Author Archives: Caroline Heaney

Jumping into biomechanics: a beginner’s guide to double mini trampoline

By Kat Allott

I’m Kat, a lecturer in Sports Biomechanics within the Sport and Fitness team at The Open University, and I am also an internationally competitive Double Mini Trampoline (aka DMT) gymnast. It was trampolining that sparked my initial interest in biomechanics and how humans generate and control movement.

Trampolining was first introduced into the Olympic programme in Sydney, 2000, and with GB’s Bryony Page jumping to trampolining gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the sport’s profile has continued to rise in the UK. My passion, however, lies in DMT, a lesser-known trampoline discipline.

DMT is showcased at the World Games: an international multisport event often described as ‘the Olympics for non-Olympic sports’, where the top gymnasts in the world compete head-to-head for the World Games title. As well as exploring the sport of DMT, this blog focuses on what biomechanics is and how it can be used to understand technique, improve performance and reduce injury risk.

What is Double Mini Trampoline?

Although not part of the Olympics (yet!), DMT is a thrilling sport which involves sprinting down a 20 m runway and launching into powerful acrobatic skills… before landing as neatly as possible! As the name suggests, double mini trampolines are smaller than regular trampolines, but don’t be fooled: DMT favours gymnasts who can perform big, powerful skills. There are two points of contact with the DMT: an angled section and a flat section, where a gymnast links together two somersault skills before landing on a mat: the combined sequence of skills is called a ‘pass’. Here’s a video of me performing a pass at the 2025 British Championships:

How is a DMT pass scored?

Gymnasts are scored on three elements:

  1. The difficulty of the two somersault skills – how complex are the skills?
  2. Execution – how well do they perform the skills?
  3. Landing – did they stick with both feet in the red box?

The DMT is just 92 cm wide, so accuracy in landing on the trampoline each time to perform the two skills is key to success. As gymnasts progress in the sport, they can learn to flip with multiple somersaults and twists. For coaches and gymnasts, a key focus is the take-off for each skill, as this essentially determines all three of the scoring elements. Applying biomechanics can support coaches in helping athletes to develop their proficiency in their take-offs and consequently their performance of somersault skills.

What is biomechanics and how can it benefit DMT performance?

Human biomechanics applies the laws of physics to understand how and why people move the way they do. Sports biomechanics is the study of athletic movements to identify how to optimise performance and reduce the risk of injury.

Typically, biomechanists break down movements into phases to understand how each part contributes to the overall performance. DMT can be split into the run up, take-off, flight phase, and landing. As previously mentioned, the take-off for each skill is important. This is because jumping as high as possible gives the gymnast more time to complete a skill before they have to land. To achieve a good take-off, a gymnast runs quickly before jumping onto the DMT, which helps them to push down hard into the trampoline bed (in biomechanics we call this an applied force). Applying more force into the trampoline bed depresses the springs further and causes them to recoil more and push the gymnast higher into the air (this is literally the trampoline effect!), which maximises their vertical velocity (how quickly they are moving upwards) and their ability to start somersaulting (in biomechanics we call this angular momentum). In short, the more force a gymnast can apply to the trampoline, the higher they can bounce and the faster they can spin.

Why is the take-off so important?

Once the take-off has been completed and the gymnast is in the air, their angular momentum cannot change because there are no external forces pushing on them. If a gymnast takes off for a somersault in a straight body position but doesn’t achieve enough height at the correct angle on take-off, they could under-rotate their somersault: this increases the risk of not landing the skill upright and on their feet. In this situation, there is an escape route to avoid crash landing, and some biomechanical principles can help the gymnast here! By bending at their hips and knees – i.e. curling up into a tuck shape, they can speed up their spin, allowing them to safely land on their feet. So, whilst their angular momentum cannot change in the air, they can manipulate their body shape to become smaller and speed up their rotation in the air (in biomechanics we call this component of angular momentum the moment of inertia, which is the amount of resistance to change in rotation).

Performing a skill in a tucked (compared to a piked or straight) position receives a lower difficulty score from the judges, but if the take-off is compromised, and the gymnast has a choice between landing on their face or their feet, a tucked position may be the safer option! Even though they may not necessarily understand the biomechanical principles behind why they do it, experienced gymnasts will tend to intuitively change their shape, demonstrating a real-world application of biomechanics to support performance. Of course, compromising the take-off is not the only reason for changing shape in the air: gymnasts choose to perform somersaults and twists in different shapes which makes for exciting and varied routines to watch!

