The British sprinter looks back to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where she won the 400m bronze medal in a British record time of 49.43.
A 4x100m bronze medalist in Moscow, the 1980 Olympic 100m and 200m finalist made history in her second Games by setting a British 400m record in Los Angeles that would stand for almost 30 years as she won bronze behind Americans Valerie Briscoe-Hooks and Chandra Cheeseborough.
Moscow 1980 was a strange Olympics as countries boycotted it. Although we did go, we didn’t go to the opening or closing ceremonies, and there were a lot of things that made it not feel like the Olympics. People came, did their event and went home, so it was a bit strange.
I competed in the 100m, 200m and relay, so I was there for quite a while. By making two sprint finals, it gave me confidence and experience that I took with me to Los Angeles.
As a kid, I spent every summer at my great aunt’s farm, just running around and doing all kinds of dangerous things that kids probably wouldn’t be allowed to do now. He saw me when I was about nine years old, and he even calculated which Olympics I would play. He said: “24 is a good age. I think the ’84 Olympics will suit you.” We joked about it, but luckily he lived to see me do it. It was my Games. It was my time. Just the right age where I’ve been around the sport long enough to gain experience.
The whole atmosphere in Los Angeles was like a party. The Olympic colors were very bright. Everything felt like a festival or a carnival. It was crazy, really. The stadium was packed for every session, even in the morning heat. It was also a bit overwhelming, but it was in direct contrast to how it was in Moscow.
No one from my family or parents could come. It was just beyond them. The Olympics might as well have been on the moon. But I was lucky that my coach, Jim Spooner, was able to come and obviously I had (husband and 4x400m relay silver medalist) Garry there as well.
It was really helpful as I am a very nervous person. You need someone who gets to know you really well, who can interrupt you and get you in the right frame of mind. I had my coach and Garry there helping me with that.
Jim had very high expectations. He thought that I would win medals in both individual competitions, and he always talked as if I would win both. I just let him talk. I knew I was perfectly capable of making the finals and winning medals, but in retrospect, I could have definitely benefited from working with my brain instead of my body.
As we stepped onto the track for the 400m final and were stripped of all our tracksuits, we stood in our lanes and waited. There was a big clock in the stadium and all the races hit the nail on the head. I was staring at the clock, there was still a minute left, and I could feel nothing but nerves.
I thought everyone coming home was looking at me and I knew I was going to go out really fast and work really hard for the first 200 meters. In the middle of the run I had a brief thought. “Where are they? Where is everyone?” For just a second, there was no one in my peripheral vision.
Instead of thinking. “Here we go, I’m going to win” as we exited the bend, I suddenly seemed sandwiched between the others as we all ran straight. The problem with 400m is that there is plenty of time to think. Not a huge amount, but there.
I never got to the point where I could run 400m with absolute eyeballs the whole way. There has to be a point in the race where you’re just floating, where you just take a moment to collect yourself, maybe running over the home straight. And I was just relieved at the end that it was done.
Obviously, when you get a medal, you’re just elated. I just couldn’t believe the time. My coach kept saying I could go under 50, but you still have to do it. It’s nice when you run really well in the biggest race of your career, run a PB and go under a big barrier.
I was quite shocked. I was looking at the screen and wasn’t sure if I was third… and then I saw it. Garry was in the crowd near the finish line as well. It was really lovely.
Then I didn’t celebrate at all. I was always getting called out for doping and I could never cry for hours and hours. I used to spend hours on doping control, which is the last thing you want to do. I have a picture Garry took of me leaning out of the Portakabin window. You just have to hang in there until you get the job done.
Two days later I returned to 200m. I felt much more confident. I knew I could do it. I made the rounds and felt so good about my run. I was looking forward to it because I felt in a great position. Mary Peters walked with me from the warm-up track to the stadium for the final and she said, “I think you’ll get another medal.” I was thinking. “It’s going to be crazy,” but I missed out on a medal by a hundredth of a second.
The 4x100m was the last. It was a tough week, but you have to train for it, and I always do one or two individual events and then pass the baton at the big championships. It was better than just having one event at the end of the championship when you have to continue your training while keeping up with everyone. It’s exhausting too. But I got the second bronze from it.
It was really nice to come home with Gary. We lived just outside of Cannock at the time and our whole street threw us a street party. We had a great return, apart from our car breaking down on the way back from Heathrow. AA should have come while our street was like this. “Where are they?”
My name is still high on my LA PBs all time lists. When you grow up, you think: “I don’t know how I did it. I did it. Was it me?” It’s unbelievable. We still got multiple issues of Athletics Weekly from way back. We moved home about four years ago and found everything again. We looked through them and it was amazing.
Kathy and Gary’s Sons of Olympia podcast is available on major platforms.
As Mark Woods said
Documents
Was born. May 3, 1960
Events100m/200m/400m
PBs: 11.10/22.10/49.43
1986Commonwealth Games 200m silver, 400m bronze and 4x100m relay gold
1984Olympic Games 400m and 4x100m relay bronze
1983World Championships 200m and 4x100m relay bronze
1982European Championship 200 m silver and 4×100 m relay silver; Commonwealth Games silver
1980Olympics 4x100m relay bronze
1978European Championship 4×100 m silver
1977European U20 Championships 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay bronze
