium ahead of Belgium.

And after relying on a fastest loser's spot to take their place in the final, Levine insisted the squad left nothing to chance in the medal showdown.

"Our coach spoke to us and he told us we had to trust ourselves more and give it more in the first 200m," said Levine.

"We gave ourselves too much to do in the heats and it almost ended up costing us.

"But we went out and we all put it in hard over the first 200m because we knew we were good enough to maintain that pace through the whole race.

"We couldn't afford to let any of the teams in the final get away from us and it was a real fight out there but we hung in.

"I think we just needed the confidence to believe in ourselves and once we had that then we could display our true talents and we're delighted to do that."

Britain were given a helping hand in the final after sprinting powerhouses Jamaica clashed with Barbados and Dominican Republic, ending with the first two retiring and the third being disqualified after the event.

But after taking to the podium in the Middle East, Levine backed the squad to go from strength to strength in 2010.

"We did have a bit of a wobble in the heats and it almost cost us but you saw the benefit of the rest in the final," added Levine.

"I think a few of the guys from Jamaica and Barbados had already run a couple of races here and that might have contributed to the collision.

"But regardless of what happened between them I think we showed our strength and I think we ran well as quite a young team.

"Hopefully this is the start of something and we can build on this and progress throughout the rest of the year as a squad."

Aviva has been proud to have helped and supported the Aviva GB & NI junior, senior and disability teams as they prepare for all major events and championships since 1999. Visit www.aviva.co.uk/athletics for more information.

This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 19 Mar 10

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