0:00:22 > 0:00:26Hello and welcome to Sport Nation, your essential guide to the very
0:00:26 > 0:00:29best of Scottish sport. This month from Cardiff to Shetland and plenty
0:00:29 > 0:00:36of places in between, we're bringing you the latest news on our
0:00:36 > 0:00:41elite performers. Coming up: Three defeats from three for Scotland at
0:00:41 > 0:00:44the Six Nations so far. A poor return, or reasons for hope? We
0:00:45 > 0:00:49have probably the best hope against Ireland. A special investigation
0:00:49 > 0:00:53into why the girls are beating the boys on the track. I really do feel
0:00:53 > 0:00:57that it is equality of the sport that has made it more accessible
0:00:57 > 0:01:00for women to be successful. Sports Nation exclusive from
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Shetland as Scottish Rugby's poster boy visits the island. Rhona has
0:01:04 > 0:01:08been to one of the Olympic venues to speak to one of our London 2012
0:01:08 > 0:01:12gold medal contenders. It's great that people are supporting and
0:01:12 > 0:01:16saying silver last time, gold this time. There is more to it than that.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21And Tom Evans reveals his plans to run and win for Scotland at Glasgow
0:01:21 > 0:01:262014. It is going to be no easy feat, but if I continue training
0:01:26 > 0:01:29the way I have been, who knows what the future holds?
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Well, it is hardly the start the country was looking for to this
0:01:33 > 0:01:43year's Six Nations. Three games played and three losses to England,
0:01:43 > 0:01:52
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Wales and France. We reflect on the Three games in, and Scotland's Six
0:01:56 > 0:02:02Nations campaign has come to a shuddering halt. Where has it gone
0:02:03 > 0:02:11wrong, and where are we heading? Plenty then to talk about with
0:02:11 > 0:02:21somebody who knows a wee thing or two about playing for Scotland.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Doddie Weir is the man! Scotland. Six Nations so far. Discuss.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Wherever you look it was stated that Scotland were going to do well,
0:02:29 > 0:02:34and that is probably the first time it's happened that way for quite a
0:02:34 > 0:02:36long time. But it's these little mistakes, and these little mistakes
0:02:36 > 0:02:42have crept in, and these little mistakes are not allowing Scotland
0:02:42 > 0:02:46to win the matches. That started with the first match against
0:02:46 > 0:02:50England. A packed Murrayfield saw Scotland dominate England for long
0:02:50 > 0:02:52spells, new boys instantly making their mark. In the end though,
0:02:52 > 0:02:59mistakes proved crucial, handing an inexperienced England the victory,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and signalling the end of Dan Parks's international career.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06retirement afterwards was a bit of a shock as well because if anyone
0:03:06 > 0:03:09wanted to fight for the jersey even if his time might be up with this
0:03:09 > 0:03:15team at the moment, anyone with a Scottish thistle really want him to
0:03:15 > 0:03:19fight for the jersey. He should have taken that as a right and
0:03:19 > 0:03:23fought for the jersey. But he, to me, took the easy option out to end
0:03:24 > 0:03:31his international career. Two weeks later, Scotland travelled to
0:03:31 > 0:03:37Cardiff. Again, a spirited display was undermined by individual errors.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43A ruthless Wales made us pay. has the try! His second, Wales's
