Pickering looking to make amends

This year has been very hit and miss for Craig Pickering. The talented sprinter has found himself in a poor run of form, finishing sixth in the European trials in Birmingham and subsequently missing out on going to Barcelona as an individual runner. However, he has still managed to make the relay team, and is expecting to finish the season with a flourish.
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“Things haven’t been going as well or even nearly as well as I’d have liked them to, but sometimes that happens.
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“It’s a case of something not clicking into place, when it does you run really well. It’s just about trying to find what that thing is.”
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It is a huge disappointment for the 23 year-old, who has proven himself over 60 metres, namely as a silver medalist at the 2007 European Indoor Championships. Despite this he grasps at the positives of such a bad spell. “I made the individuals for the 2007 Worlds and 2008 Olympics, but I haven’t made a major championships for the last two years, which obviously isn’t a step in the right direction.
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“At the same time there are still two years until London, so for this to happen now could turn out to be positive, as it allows me to take a step back, see what isn’t working and try and fix it. I’m looking at it as an opportunity to change things instead of being a disaster.”
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For now the Marshall Milton Keynes runner is placing all of his focus on the relay, an event he identifies as a very strong prospect for the rest of his career. Being surrounded by a mixture of youth and experience, it offers the perfect platform for Pickering to try new things and develop as a runner.
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“I want to have a good run here [in Barcelona]. I really want to get a gold medal, it would be a nice way to end the year. I’ve always tried 100 per cent in the relay, because I understand that I’m probably never going to be quick enough to get individual medals at World Championships and Olympics. I’ve always taken it seriously, but this year there’s an added impetus.
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“When we’re practicing we all spot things which aren’t quite working and provide solutions on how to improve. There are experienced members who can spot things, but at the same time there are the younger runners who can spot things as well.”
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With the dominance of Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay in the individual sprints, and now with the emergence of Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, Pickering understands that team events will be his best shot at success. This allows him to use his talents across 60 metres, as he tries to cement his position as a second leg runner.
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“I’ve been in the final four for races already this year and in both those times I’ve been on the second leg, it’s my best leg. I’ve ran the first before and it isn’t my best and obviously I ran the last leg at the Olympics which didn’t go very well at all [Pickering went too early and Team GB were disqualified].
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“Running 60 metres can help, but you’ve also got to have good endurance, you’ve got to be able to run that speed for a good 120 – 130 metres. In 2007 I ran the second leg and we won bronze at the World Championships. I ran a very good leg against Usain Bolt and it put me in good stead. I think I’ve got those attributes to run a good second leg this year.”
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For now though, the most important thing is for Pickering and the rest of the team to make Sunday’s relay final and let their running do the talking.

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Craig Pickering has been selected for the Aviva GB & NI Team and is at an Aviva funded pre event preparation camp in Portugal. Aviva's support, both at home and abroad, is helping the team prepare to compete at their best. For more details visit�aviva.co.uk/athletics.

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