Twisting and landing safely

Biomechanics can also unlock insight into how best to perform somersaults with twists. It is possible to generate twist from the trampoline bed, but this action is likely to cause the gymnast to travel sideways. Remember, the trampoline bed is only 92 cm wide so any sideways movement may result in injury (I speak from personal experience…). The main method of twisting during straight somersaults is to tilt the body by producing asymmetrical arm movements before bringing them in close to the body. The gymnast can then reverse the arm movement to stop their twist and prepare for a controlled landing. During piked and tucked somersaults, gymnasts can twist by moving their hips to one side as they extend their legs [1].

There are various measures to ensure the safety of gymnasts during training when learning these complex skills: this includes landing on mats of different thicknesses to absorb impact, performing skills into foam pits, or using a harness: the harness allows coaches to control the movement of the gymnast to ensure their safety. Strength and conditioning is also vital so gymnasts can cope with the repetitive forces they experience during training and competition: trampolining can involve accelerations of around 6 G. Compare that to the 5 G forces that F1 drivers can experience [2], and you can start to see why strength and conditioning is important!

Of course, mastering the take-off, performance, and landing of complex somersaulting skills takes years of practice. Biomechanists have many tools that can help with understanding the aspects of technique that will improve performance, as well as reduce the risk of injury. Even the DMT itself has biomechanics applied to its design and development to ensure the right balance of safety and performance.

Biomechanics can show how a seemingly easy performance may in fact be comprised of complex components of technique, helping us to appreciate just how impressive the performances of these skills are!

Feeling inspired?

Double Mini Trampoline is a captivating world of somersaults and twists that combines speed, power, and control, all of which are underpinned by biomechanical principles. A good understanding of biomechanics can allow coaches to help gymnasts maximise their performance and reduce injury risk by:

  • Learning skills consistently and with the correct technique
  • Building the necessary strength to meet the demands of the sport

Feeling inspired to jump into the world of biomechanics? To find out more about biomechanics visit: https://www.cases.org.uk/spage-divisions-biomechanics_and_motor_behaviour.html and to find out more about getting involved in Double Mini Trampoline (participating clubs, available courses, and more) visit: https://www.british-gymnastics.org/.

 

References

[1] Yeadon, F. (2000). The physics of twisting somersaults. Physics World, 13, 33-37.

[2] G-Force and Formula One: Explained – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

Student Stories: Ralph Slaney

New #TeamOUstudent Ralph Slaney has recently featured on the @OpenUniversity TikTok account. Check out Ralph’s videos below.

In the first video we see Ralph’s journey to becoming an Open University student. In the second video Ralph shares some of his top tips for preparing for Open University study and in the third video he shares his advice on managing stress as a student.

@theopenuniversity

Meet OU Student Ralph, who starts his Bsc Sport Fitness and Coaching this October! ⚽️#openuniversity #sportfitness #studyinspo

♬ original sound – The Open University

@theopenuniversity

Preparing to start your first year with the OU can be so exciting! This is how @Ralph Slaney helped prepare for his!#studytips #onlinelearning #sportstudent #openuniversity

♬ fresh – nanaacom

@theopenuniversity

We appreciate that sometimes studying can feel like climbing a steep hill… don’t worry, there are ways of giving yourself a boost! This is how Ralph manages his stress during his OU degree! #sportsandfitness #wellbeing #OU #theopenuniversity

♬ original sound – The Open University

Student Stories: Dan Richards

“I think that the opportunity to study for a degree and potentially begin a brand new career is something so profound”

In the video below disabled veteran Dan Richards shares how studying for a BSc (hons) in Sport, Fitness and Coaching at The Open University has given him an opportunity to improve his mental health and begin a new career.

Student Stories: Gregg Stevenson

“Being an OU graduate has changed my life significantly”

In the video below Paralympic champion and army veteran Gregg Stevenson shares his experience of studying for a BSc (hons) in Sport, Fitness and Coaching at The Open University.

“Winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was a incredible feeling. It felt like such a celebration of all the hard work that’s gone into this journey – you know the sport psychology work, the sports coaching work that I did on my undergrad…”

 

Making sense of formal and informal activity spaces

By Ben Oakley

This purpose of this blog – which is one of the early readings for learners on our introductory module E114 – is twofold. It explores the main differences that exist between informal sport, exercise and physical activity spaces and those that are more formal and organised such as sports clubs and leisure centres. Some suggest that the use of formal spaces is in decline with informal spaces becoming more popular than in the past (Eime et al. 2020). In highlighting some of the distinctive features of informal activities the blog demonstrates why knowledge of these are useful for those working in the sector. Focusing attention on informal activity spaces is timely because the social and physical need for such spaces was highlighted by the experiences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Informal spaces are likely to be a growth area for physical activity participation in the coming years.

The blog also serves as a vehicle to show how two styles of writing can be deployed to discuss the same topic. A personal first-person reflective style is used in the first section, where the author draws on their own perspective and experiences and refers to themselves directly through the use of ‘I’ or ‘my’. The later section uses a more detached third-person objective style to discuss the topic more generally; this latter style creates narrative distance by positioning the author as an outside observer, often seeking to explain or analyse a topic drawing upon sources of information written by others rather than personal experiences.

The blog is structured with three sections. lt opens with some personal reflections of how activity spaces shaped the author’s sporting journey, followed by a section exploring the differences between formal and informal sport. The final section considers some of ways that informal sport spaces can become important to develop a sense of community among minoritised groups, before some concluding thoughts.

My childhood experiences of activity spaces

I grew up in a medium sized town on the coast with considerable time spent at play outside. The influence of school sport and activities gradually became more and more important to me and much of my childhood was spent being active in education spaces. The sporting rhythm of the year was dictated by the seasons with football and rugby in the winter and cricket and athletics in the summer whilst occasionally we were introduced to ‘new’ sports such as basketball or volleyball during physical education (PE) classes. The spaces where these took place ranged from the indoor sports hall, the playground (mainly football in lunchbreaks), a playing field (rugby and cricket), the nearby city athletics track and the corner of a car park outside my house (varied activities). My mother was also member of a local watersports club where I learnt to sail, aged 6-7, and later competed in summer holidays. I was quite good at all these activities and without knowing it at the time sport became an important part of who I was –  I became reasonably skilled and developed the confidence to embrace new activities.

Towards my later school years my diet of activities broadened further through my mum’s efforts and ability to pay for my new sports experiences. When school staff asked if we wanted to try new sports such as squash or tennis by travelling and/or paying for introductory sessions I leapt at the chance. With friends I travelled on public transport to either a club opening their doors or a local leisure facility. With racket in hand, I also took up casual self-organised summer badminton when we strung up a washing line in a friend’s back yard. I was also introduced to walking and camping in nearby countryside under the supervision of schoolteachers giving up their holiday time and mum paying for the trips. At that time I also learnt how to windsurf at a fledgling local commercial beach watersports centre; this activity later became the focus of my full-time coaching career.

Reflecting on the spaces I used, they were varied types across my childhood. Originally, they were dominated by school facilities, a friend’s garden and the car park next door to home. Gradually I started to use local leisure centre spaces and was introduced to sports clubs either as ‘member’ or as a ‘pay and play’ guest. My neighbourhood shaped my preferences since the watersports and hiking opportunities would not have existed if I had lived 20 miles inland or in a large city. I was privileged to have so many sports spaces nearby and a supportive mother.

Using the ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ activity distinction

In this section there is a change of writing style to the third person by positioning me the author as an outside objective observer. To help achieve this, ‘they’ or ‘it’, or similar, are sometimes used to indicate the more detached position of the writer.

One way to analyse the types of active spaces described in the above account of childhood experiences is to draw on the distinction between formal and informal active spaces. Formal spaces are places like a school sports hall, playing fields, sports clubs, local authority facilities or a commercial watersport centre; the space needs to be booked and sometimes paid for. A definition of informal spaces is one in which group based physical activities occur but without a club structure, significant fees, formal membership and without formal rules or referees. For this reason, the activity is often more spontaneous. It occurs in the public spaces often in urban environments ranging from green spaces to open access facilities on housing estates. These are often known as multi use games areas (MUGAs). It has been noted that informal ‘meetup’ physical activities ‘increasingly have a digital life in that they are sometimes arranged via mobile phone apps and on social media forums (Wise et al., 2018).

