I’d just like to flag up two British sporting heroes who were in the news this weekend. Both in their own ways are inspirations. One is comparatively little known outside Britain or their own specialist field, the other is becoming successful and should be known worldwide, perhaps even gaining a championship this year.
The first of the pair is Tanni Grey Thompson who retired from competition this weekend. She is one of the towering figures in the world of parallel athletics, has been almost a fixture of the London Marathon and was elected Sports Personality of the Year by BBC viewers. This is part of her biography from a university where she was installed as the first Pro Chancellor in 2004:
Born in Cardiff in 1969, Tanni made her debut for Wales
at the Junior National Championships aged just 15. Her first Paralympic success was in 1988 when she won bronze in the 400m at the Seoul Games. Four years later in Barcelona Tanni claimed four gold medals, including world records in the 100m and 400m. In 1996 in Atlanta she settled for silver in thee of her four disciplines with gold in the 800m whilst in Sydney 2000 she achieved victory in the 800m which was followed by success in the 100m, 200m and 400m. Tanni has rounded off her gold medal tally by triumphing in the 100m and 400m in the 2004 Athens Paralympics. However, it is not only over short distances that Tanni as achieved such success; she has also won six London Marathon titles, her latest in 2002 came just three months after giving birth to baby Cerys.
Dame Tanni has used a wheelchair since the age of 9 because of her spina bifida. In 2005 she was given her third formal title in the New Year Honours list as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the female equivalent of a “Sir”. I sincerely hope with her retirement from competition the opportunity will be given to make her a life peer. This would enable her to continue her advocacy for parallel sports, especially in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012.
The second figure is from conventionally a far more glamorous sport. Coming second in the Spanish F1 Grand Prix, he may have gone completely unnoticed if it was not that this put him at the top of the Championship table. This is in the fourth race of his first season in Formula 1. At 22 years old Lewis Hamilton is the only person to have a “podium” place in the first four races of his career.
He drives for McClaren who signed him straight to F1 after what looks like a disgustingly long and successful career for such a young driver.
2006
GP2 Series: Champion with ART Grand Prix; five wins; six fastest laps; first double win at the Nürburgring; pole position and winner of Monaco GP2 race; second double win at Silverstone in home race; seven 2 nd place and two 3 rd place podiums
2005
F3 Euroseries: Champion with ASM F3 Dallara-Mercedes; 15 wins; 10 fastest laps; 13 pole positions; secured championship with four races remaining; winner of F3 Masters at Zandvoort including pole position and lap record; winner of the Monaco F3 Grand Prix including two pole positions and two race wins and one fastest lap; winner of Pau F3 Grand Prix in France; two pole positions, two race wins and two fastest laps
2004
F3 Euroseries: fifth; one win and third place at the Norisring and the Nürburgring; winner of Bahrain F3 Superprix
2003
British Formula Renault: Champion; 10 wins; nine fastest laps and 11 pole positions; Champion before final two rounds
2002
British Formula Renault: third; three wins; three fastest laps; three pole positions; Formula Renault EuroCup Championship fifth; one win three podiums; competed in four out of nine rounds
2001
British Formula Renault Winter Series; fifth overall.
2000
Formula A: European Champion; winner of all four rounds; World Cup Champion; awarded Karting World Number 1; winner of Masters at Bercy; Founder member of BRDC `Rising Star’ membership
1999
Intercontinental A (ICA): Italian “Industrials” Champion, Junior ICA (JICA): Vice European Champion; winner Trophy de Pomposa, 4th Italian Open Championship
1998 Junior ICA (JICA): second in McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future series; fourth in Italian Open Championship; signed by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz to Young Driver Support Programme
1997
Junior Yamaha: Super One British Champion; winner of McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future series
1996
Cadet Class: winner of McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future series; Sky TV Kart Masters Champion; Five Nations Champion
1995
Cadet Class: Super One British Champion; STP Champion
This engaging young man was born in Stevenage in southern England in January 1985 and lists his hobbies as “playing the guitar, music and training” (His favorite music genres are R & B, Reggae, Hip-Hop, and funky house.
The fact he is black is perhaps an irrelevance apart from the very positive role model he provides and that his success is in a traditionally white sport. Comparisons with Tiger Woods are obvious.
