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By British Cycling's Larry Hickmott One of the many medal hopes in the Great Britain Olympic Track cycling team is Jamie Staff, who this year in Melbourne Australia was the winner of the UCI World Keirin Championship on the banked track in the Vodaphone Arena. Jamie was undoubtedly one of the cycling stories of the year in 2002 when, the BMX rider who had won just about everything from the World Championships downwards, decided he wanted to win an Olympic medal. At that time, BMX was not an Olympic sport which it will be at the next Olympics, so he turned his attention to Track sprinting events and such was his speed and power on the track, that he qualified for the Great Britain Cycling Team at the first attempt. A natural competitor, he revelled in the physical nature of the Sprint and the Keirin, although it was in the Kilometre and Team Sprint that he made his mark on the team. All of a sudden, the Sprint Team which had been unchanged for a few years, suddenly had a new face vying for a spot in the team at World level. During a chat at the Olympic holding camp, his arrival was acknowledged as having been a wake up call to the other riders in the team and success for them all soon followed. At the Commonwealth Games in 2002, Jamie complete with red mohawk, was a crowd-pleasing member of the silver medal winning England Team Sprint trio, an impressive semi-finalist in the sprint (during which he broke the national 200m record) and the winner of a bronze in the Kilometre, behind GB team-mates Chris Hoy and Jason Queally. Only weeks later however, he surpassed all expectations when he helped GB to win a gold medal in the Team Sprint at the 2002 World Track Championships in Copenhagen, less than a year after taking up track racing. In 2003 he continued to progress, recording two personal bests in the Kilo and a win in the Mexico World cup in the discipline, though injury and illness curtailed his season. In 2004, after a slow start during which he almost gave up in his quest for an Olympic medal so demoralising was his illness for him, Jamie soon overcame it and was back to his best in May. It wasn't a great start in Sydney for the final 2004 World Track Cup and there were times when his face was a picture of disappointment when not achieving was no option for him. He did however get the form he needed before Melbourne and enjoyed a wonderful World Track Championships, contributing to a Team Sprint bronze, competing well in the Sprint (knocked out by eventual winner Theo Bos of Holland), but above all else, winning his first individual world Track title in the Keirin, with a fantastic front-running ride in a very fast final. That was the last time I saw Jamie as we all departed for different parts of the World after the curtain had been drawn on the World Championships. Two months later in the Olympic Holding Camp for the Great Britain Track Cycling Team, I managed to catch up with the likeable sprinter in the team lounge. We started by talking how life had been for him since Melbourne. Of all the athletes, Jamie is probably the most isolated as his lovely wife Malia is back in America where she works as a hairdresser and the two have spent most of the year apart. It's a big price to pay for glory in the sporting arena and despite the time difference, the two do still get to talk every day but the time apart certainly contributes to the roller coaster of emotions he feels day to day. Jamie is not shy when admits that things have been up and down since Melbourne but with a shrug of the shoulders says "that's sport for you." It isn't the first time Jamie has admitted that life at this level can be difficult especially when living thousands of miles from the woman he only married less than a year ago. Life is a constant series of highs and lows, week to week, day to day for Jamie but things got really bad just over a week ago when everything he has worked for since taking to the track, was threatened by what he thinks was a bout of food poisoning. "I was sick for four or five days" he says "and had to stop training. When that happens, you start panicking, trying to tell yourself that everything will be fine but because you can't train for five days, you still think the world is going to end." Like many athletes have found though when injury or illness provokes panic as they are stopped from doing what they feel they have to maintain their position in the sport, things did get better and his training "was pretty productive". If anything the break did him some good and when he came back to the hard work, he soon had a personal best in the gym and was reaching speeds behind the motorbike of 50mph (80kph) on the track. The form was, of course, still there and despite tiredness and sore legs from the long days in the gym and track, Jamie says of his form now "I consider myself to be ahead of where I was in Melbourne." Where he was in Melbourne for those who saw his performances was quite awesome. In the sprint he beat the eventual World Champion Theo Bos before a lack of experience perhaps cost him a medal, a gold one even, and then in the Keirin, he played it cool at the back before surging to the front and holding off everyone to win his first Individual World Track title. He is though still not happy with that level of form he had then - he wants to be even further ahead of the rest in Athens saying "I am hoping a lot of the others peaked in Melbourne at their true peak and won't have much more to give, where as I think I have a lot more to give." That World Title (click for interview at the Worlds)