The formal and informal activity distinction is explored further using examples that help illustrate more precisely what is meant by informal spaces and why they have become more important in recent decades (Borgers et al. 2016). The first example comes from basketball. Until the 1990s there was a problem in basketball, like other indoor sports, of indoor facilities being a barrier to young people being able to play because it was expensive and you usually had to be part of a team to book a court (Basketball England, 2024). An outdoor basketball initiative was created to support informal street basketball by installing hoops into mostly public spaces. For about a decade from 1996 some 9,300 basketball hoops were fixed into the asphalt across England in spaces such as parks, recreation grounds, youth centres, schools, colleges, universities, housing complexes and community centres. The sportswear company Adidas were the main title sponsor with £1 million (Basketball England, 2024) and evidence of these and similar hoops are part of many neighbourhoods around the UK.

Researchers have observed informal sport as recognisable sporting forms (e.g. cricket, soccer and basketball)– termed by Borgers et al. (2016) as ‘sport-light’. ‘Participation is flexible with the opportunity for individuals to drop in and out’ (Jeanes et al., 2019, p.81). Informal sport activities are a familiar feature of urban life most visible of which are street football, cricket or basketball.  The numbers of those participating in informal sport have increased and now outnumber those playing in clubs (Neal et al. 2024). However, there has also been ‘an increase in … less familiar forms of informal leisure activities such as volleyball, climbing, parkour, frisbee, wild swimming and urban running and walking groups’ (2024 p.877). This trend reflects the diversification of informal sport and leisure groups with collaborative and sometimes competitive features.

Developing a sense of community through informal sport

A further recognisable feature that has been reported is how informal sport often supports social aspects of a community and bolsters minority communities’ identities. Neal et al. (2024) describes an asphalt space in a corner of a London park in a low-income district. They report that on most warm evenings the space becomes a meeting place in which members of the Central and South American migrant communities come to participate in and watch volleyball matches. The ‘court’ and net are DIY created by the players. The players are pretty skilled and boisterous with their audience sitting in groups, some with food and some who appear to be betting on matches. They conclude that the neglected park edge transforms into a hubbub of loud social and sporting activity.

Informal activities such as this facilitate a sense of community and belonging amongst participants (King and Church, 2015). It is also suggested that informal opportunities can provide a valuable opportunity to expand participation to traditionally marginalised groups, e.g. those of low socio-economic status and ethnic minority communities (King and Church, 2015). Such unstructured opportunities often appeal to individuals precisely because they are not rule bound (Wheaton and O’Loughlin, 2017). In relation to parkour, the same researchers suggest participants are ‘often hostile to rules and regulations, especially those that are externally driven.

Final thoughts

Back in the 1960s, 70s and 80s informal sport consisted mainly of ‘jumpers as goals’ football matches in parks. However, a combination of new sports and forms of physical activity (e.g. skateboarding, BMX, parkour), the health benefits of exercise being recognised and more traditional sports adapting to meet people’s changing lifestyles has seen informal sport increase. Arranging collaborative ‘meet ups’ to play have also been supporting by subsequent developments in mobile and digital communication so that today there are a range of ways in which physical activity can be engaged with beyond traditional facilities. All these factors are important considerations for organisations such as National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport who are continually seeking to develop opportunities to attract new participants and keep existing participants involved in their sports. Urban planners should also consider how multi-use (e.g. 5-a-side football, basketball, netball, cricket), open access and free spaces are provided when new housing developments are created.

Reference List

Basketball England (2024) The history of the iconic Outdoor Basketball Initiative. Available at:  https://www.basketballengland.co.uk/news/2024/the-history-of-the-iconic-outdoor-basketball-initiative/ Accessed 17th December 2024.

Borgers, J., Breedveld, K., Tiessen-Raaphorst, A., Thibaut, E., Vandermeerschen, H., Vos, S., & Scheerder, J. (2016). A study on the frequency of participation and time spent on sport in different organisational settings. European Sport Management Quarterly, 16(5), 635-654.

