Athletics Videos
Olympic Gold Medallist Coaches Future Olympic Hopefuls
Posted on: 01 April 2011 - 16:06 Filed under: Athletics
With just over a year until the 2012 London Olympics, Mark Lewis Francis reflects on a career which has taken him from the Aviva Sportshall to Olympic glory as part of the Aviva GB & NI team. After missing the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to injury, Mark discusses his plans to ensure the same doesn’t happen again and how his current injury will impact his preparation.
One of Mark’s first experiences of an athletic contest was competing at Aviva Sportshall, his experience there set him on his path to Olympic success. Now he is using the experiences that have made him a better athlete to mentor young athletes through the Aviva Sportshall initiative which gives children their first taste of athletic competition with an emphasis on fun and teamwork.
Sportshall Athletics was created in 1976 by George Bunner so that youngsters at his local athletics club could continue to train indoors. Aviva Sportshall became so popular that by 1980 it had developed into a national competition. Today Aviva Sportshall is a competitive and fun introduction to athletics for children aged 4 to 16, where they can also learn from some of Britain’s best athletes.
Following a superb 2010 which saw him take home both European and Commonwealth individual 100m silver, and 4x100m Commonwealth relay gold, Mark is one of the most successful of Sportshall alumni in the Aviva GB & NI team.