"I haven't thought about it much because the Worlds have been overshadowed by the Olympics" he replied. "To me the World Championships was kind of like a World Cup even though it was really cool to win it. Don't get me wrong, it means a lot to me personally and its more than I thought I could achieve." "From day one, I said I wanted to go to the Olympics and that was it. To win two world titles along the way wasn't even thought about. I didn't even imagine I would. So to win two world championships in just over two years I have been racing on the track is pretty cool." And then after a pause with a smile on his face, he says cheekily, "as I'm slowly coming to the end of my career, the more I can get, the better!" Jamie was not the only one happy as we sat there in five star luxury in a lounge at the Celtic Manor. With shrieks of laughter coming from the lounge chairs in front of the TV as his team mates enjoyed Little Britain, Jamie says that the Keirin final in Melbourne had been a surreal experience. "You do three races and the rides didn't really seem that hard from a technical point" he explained. "The final went like slow motion to be honest. Technically, it was easy because no one was doing any silly moves or trying to block or swerve about -- it was a quite straightforward race." "There is luck involved in the Keirin though" he admits "Just like any other race he adds "but I was really comfortable around the other riders and felt confident I could get a top three. That was what I was aiming for the whole way. Even a couple of metres before the finish line, I thought, 'oh cool, I think I have won a medal'. I was still waiting for everyone to come flying by me. But no-one did which was great." Indeed it was and I wasn't the only one there deeply proud of the big guy who had another rainbow jersey to add to his collection and one to go with the one won by his roommate at the same worlds by Chris Hoy -- talk about keeping up with the joneses. But that is all in the past and the jerseys are now in a shop in Kent getting framed as a reminder of the years of sporting success. Asked to compare the Keirin to the BMX title he won on home soil, almost a decade before Jamie explained that both meant a lot. The BMX one because he had a lot of fans and that the title took so long to win "In the 20 years I did BMX, I had one world title which shows how hard it is to come by. There is so much luck involved." And does this latest World Title make a difference financially? "Not really. I think if it hadn't been Olympic year, I would have got a little more from it but everyone seems to be holding back to see what happens at the Olympics where sponsors want successful riders from there. I have had a few bonuses here and there though." Bonuses from Oakley for instance which will help him bring his wife to the Olympics to watch him battle for the one prize that has kept them apart for most of the year. His other personal sponsors include Panasonic which is a useful as he admits to being a gadget freak and also Easynet which helps him feed his internet habit! Sponsors after his services though may suddenly blossom if he achieves his goal of an Olympic medal, preferably Gold and we can only hope the rides in Athens are just as easy as they were in Melbourne for the former BMX star. Prior to Melbourne, he like most of the team, were battling away for Great Britain travelling to World Cups making the preparation for the Worlds a little less than ideal. Hence Jamie says "I was probably only 80 percent in Melbourne, and right now I am closing in on 100 percent. I have had a good run for the Olympics even though I got sick." And training apart, how is he handling the time apart from his beautiful wife, Malia? "She came over after the Worlds and we had a couple of weeks together" he explains noticeably missing his wife of less than a year. "As anyone can imagine after we only got married a year ago, although I spent a solid few months with her over the winter, pretty much this year its been visits of a few weeks here and there and its been extremely hard on us. But we know we want each other, and we know there is an end coming after the Olympics when we'll be together". The time apart though is not something he wants to repeat though because although he says Malia has been great about it, and it has helped him focus on the sport, he also admits its been extremely hard and something that he doesn't want to do again. It does though demonstrate just how much this athlete wants that Olympic medal. Hungry doesn't even start to describe his craving for sporting glory in the biggest sporting event in the World. The final weeks of a long road to Athens "It is awesome" he told me "and the comforts do make you feel more at home and relaxed as opposed to a cheaper hotel where there