Eime, R., Harvey, J., & Charity, M. (2020). Sport participation settings: where and ‘how’ do Australians play sport?. BMC Public Health, 20, 1-9.

Jeanes, R. Spaaij, R., Penney, D. & O’Connor, J. (2019) ‘Managing informal sport participation: tensions and opportunities’, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 11(1), pp. 79–95.

King, K., & Church, A. (2015). Questioning policy, youth participation and lifestyle sports. Leisure Studies, 34(3): 282–302.

Neal, S., Pang, B., Parry, K., & Rishbeth, C. (2024). Informal sport and leisure, urban space and social inequalities: Editors’ Introduction. Leisure Studies, 43(6): 875-886.

Wheaton, B., & O’Loughlin, A. (2017). Informal sport, instiutionalisation, and sport policy: Challenging thesportization of parkour in England. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 9(1), 71–88.

Wise, A., Parry, K., Aquino, K., Neal, S., & Velayutham, S. (2018). Pushing casual sport to the margins threatens cities’social cohesion. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/pushing-casual-sport-to-the-margins-threatens-cities-social-cohesion-92352 Accessed: 17th December 2024.

Join us at the ‘Embedding Children’s Rights in Sport and Physical Activity’ Conference

On 16-17th October 2024 we will be hosting our 5th Sport and Fitness Conference ‘Embedding Children’s Rights in Sport and Physical Activity – Policy, Practice and Research’ at The Open University in Milton Keynes. The conference is an opportunity for anyone interested in children’s rights within sport and physical activity to come together and share their knowledge, research, insight and experience. The conference programme includes over 20 presentations covering all aspects of children’s rights, expert plenary panels, workshops and a keynote presentation from Professor Laura Lundy.

Join us for two days of stimulating and thought-provoking discussion and contribute to a community of people dedicated to making sport and physical activity a more positive experience for every child and young person. Tickets are available up to 6th October 2024 on the link below. The full programme and list of presenters can also be found on this link.

EMBEDDING CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Tickets, Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

For updates on the conference follow us on X @OU_Sport

When posting about the conference on X please tag us (@OU_Sport) and use the hashtag #OUChildRights

 

Join our team: L/SL Sport and exercise science vacancies

We currently have vacancies for 2 new permanent members of staff to join our team. The closing date for both vacancies is is 19th September 2024. If you have any queries about either post, please contact Dr Jess Pinchbeck.

 

 

(1) Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science

(2) Lecturer in Applied Sport and Exercise Science

For more information about the sport and fitness programme at The Open University and the academic team click here.

Exercise: The miracle treatment for mental health?

By Caroline Heaney

Campaigns and initiatives such as World Mental Health Day have helped to raise awareness of mental health difficulties (e.g., Norwich City FC video below). Mental health difficulties can affect anyone – it is estimated that 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem each year, which means that most of us will be affected by a mental health condition at some point in our lives, either directly or through someone close to us. It is vital that once someone has taken the difficult step to disclose mental health difficulties they can access the right treatment and support, however, the NHS is struggling to meet the demand for mental health services. It is estimated that only 1 in 3 people with common mental health difficulties are getting the treatment they need. There are various treatment options available including talking therapies and medication, but medication is reported to be the most commonly used treatment for mental health problems. In recent years there has been a significant rise in the number of people taking antidepressant medication, which comes with a huge financial cost to the NHS, and it has been suggested that non-pharmacological treatments should be prioritised for those with mild to moderate depression. If only there was a low-cost treatment with few side effects and many additional health benefits. Well there is – exercise!

TRIGGER WARNING: The video below addresses themes of mental health and suicide that some viewers may find distressing.

Exercise has long been recognised as an effective intervention in both the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. For example, in their meta-analysis of the literature exploring exercise in the treatment of depression Heissel et al. (2023) found exercise to be an effective treatment for those with depression. Similarly, exercise has also been found to be an effective tool in the prevention of depression (Hu et al., 2020). The simple logic behind the link between exercise and mental health is that exercise can make us feel better. This means that exercise can benefit your mental health whether or not you have a diagnosed mental health problem. As well as combating diagnosed mental health conditions such as depression, exercise can enhance mood and reduce stress levels, thus allowing us to tackle daily challenges in a more positive, optimistic and constructive way. Up and down the country there are many people who are advocates for the beneficial role of exercise in preventing and treating mental health conditions. A few years ago I was lucky enough to meet a group of inspiring people who were referred to a scheme which involved prescribing exercise as part of a programme to tackle mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. A clear message from these participants was that exercise was a powerful tool in helping them to combat mental health challenges. They described exercise as a far more positive treatment than medication.

