The 2023 season witnessed outstanding sprinting results as the outcome of numerous big competitions, which also acted as a buildup to the 2024 season, including the Olympic Games. One such moment occurred when Zharnel Hughes broke Linford Christie’s long-standing 100-meter British record in 2023. Such performances were highlighted in the third episode of Netflix’s ‘Sprint’, “Belonging,” which also featured the athlete-turned-coach’s distinct mentality before any race.
Linford was one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen run. In his illustrious track career, he had won gold in the 100 meters at all four major championships- an Olympic gold medal, three Commonwealth gold medals, three gold in the European Championships, and a World Championship title. Holding the British record for over three decades, he was the first European athlete to breach the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter race.
Hughes has known Linford for a long time, and he recalls being shocked when he smashed Linford’s 100-meter record at the 2023 NYC Grand Prix with a stunning 9.83 sec, assisted by a 1.3 tailwind. Linford likewise recalls being uninformed of the performance, and when he was later updated, he was amazed. He intended to pass on the way he used to train himself to the next generation, as he displays his mentality by saying:
“Never train like a champion, always like a contender. Cause champions have nowhere to go. So I always trained like a contender because I wanted to get to…where they were.”
In addition to Linford’s unwavering focus on training hard and maintaining a positive attitude at every event, he had a unique way of maintaining his mental clarity, as he explains:
“I used to put a picture of Carl Lewis under my mat. Because he was number one! I put him under my mat so it’s when I walk in the house, I’m stepping on him because this is how, it’s how much I wanted it, you know?”
Linford’s desire for an Olympic gold was strong, as he, like any other athlete, was preparing extremely hard for it, despite the dominance of American Olympian Carl Lewis. However, keeping Carl’s picture under the mat allowed him to boast his confidence in achieving his goals, which he subsequently did later in his career.
Linford Christie’s Olympic and World Championship Feat
Linford Christie’s career also had its ups and downs. When he turned 30, there were many questions about him because he had yet to win a world championship or an Olympic crown. Despite all of the challenges hovering around him and all of the pressure from the press, which was constantly critical of the Brit, he surprised all of the naysayers at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, winning the 100-meter final in 9.96 seconds.
He became the oldest Olympic champion in the category at the age of 32, and if someone claims fairytales don’t come true, Linford proved it at the 1993 World Championships in Tokyo, where he won the 100-meter sprint championship in 9.87 seconds. He achieved two of his professional goals in consecutive years, winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and receiving an OBE.