0:03:43 > 0:03:46third. Ultimately, if there is a mistake on the field it is down to
0:03:46 > 0:03:50that individual player. When I was playing, if you dropped the ball,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55it is your fault. If you feel you can't catch that ball, then you
0:03:55 > 0:03:58should not catch that ball. But taking that one stage back, the
0:03:58 > 0:04:05coach has to have some sort of say into that as well because they have
0:04:05 > 0:04:08to practise these skills. On paper, the visit of pre-tournament
0:04:08 > 0:04:11favourites France was always going to be the toughest of tests for
0:04:11 > 0:04:17Andy Robinson and his men. Initially, though, you wouldn't
0:04:17 > 0:04:27have thought so. And another new boy showed Murrayfield how it's
0:04:27 > 0:04:28
0:04:28 > 0:04:33done. It is a try for Lee Jones! the end, again, Scotland fell short.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37And France will have that try. Speak to me about the young players
0:04:37 > 0:04:42that have been brought in for this season. To me, Denton is one of
0:04:42 > 0:04:47them. Very solid number 8, understands the priorities of a
0:04:47 > 0:04:54number 8. He has had the experience of being in a sevens circuit. The
0:04:54 > 0:05:01same with Hogg as well. Denton and Hogg for me have got a big future.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06Has Lee Jones caught your eye? Yes, he has. He has come in well. It is
0:05:06 > 0:05:11exciting. The young stand-offs that we have got - lovely to watch.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Every player wants to get their hands on the ball. Despite the new
0:05:15 > 0:05:17blood, a campaign that promised much is dying. Trips to Dublin and
0:05:17 > 0:05:27Rome now all that stand between Scotland and the dreaded wooden
0:05:27 > 0:05:28
0:05:28 > 0:05:31spoon. It's funny how in rugby there are certain teams you enjoy
0:05:31 > 0:05:34playing against. One of them is Ireland. The Scots always raise
0:05:34 > 0:05:37their game against the Irish for some reason. We don't enjoy playing
0:05:37 > 0:05:45against Italy, there is no doubt. To me, our best hope is against
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Ireland because away to Italy, we have not had the best of records.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Whatever comes from Scotland's travels, the focus now is on head
0:05:51 > 0:05:58coach Andy Robinson. Contracted until 2015, but with the unwanted
0:05:58 > 0:06:02record of just two wins in 13 Six Nations matches. Rugby is
0:06:02 > 0:06:07everything to him, and I think he has come into a job to try and be
0:06:07 > 0:06:12successful. It has not been successful. Now, is that a reason...
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Is that his fault? Is that the professional game in Scotland's
0:06:17 > 0:06:21fault? We only have two teams after all in Scotland. He is trying his
0:06:21 > 0:06:25hardest, I think, to try and become a winner for Scotland. But it is
0:06:26 > 0:06:29not working. At the end of the day, it's results that everyone wants.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34If he does not deliver the results then someone else has to take that
0:06:34 > 0:06:38position to deliver. I think you're lining up for a big question, but
0:06:38 > 0:06:43the answer is yes, it has to make changes at the end of this Six
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Nations if no victories come about. And, if there is one, again it
0:06:47 > 0:06:51still maybe has to be looked at to see the way and the manner - it
0:06:51 > 0:07:01still has to be discussed during the summer. Here is to Dublin then.
