Adam Gemili is first guest on Ready, Set, Glasgow podcast series
The recently-retired world, European and Commonwealth medallist sprinter Adam Gemili is the first guest on the England Athletics Podcast's "Ready, Set, Glasgow" series, inspired by the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Co-presenters Dan Pembroke - a two-time Paralympic javelin champion - and athletics commentator Alex Seftel ask Gemili to reminisce about his favourite moments in his career. They also discuss his return to Chelsea Football Club as a speed coach - a full-circle moment for the 32-year-old - who switched to athletics full-time prior to his Olympic debut in 2012.
"When I look back at it now, I just think 'how did we do that?'," he jokes about the decision to change sports. "I was playing at Dagenham and Redbridge. I had been working my whole life for that contract. It wasn't for any real money and there weren't opportunities to go to university."
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Having dabbled in athletics, Adam's parents suggested that he take track seriously for a year and see what happens. He never looked back, making the Olympic 100m semi-finals that year, before winning the European 200m title, along with two Commonwealth medals in Glasgow in 2014.
"I've been really fortunate to live that dream. I was one of the lucky ones," he says. "I competed with the greatest athlete of all time, Usain Bolt. I didn't beat him, but I was at that level. That is something I can be really proud of."
Gemili was the first British sprinter to run both sub-10 seconds for 100m and sub-20 seconds for 200m. He remains one of three to have ever done that, alongside Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. But he was also a key component of Great Britain and England relay teams for over a decade.
"I've been a part of many different eras of relays. Sprinters have the biggest egos, you have to believe you are the business," he explains. "When you get all of those people in one room, there have definitely been sparks that have flown. I grew up with football with that team element, where whatever is best for the team is the priority.
"There was definitely an era in British sprinting where it wasn't like that. When people didn't get selected, people would throw tantrums and storm out of rooms." Gemili remembers. "It wasn't until after the Rio (2016) Olympics that we all came together. We thought 'let's park our egos'. We all learnt so much more about each other, we really became friends off the track. We went on to win medals at pretty much every Championships going forward."
With the wisdom he has gained from a career in athletics, Gemili feels that he can debunk the classic social media-driven myth that Premier League footballers can run just as fast as Bolt. So, does his current work with Chelsea's academy suggest that respect is being shown to the benefits that sprint coaching can bring to football?
"Definitely," says Adam. "They are a club that are really open minded, really understand the benefits of other sports and other techniques. All clubs should have that. Footballers have to be athletes now. You would be surprised by the lack of conditioning."
"I think you learn so much about movement and coordination and control of your body," Gemili says about track and field. "As an athlete, you drill every single day. A lot of sports don't do that, and if they did do it, the percentage increase in performance is massive. I'm hoping it can grow and a lot of other people will be open to bringing someone in."
Where to listen
Use the links below to watch or listen to the podcast and keep an eye out for new episode releases over the coming weeks.