A British sprinter recalls winning the 60m in 6.49 minutes at the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland on March 8, 2014.
The Teesside Tornado almost quit the sport to join the army after being rejected for the Olympics in 2012 and only made the world indoor team in 2014 when trials winner James Dasaolu pulled out with injury. However, he took advantage of his opportunity in Poland.
Before 2014, I would never ride a full indoor season. I was more focused on the 200m. I felt that I was mistakenly not selected for the London 2012 Olympics. I had the 200m standard but (selectors) Charles van Komeny and Tony Lester decided not to take me and just skip a spot which was odd in our home games. Then in 2013 I had the qualifying standard, I was ranked first in Great Britain and second in the trials, but they still didn’t pick me for the 200m at the World Championships in Moscow.
In preparation for 2014, I teamed up with long jumper Chris Tomlinson on Teesside during that winter season and he said to me: Linford Christie had also told me a few years before that I could do well in the 60m but I was just doing the odd race here and there.
I had a great training camp in South Africa and I was running really fast. Then my first race was 6.68 and my second race was 6.63. I was saying: “Maybe I’ll just forget this indoor season.”
But then I went to the British Championships, ran 6.53 and ended up being selected for the World Indoor Championships. I still came in as a 66-1 handicap as I had lost most of my races that year. Dwayne Chambers, who was the European record holder, had beaten me several times. Nesta Carter had beaten me. Kim Collins had beaten me.
Some of the best 60m runners of all time have been on the field in Sopot. Su Bingtian, the fastest man ever to travel 60m when he clocked 6.29 at the Olympics, to Marvin Bracey, the world 100m silver medallist, it was a crazy line-up.
But every race I got faster. I was finishing ridiculously strong from 30m to 60m and running people down. Carter beat me in the semis after I beat him in the heat, but I knew I had more. I’ve had a lot of help from biomechanist Paul Brice, who I think is the best in the world and one of the main reasons for the success of the British relay since 2016.
I felt like from 30m to 40m I was getting stuck in my drive phase and not getting out of my transition fast enough. He took out the numbers from zero to 30m and from 30m to 60m. Between 30m and 60m was Richard Kilty, 2.62 seconds. Marvin Bracey: 2.65. Dwayne Chambers. 2.65… and then all. However, from zero to 30m Marvin was 3.87, Sue 3.87, Dwayne 3.8 and Richard Kilty 3.90.
He said: “Richard, if you get to 30 meters faster, you’ll run away with it in the last 30 meters.” It completely changed my perspective on what I was going to focus on in the race. Because of this amazing data, he said to me and my coach. “If you can get out of the blocks a little faster, you’ll be a world champion.”
Some of the best starters of all time were in that race, but if I had been with them in the 30m, I would have won. I remember being so confident that I was going to run my fastest time ever. I would run 6.52 in the semis, but I knew I could run 6.50.
The gun went off, and as soon as I put my first foot on it, Nesta disappeared. He just didn’t respond. I was laser focused on the drive to 30m. I could see Sue’s red vest to my left, Bracey’s to my right, and Dwayne’s white vest directly to my left. When I stood up about 40 meters into my run, I could just feel them slowly going backwards.
As I turned to the lane, I dipped and looked to the left and knew I had Dwayne and Sue beat because I couldn’t see them. When I finally hit the boards I looked up to see British flags flying everywhere. And in Poland, the commentator was shouting “Richard Kilty”.
I went to celebrate, then I thought. “No, maybe someone dunked me from the right. I’m celebrating, right?” Then it flashed on the big screen, “Richard Kilty, Champion of the World.” Simply The Best by Tina Turner started booming and I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes. When I opened them, the cameras were all around me. It’s surreal how it all happened in less than six and a half seconds.
There have been many times where I almost quit the sport. I almost made a few decisions where my life would have been turned upside down, and then when I won, it was just phenomenal. the feeling I got from the fact that everyone counted me out, that the odds were completely against me in every way. I was 66-1 and have yet to hear of anyone beating me that night. I felt like it was me against the world at that stage.
It was also a big win for people who come from my background. I grew up on one of the roughest council estates in the North East of England. Most of my family members have been in and out of prison. There wasn’t really much success within tangible range for me, so I had to rely on my guts.
I was a street kid and athletics was my outlet, my way to change my life. I always knew I had talent. I always knew I had a very tough, resilient character and that night showed it all. It’s a night I’ll never, ever forget.
The Richard Kielty Athletics Academy runs the Sprint to Success program with funding from Allwyn and UK Sport’s ChangeMakers Foundation.