Image by Moondance from Pixabay

Potentially, exercise can be used to treat mental health problems in place of or in addition to medication and other therapies, but in order for patients to benefit, medical professionals need to be confident in its role as a treatment and have access to suitable programmes to which they can refer their patients. In the past exercise referral for mental health reasons has been relatively uncommon, but in recent years there has been a drive to increase such ‘social prescribing’. For example, in 2022 a £12.7million scheme was launched in 11 local authorities for GPs to prescribe physical activity for those experiencing a range of physical and mental health conditions.

There lots of evidence to show that exercise can have a positive impact on mental health, but why is this the case? What is it about engaging in physical activity that leads to enhanced mental health? There is no one theory or hypothesis that has been universally accepted to explain the link between exercise and mental health. Instead, several different hypotheses have been proposed. These can be split into two categories: physical or psychological explanations (see Table 1). It may be that a combination of factors is causes improvements in mental health, rather than one factor alone. Additionally, because people differ greatly, explanations for improvements in mental health may vary according to the individual concerned.

Table 1: Examples of physical and psychological explanations for the relationship between exercise and improved mental health (adapted from Weinberg and Gould, 2015)

Physiological Explanations Psychological Explanations
  • Increases in cerebral blood flow
  • Changes in brain neurotransmitters (e.g., norepinephrine, endorphins, serotonin)
  • Increases in maximal oxygen consumption and delivery of oxygen to cerebral tissues
  • Reductions in muscle tension
  • Structural changes in the brain
  • Enhanced feeling of control
  • Feeling of competency and self-efficacy
  • Positive social interactions
  • Improved self-concept and self-esteem
  • Opportunities for fun and enjoyment

 

Conclusion

It would appear that exercise can be a highly effective tool in the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. Exercise is a comparatively low cost treatment that can be used on its own or as an adjunct therapy and has virtually no side effects. In addition, it can tackle many other health conditions such as hypertension and heart disease. Surely prescribing exercise to treat mental health is a no brainer!

To find out more on this topic try our free OpenLearn course Exercise and Mental Health.

 

Reflecting on the complex legacy of Linford Christie

By Caroline Heaney, Ben Oakley, Ola Fadoju and Jim Lusted

© BBC Photo – Photographer Jim Sharp

In July 2024 an impactful OU/BBC documentary ‘Linford‘ exploring Linford Christie’s (1992 Olympic 100m Champion) legacy aired on BBC1 just before the Paris Olympics. As well as charting the highs of his career, the documentary also addressed some of the lows such as racism and doping which were acknowledged in the media as being particularly powerful aspects of the programme. For example, The Guardian described the ‘racist fetishisation’ experienced by Linford as ‘heartbreaking’, whilst Athletics Weekly acknowledged the ‘painful’ sight of two of Linford’s children in tears after watching archive footage of their father facing the trivialisation of racism. In this article four #TeamOUsport staff members reflect on the documentary and the impact it had on them.

Ben’s reflections

Image: Josep Maria Trias, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At the 1992 Olympics, for Linford’s 100m victory, I was in the Olympic village as part of the Team GB coaching team (windsurfing). That night many Brits crammed around the TV to watch him, aged 32, win the gold. It was one of those shared moments. We leaped around the room in celebration, proud that ‘one of us’ had won the blue-riband event. We all walked a bit taller. In a way it galvanised the GB team.

Watching how his personal story unfolded in ‘Linford’ I now understand that by defending his corner he was often perceived as tricky character by the media. For me, the greatest personal slight and racist trope having scaled the peak of Olympic sprinting history was for the very next day his achievement to be demeaned by the Sun newspaper. Their front page focused on his genitals rather than his supreme global victory. In the Olympic village we didn’t see the papers but now I better understand how racist stereotypes were at play. Would the same have happened to say, Andy Murray after his Wimbledon success or other world beating white athletes? For me, this type of framing of success can’t be dismissed as ‘banter’, it is abusive.

