Exercise - Free Fitness Library
Linford - To be honest with you
To Be Honest With You is one of the most frequently used phrases by the one and only Linford Christie and is also the title of his autobiography.
For those of you who haven't ventured into a book shop lately or browsed amongst the best sellers in W H Smith and flicked through this book then you're missing something.
Linford has revealed all the facts of his life and his sporting career, his views and feelings about his world title and the media.
At Clothes Show Sport I was able to distract Linford away from the Puma stand and his fans for a few moments to discuss his book and future plans.
"Writing the book has brought me a lot of pleasure, mainly because
it allowed me to focus on the past, on the good and the bad. I can't
complain, I've been fortunate enough to compete in a golden era, competing
against the likes of Carl Lewis, Don Quarrie and Hasely Crawford.
I've run at White City and around the world, I've seen it and done it."
I have watched Linford's career take off from years of sheer hard work and determination. He is one of the few real sporting heroes our country has. Now he is a celebrity who has earned the love of the nation.
The sporting press love to put down a hero but talk to any man, woman or child on the street .... they admire him, whether he wins or loses a race, they still talk about him with admiration. This is not due to clever PR as the media have predominately knocked him for years. This admiration is due to the fact that he's achieved his goals through hard work over a long period of time in the most competitive event in the athletics world.
The book is not just for athletic fans?
No, it's a record of personal memories from my childhood in Jamaica
with my Grandmother to incidents with enemies. It's an account of my
life and career. I've talked about drugs, the way the sport is run,
religion and racism.
You're very direct, to the point, especially when talking about Frank
Dick and also the Sports Council?
I have not held back, I've written how it was. This is my chance to
tell the full story, my opportunity to be honest with the public and
my fans.
Did you always want to run?
No. Football was my game. I'll never forget the first time my dad bought
me a pair of Puma football boots. Georgie Best wore Puma's, I put them
on and automatically felt I played much better.
As a young child you were separated from your parents when they
came to England. Who brought you up in Jamaica?
I was two when they left Kingston. My Grandmother raised me until I
joined my parents when I was 7, yet it was my Grandmother who shaped
and moulded me into the person I am today.
As a child I wanted her to live forever - there was a very special
bond between us.
Along with my Grandmother I lived with aunts, uncles and 3 cousins.
There was unity in my family, we did everything as one from sharing
the chores to having fun. There was discipline yet at the same time
everything was relaxed.
Discipline is one of the most important parts of being an athlete, if
you haven't got it then you're not to be able to achieve anything.
How was it when you finally joined your family in London?
I arrived into my 'new' family meeting a younger brother and two sisters.
I'd heard all about them from my Dad when he came back to Jamaica to
organise our trip. It was really like meeting my Mum for the first time.
I regarded my Grandmother as my mother. I missed her terribly and was
a little withdrawn from my parents - it was like living with strangers.
I know my parents did what they did for the best but I wished I hadn't been left behind in the first place or that they had left me in Jamaica. As a child you simply accept what is happening. By December 1967 my entire family was in England, there was no going back.
When did you first run?
On a so-called track marked out on asphalt in Canberra Primary School
in White City! I don't remember much except I won and then later I was
accused of cheating by one of my two competitors. I was eight at the
time and none of us understood about stagger lanes.
The first stadium I ran in was the Old White City Stadium. The kids
were screaming for each other, it was something of a surprise to be
running in such a big place, an arena that held 40,000 people.
I take great pleasure from the fact that I must be one of the very few
runners today who has competed at White City.
In the book you reveal everything about sporting life including
drug abuse.
I believe in drug free athletics. I always say "Don't take drugs,
it's not worth it." At Seoul I felt like a little kid who had taken
a penny bubble gum from a shop and ended up in the Old Bailey. Since
that time I've discovered so many things, the IOC (International Olympic
Committee) blamed the BOA (British Olympic Association) and vice versa,
each side saying the other had released my name. The BOA denied it and
I've had very little to do with them since.
I still haven't got over Seoul, I don't think I ever will. To me it
was the worst day of my life yet I found that I was able to put my experiences
in Seoul to good advantage.
Each time there has been a drug problem since, the team contacts me
because nobody really knows how to deal with it. The management called
me in for example after it was announced in Barcelona in 1992 that Jason
Livingston had tested positive.
I don't think officials really understand how embarrassing it is for
athletes when they have to perform in the dope room
Some people will go to great lengths to cheat. It's been said for example,
that women have been caught concealing condoms of urine inside them.
One athlete was caught with someone else's urine in his mouth, obviously
the Officials have to cope with this but it doesn't take away the fact
that you have to pee in front of someone. It is all part of being an
athlete, something which you have to learn to put up with, but can't
It's widely known that athletes follow strict nutritional plans
for peak performance. Any tips for the budding Olympic youth?
I eat everything. If you train then you shouldn't need to diet, so long
as everything is in moderation. I will eat a chocolate bar if my blood
sugar level runs low. Chocolate is the easiest way of replacing energy
in the short term, Colin Jackson eats more chocolate than anybody I
know!
Most of the time I will have chicken and fish. I defy the rules but I don't snack between meals. I can go all day without having to eat, particularly when I am training. My liquid intake while training is not that large either. They say you are supposed to sip water but I don't bother with that. When I'm abroad I can train during the hottest part of the day and find I can't drink at the time. I can go nearly all day without having a drink, my liquid intake comes from fruit I eat during the day. There are times when I sweat like a pig during training but I've never had a problem, I can look after myself. The only trouble comes when I am in the hands of someone else.
I found your book a fascinating read. Apart from exposing the nature
of the game and the attitude of the press to you and the athletic world,
you talk about Mandy a lot.
Mandy is a fantastic person. She has supported me all the way. Publicity
is all very well in one respect because it satisfies sponsors but Mandy
and I are loners, not party animals. I value the time we have together.
We see ourselves as being normal. The important thing in athletics is
to have a home life which is going really well, if anything affects
that, performance on the track is likely to suffer.
What's next, what are you focusing on now?
At the moment I am training and writing.
Finally, what's your last say on the book and any words of wisdom
for our readers?
Winning is pretty important but you can't be criticised if you fight,
even if you don't win. Not everyone can be a champion, but everyone
can try.
We have 5 copies of Linford's book to give away to lucky readers, simply
call our giveaway number.
To Be Honest With You is published by Michael Joseph and is priced £16.99