0:07:01 > 0:07:08
0:07:09 > 0:07:11One of Scotland's most successful ever track and field athletes says
0:07:12 > 0:07:18that women are outperforming men in the sport because now they are
0:07:18 > 0:07:21being treated equally. And Liz McColgan should know. She's now
0:07:21 > 0:07:28training the next generation of athletes and is witnessing the
0:07:28 > 0:07:31girls out doing the boys. If your school was anything like my
0:07:31 > 0:07:36school, then boys versus girls would very much have been at the
0:07:36 > 0:07:38match of the day when it came to playground sport. But, in the world
0:07:38 > 0:07:44of grown-up sports, specifically Scottish athletics, one side has
0:07:45 > 0:07:54taken the lead, and it isn't the men. With London 2012 and Glasgow
0:07:55 > 0:07:55
0:07:55 > 0:07:562014 on the horizon, the big names 2014 on the horizon, the big names
0:07:56 > 0:07:58stage with Eilidh Child and Steph Twell, long-distance runner Freya
0:07:58 > 0:08:08Murray, with Lynsey Sharp and Eilish McColgan offering hope for
0:08:08 > 0:08:17
0:08:17 > 0:08:20the future. So, why are our women Well, I think it is blatantly clear
0:08:21 > 0:08:25that they are outperforming the men. There is a greater progression of
0:08:25 > 0:08:29records by women. There is greater representation on UK teams, GB
0:08:29 > 0:08:39teams. The medal performances by women in major championships is
0:08:39 > 0:08:42greater, so it's a no-brainer, frankly. It's great to have seen
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Eilish McColgan and Lynsey Sharp doing so well this year, and Steph
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Twell and Eilidh Child. They have done a fantastic in previous years,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and last year as well. It is great to see them all doing well and
0:08:53 > 0:08:59performing well, you know, and looking at them aspiring to compete
0:08:59 > 0:09:03in London 2012. Here in a public park in Dundee on a cold Tuesday
0:09:03 > 0:09:09night is where the answer perhaps lies. Former world champion Liz
0:09:09 > 0:09:13McColgan is unpaid, training the potential champions of the future.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17She feels women have finally found their feet in the sport. There is
0:09:17 > 0:09:21an equality in the sport now. 20 years ago, when myself and Yvonne
0:09:21 > 0:09:25were running, there wasn't the equality. When I started running,
0:09:25 > 0:09:31women were not allowed to run for 3000 metres. Now they do 10kms in
0:09:31 > 0:09:33marathons and that is in a 20 years span. I feel it is equality of the
0:09:33 > 0:09:40sport that has made it more accessible for women to be
0:09:40 > 0:09:43successful. Eilidh, Liz's daughter is keeping the family tradition
0:09:43 > 0:09:46going, but as the child of two athletes with her father Peter a
0:09:46 > 0:09:49competitor in the steeplechase, McColgan the younger is in no doubt
0:09:49 > 0:09:55that at least in her family, men and women have very different
0:09:55 > 0:10:00attributes. Obviously my dad was not at the same level as my mum,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and I think that was clearly that he did not work as hard. He was a
0:10:04 > 0:10:09bit lazier, a bit more laid back. Mum was always on target and
0:10:09 > 0:10:15hitting everything she was meant to do. Husband and wife, Peter
0:10:15 > 0:10:21McColgan and Liz, so happy. And Liz so anxious that to get him to baby
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Eilidh. She didn't miss a day's training - she was always there on
0:10:24 > 0:10:28time. Dad was not bothered if he missed one day or two days, it
0:10:28 > 0:10:31wasn't that a big deal. He had a completely different mental
0:10:31 > 0:10:35attitude to my mum, and that is probably why she ended up going on
0:10:36 > 0:10:41to do what she did because she was so determined. She worked harder
0:10:41 > 0:10:44than everyone else. Eilish is working through the ranks with
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Lynsey Sharp, herself the daughter of athletic parents in the form of
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Commonwealth gold medal sprinter Cameron Sharp, and Scottish record
0:10:50 > 0:10:58holder Carol Lightfoot. She believes that athletics demands
0:10:58 > 0:11:00sacrifices, regardless of your gender. I suppose there is a
0:11:01 > 0:11:05stereotype that the man is the breadwinner of the family, and the
0:11:05 > 0:11:09woman is the one that has kids. To be an athlete, I suppose they both
0:11:09 > 0:11:13have to give that up because my dad did not work until towards the end
0:11:13 > 0:11:17of his career. My mum started late, but had kids after she had stopped,
