Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 17 October 2000 Tom Knight REMEMBER Mark Lewis-Francis, the young British sprinter who made such a sensational breakthrough during the summer, only to opt out of selection for the Olympics? His time of 10.10sec for 100 metres at the British Grand Prix in August was a world record for a 17-year-old and his third place at the trials a week later might have seen him included in the squad for Sydney. But Lewis-Francis always maintained that while an appearance at the Olympics was a tempting prospect, his priority was winning the gold medal at the World Junior Championships, which start today in Chile. He said: "My time will come. It's not as if I have to wait another four years to get among the big boys. Hopefully, there will be many more Olympics but there will only be one world juniors and I've set my aim on that all year. "I'm just delighted I've progressed the way I have this season. I never expected to make such an improvement but everything has started to fit into place." With the sport still basking in the Olympic afterglow, Lewis-Francis represents the next generation of athletes who will be expected to continue the success achieved in Sydney. He heads a team of 43 competing in Chile, and the competition he has set his sights on begins later today when he lines up for his first-round heat of the 100m in the National Stadium in Santiago. Now 18 and top of the world rankings, the powerfully-built youngster from the West Midlands goes into the championships as the favourite to retain for Britain the title won two years ago in Annecy by Christian Malcolm, who went on to win the 200m as well. Lewis-Francis, last year's world youth champion, will have a second chance to win gold as part of Britain's 4 x 100m relay team, who are the fastest quartet in the world this year. Among his growing legion of fans is Donovan Bailey, the 1996 Olympic champion and former world record holder, who raced against Lewis-Francis at Bedford in June and spent time chatting with him afterwards. Bailey said: "Mark is, quite simply, the most phenomenal and exciting athlete I've seen. Britain must be so excited because he'll win the Olympic 100 metres in Athens. "The Americans have produced so many great runners for so long now because they have such strength in depth. It's what the British are doing now and that can only be good for Athens and beyond." Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com