is no lounge areas where you can meet together and hang out. We have a swimming pool and spas and its just a relaxing atmosphere. Being together, I love this camp. Everyone getting together and helping each other out and spurring each other on. Its great." Was the prospect though of heading to his first Olympics distracting though? "I have been trying not to think of the Olympics too much" he replied. "I don't want to stress about it but being here though around everyone, you do get in to race mode. Like we had a practice run in the team sprint the other day and I think I was more nervous then than I was in the world championships just because you're starting to sweat about what's coming up." The Team Sprint lads though were visibly a happy crew and we had many a laugh when together. As Jamie says, "when Shane (team manager) says someone is having a bad day, we all get together and help them through it." I saw this first hand in the gym and on the track when everyone was urging the others on to a doing good effort or a personal best. There was, despite the competition for places, no visible signs of rivalry. Asked what events he thinks he will be doing in Athens, Jamie says "I am 99 per cent sure I will be doing the Team Sprint and the Keirin. In the middle of that you have the Match sprint which ideally I'd like to do as well but I think Craig has first option on that and even if he turns it down, I am also not sure I want to do it because its in between the two key things I am doing. Its over three days as well so if I did go far in it I would have three days of racing and although it won't be too taxing, there will be some fatigue from it which may take the edge off me for the Keirin." "In a way, you want to go to the Olympics and do as many events as you can but at the same time you need to be 100 per cent focused on the ones you're good at." Being realistic, he admits that "I have learnt a lot in the Match Sprint but it would be a miracle if I got a medal in it at the moment." And then with a wry smile, he adds "but then I would have said that about the Keirin a few months ago!" Does he feel more pressure going into the Keirin event as World champion? "No I don't think so" Jamie says . "Its given me extra confidence that I can go out there and win a World class event. Hopefully the Olympics will be easier and I would rather go in as World champion than not. It's been good for me." Time was ticking by on his rather cool looking Oakley watch, another present from the sponsors, and it was only supposed to be a short chat as the hour was late. I was mindful these athletes had to be up early but as always with Jamie, the talk comes easy. We did though finally say our goodbyes after a long hot day. Not only had Jamie been ripping up the track at 50 mph chasing the motor bike round the track, he had also been in the heated gym lifting many hundreds of pounds on the ends of the bar. That, he says, was a horrible experience and one he doesn't want to repeat referring to the fact the gym is heated to help them acclimatise to the heat in Athens. It's a tough training schedule, one that is given to him by his National coach Iain Dyer and manager Shane Sutton. Jamie admits that this track racing lark is still new to him despite having won two World titles and that he leaves the training schedules to the experts. As he says "the technology and support we have at GB -- we couldn't do it without". Having been to the other side of the World with the team and also seeing the cutting edge sport science in action in Newport, support is certainly not something this team lacks and when matched with the hunger of the riders who have been after Gold since Sydney four years ago, I am sure I won't be the only one who will eagerly be watching them perform on the boards of Athens. One thing is for sure, Jamie, like everyone else, will be giving 110 per cent to bring back Olympic medals and I am sure I speak for everyone in the UK, in wishing the big fella all the luck in the World.
GREAT BRITAIN OLYMPIC TEAM IN BREIF Rider (potential events) Oli Beckingsale (Mens Mountain Biking) Nicole Cooke (Women's Road Race) Steve Cummings: (Team Pursuit) Stuart Dangerfield: (Men's Road Time Trial) Emma Davies: (Womens Individual Pursuit/Womens Points Race) Ross Edgar: (Sprint, Keirin) Roger Hammond: (Mens Road Race) Rob Hayles: (Mens Individual Pursuit/Team Pursuit/Madison) Rachel Heal: (Womens Road Race) Chris Hoy: (Kilo/Team Sprint) Jeremy Hunt: (Mens Road Race) Liam Killeen: (Mens Mountain Biking) Craig MacLean: (Kilo/Team Sprint) Paul Manning: (Mens Individual Pursuit/Team Pursuit) Chris Newton: (Team Pursuit/Mens Points Race) Victoria Pendleton: (500TT/Womens Sprint) Jason Queally: (Kilo/Team Sprint) Jamie Staff: (Kilo, Team Sprint, Keirin) Bryan Steel: (Team Pursuit) Sara Symington: (Womens Road Race) Charly Wegalius: (Mens Road Race) Bradley Wiggins: (Individual Pursuit/Team Pursuit/Madison) Julian Winn: (Mens Road Race) The Great Britain Cycling Team for the Paralympics Tandems
(click for bios) Aileen
McGlynn - 22.06.73/Glasgow Ian
Sharpe - 27.10.70/Ramsey, Isle of Man Solos Gary Williams - 05.03.68/Bickerstaffe, Lancs
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