Memories of Linford

"Like Dad, I'm mad about sport and my earliest sporting memory was of Linford Christie at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Britain doesn't usually win many gold medals at the Olympics so this was quite special.

"The previous British athlete to win the 100 metres was Allan Wells in Moscow in 1980 and before that it was Harold Abrahams in Paris in 1924 - which I learned about from the film Chariots of Fire.

"The Olympics are all about competitors from all over the world joining in the biggest event in sport. Winning a medal is special, no matter whether it is gold, silver or bronze.

"Although Linford had done well in the European and Commonwealth games, this was the big one.

"There were eight runners in the 100 metres final and the favourite was an American called Leroy Burrell. We watched it on TV. There was a false start and the tension grew, by which time Dad was on the edge of his seat biting his nails.

"The starter fired his gun again and they were off, and less than 10 seconds later Linford was Olympic champion.

"This brought a smile to my face, but the funniest thing was that as Linford crossed the winning line my Dad leaped so high in the air that he hit the ceiling. A high jumper would have been proud of him.

"I can also remember that Sally Gunnell won her race, the 400 metres hurdles.

"Dad tells me that along with Barcelona, Birmingham, Amsterdam and Paris bid to host the 1992 Olympics. I guess I would have remembered more if it had been hosted by Birmingham.