© Stade de France ®
Macary, Zublena et Regembal
Costantini - Architects
ADAGP - Paris - 2002
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COMPETITION  RETRO |
 Stuttgart 1993 – JACKSON EXACTS HIS REVENGE
Paris 2003 Saint-Denis
Touted as a future champion from day one, the Welsh hurdler had to be patient for several years, and overcome a string of disappointments before confirming his immense talent. It was the 3rd IAAF World Championships in Athletics that marked his arrival, with a world record into the bargain…
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| Vandystadt |
It took him less than 13 seconds to silence his detractors. A dream race, a first title and Colin Jackson had sealed his place amongst the greats of world athletics.
Arriving at Stuttgart for the 3rd World Championships in history, the man the British press had dubbed “shaker” knew that it was now or never. Seven long years before, after his Junior World Championships title in 1986, the pundits had elevated him to the rank of new hurdling sensation, and he wasted little time confirming this status by picking up the silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, at the tender age of 20. Still a little raw, he understandably played second fiddle to Roger Kingdom. But what happened subsequently was harder to swallow, when the man they had appointed king – no doubt a little early - seemed reluctant to be crowned.
The Jackson paradox
Admittedly, Jackson did become European champion at Split in 1990. And there’s no denying that he had the best times of the season before attending every important deadline. However, world recognition continued to elude him. First it was the World Championships in Tokyo, when he was forced to withdraw before the quarterfinals after aggravating an old injury in training. Even more galling was Barcelona, when he could only finish seventh in the Olympic final due to a troublesome cartridge in his right knee. Even before these two disappointments, his rival in the early years, Roger Kingdom, summed up the “Jackson paradox” perfectly in Athletics Today magazine in 1990: “He’s a strange, unpredictable athlete, who possesses an exceptional sense of concentration and who has unlimited self-confidence. He has a bit of the Jekyll and Hyde about him.”
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Salvation at last
No surprise then that, as he warmed up on the track at Stuttgart, one wondered if the curse that had struck the Welshman was once again about to rear its ugly head. He’d only been beaten once in the run-up to the World Championships, and could boast of having gone under 13’’20 on twelve occasions and under 13’’ on three. But the glory hour had finally arrived for this former cricket player who discovered athletics aged 14. Nothing was going to stand in the way of his quest for revenge, as he turned in 13’’23 in the heats, 13’13’’ in the semi final, then a breathtaking final. After an excellent start (reaction time of 0’’122), the Briton proceeded in his inimitable, highly technical, almost catlike style… 12’’91… Colin Jackson was crowned at last, beating the world record of a certain Roger Kingdom by a hundredth of a second.
“I ran the first half of the race faster than I ever have, he emphasised. I knew I was going to win as soon as I got onto the track. I didn’t see anyone else around me, It was as if I was alone ahead of the others.” The doubters were well and truly silenced, while his mentor Malcolm Arnold could only congratulate himself for urging Jackson to give up the decathlon and infusing him with his passion for hurdles.
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