Ola’s reflections

Linford Christie was iconic – he was ‘the man’ who took the fight to the USA sprinters. The way he stood on the starting line, completely focused and dominating everybody in that 1991-93 period  made him the greatest in that era.  While watching the documentary it was great to see him being honoured but you can also see how much he was maligned by the British media.

I remember fuming in my Haringey bedsit  at the subtle racism and gaslighting at play as Linford was having to justify why he was wearing Lycra shorts on the Saint and Greavsie programme, so much so that I wrote a letter of complaint. The British mainstream media never gave Linford the platitudes or spoke about his supreme mental strength and great sprinting ability which contrasted to the positive coverage for white male athletes. The press just wanted to talk about his genitalia as if that was what all Linford was.

Image from Pixabay

He won a case against the Met police in the 1990s and interestingly things haven’t changed as two of the athletes that Linford coaches, Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos, also successfully took the Met police to court because they were unlawfully arrested and found to be racially profiled by officers in 2020. At the time Linford brought this to our attention on social media and was castigated by many people that he was a ‘race baiter’, rather than being praised for supporting his athletes.  How can it be that even now the Police are still racially profiling Black people in the UK?

Linford was the greatest sprinter this country has ever produced. His legacy should be celebrated.

Jim’s reflections

I had just turned 16 when Linford Christie won 100m gold in 1992 but I remember it like yesterday. I got the chills watching the race again via the documentary, aided by David Coleman’s famous commentary. He was one of my childhood sporting heroes – he came from London (like me), he was a sprinter (I liked to run fast too), he took on the brash, dominant North American athletes with all their privileges and beat them all (an easy narrative to get behind as an impressionable teenager).

Image by Steve Bidmead from Pixabay

Looking back now, I think I followed Linford’s career because of these simple personal connections. The racial politics associated with his career only really became apparent to me later as I began to take more of an interest in issues of ‘race’ and racism in sport during my studies and then through my academic career. For me, one of the most fascinating moments in the documentary was when Christie talked about wrapping himself in the union flag after his victory. He notes the controversy this caused, recalling a UK official telling him at the time that ‘this wasn’t something (Black) athletes should be doing’. But this simple gesture took on huge significance as it became an iconic moment well beyond sport; Christie’s flag wearing was an overt display of Black Britishness, one which helped to re-define national identity in late 20th Century Britain. In that respect, it is what Linford did straight after, rather than during, that race in Barcelona all those years ago that is arguably his greatest legacy.

Caroline’s reflections

Image by Claudio Bianchi from Pixabay

As someone who has been involved in athletics since the early 1990s and trained in a similar area of West London to Linford, I felt honoured to be an academic consultant on this documentary with Ben. As an athlete in that period Linford was a legend and it was always exciting when he trained at my track or was at the same competitions as me. To me and others in athletics he always came across as a nice guy, who took the time to speak to people and seemed very humble. It surprised me when others and elements of the media seemed to have a different opinion of him. That differing perspective continues to this day through his perceived legacy since retiring from competition. To those outside of athletics, Linford is perceived to be invisible and to have disappeared under a cloud of disgrace after his drugs ban. Those inside of athletics know that Linford is in fact still very visible, and his legacy has lived on through his role as a coach. Learning from the close partnership he had with his own coach Ron Roddan, Linford has gone on to successfully coach several athletes including Olympic medallists Darren Campbell and Katherine Merry and 2024 Olympian Bianca Williams. His coaching career, however, continues to be touched by issues of drugs and racism. His drugs ban means that he is not allowed accreditation as a coach at any Olympics and so his ability to support his athletes in hindered. Sports coaching as a profession continues to lack diversity with black people typically underrepresented and so Linford’s position as a successful black coach means that he continues to be an important role model and continues to challenge racial stereotypes – an important legacy.

 

The ‘Linford’ documentary has been instrumental in raising awareness of some of the darker sides of sport that not only affected Linford Christie’s competitive career in the 1980s and 90s, but sadly continue to affect athletes today. Let’s hope that this awareness can be a catalyst for change.

The ‘Linford’ documentary is an Open University (OU)/BBC co-production. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer.

Associated resources exploring why athletic performances continue to improve can also be found on the Open University Connect website.