0:11:17 > 0:11:24pretty much. I suppose it is batting that stereotype which makes
0:11:24 > 0:11:29you successful in an athletics career. You hear the word
0:11:29 > 0:11:33"sacrifice" a lot in sport, but I don't believe it is a sacrifice.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36You know, I don't feel that I missed out on anything in my sport.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41I travelled the world, met the greatest people, won lots of races,
0:11:41 > 0:11:48had lots of ups and downs, and had five kids at the end of it. I
0:11:48 > 0:11:51really don't feel that I sacrificed anything. Here at Scottish
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Athletics Headquarters in Edinburgh, the view is that our women doing
0:11:55 > 0:12:00well doesn't necessarily mean our men are doing badly. But is an
0:12:00 > 0:12:02outbreak of girl power something they take pride in? The current top
0:12:02 > 0:12:06performers are female and they deserve all the credit and kudos
0:12:06 > 0:12:11that they get. Whether it is Lee McConnell, Steph Twell, Lynsey
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Sharp, Eilidh Child, and the list goes on... They are right up there
0:12:13 > 0:12:20in Scottish rankings, British rankings and, we hope, some of them
0:12:21 > 0:12:26up proving in world rankings, too. Child is coming up strong. Can she
0:12:26 > 0:12:29come up this last bit quickly? think the community of athletics in
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Scotland is supportive of one another. I think that the big names
0:12:32 > 0:12:37in the female side that you have mentioned will actually be
0:12:37 > 0:12:40supporting and supportive of the up-and-coming male athletes. When I
0:12:40 > 0:12:44was coming into it there were quite a few guys around at that stage,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48and men were dominating Scottish Athletics. So, I think it just
0:12:49 > 0:12:55comes in peaks and troughs, really. We have had some great Scottish men,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and we have got some great Scottish women as well. Now, while the
0:12:57 > 0:13:01international rugby team is struggling to win in the Six
0:13:01 > 0:13:06Nations, the sport itself appears to be in good health in one of the
0:13:07 > 0:13:09most remote parts of the country. Shetland has appointed a full-time
0:13:10 > 0:13:15rugby development officer to grow the game there, with a little help
0:13:15 > 0:13:20from a Scotland superstar. Jim Mason has this exclusive report.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Yes, it is Scotland's rising rugby star Richie Gray in a Viking helmet.
0:13:24 > 0:13:31He is in Shetland to help grow the game in one of Scotland's most
0:13:31 > 0:13:35isolated communities. First, it's time for a grilling. What's it like
0:13:35 > 0:13:41being that tall? It's amazing, it's quite cold, but I suppose it is
0:13:41 > 0:13:45quite cold today. What was it like playing in the World Cup? The World
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Cup was awesome. Everyone in New Zealand plays rugby and they love
0:13:50 > 0:13:55it. It was good. Have you ever been in a really small car? Yes, I used
0:13:55 > 0:14:01to have a Vauxhall Corsa, which was really small. I just took the front
0:14:01 > 0:14:05seat out and sat in the back. It was good fun! The reason for the
0:14:05 > 0:14:08visit was an important one for rugby in Shetland. The sport's
0:14:08 > 0:14:14first development officer has just been appointed and he has his work
0:14:14 > 0:14:18cut out. We get kids from Sandwick all the way up to Bray, which is a
0:14:18 > 0:14:2825 mile drive and a ferry. We have got one girl who comes on a ferry
0:14:28 > 0:14:28
0:14:28 > 0:14:32about 30 miles. Yeah, the The day started out with a session
0:14:32 > 0:14:40with the kids from a primary school in Lerwick. How does a rugby
0:14:40 > 0:14:43development officer spent his day? Going round to schools, trying to
0:14:43 > 0:14:53improve their basic skills of rugby. Trying to get them to participate
0:14:53 > 0:14:57
0:14:57 > 0:15:04in the club so there will be more Lunch was next on the agenda.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09you go. That looks fantastic. Geography means that Shetland's
0:15:09 > 0:15:11rugby team have a lot of travelling to do to achieve their fixtures. We
0:15:11 > 0:15:18met them at the ferry terminal before they made their overnight
0:15:18 > 0:15:24trip to Aberdeen. Show us your hands. So what about the Shetland
0:15:24 > 0:15:29players of the future? What did they make of Richie's visit? It was
0:15:29 > 0:15:39fantastic, meeting a professional Scotland player. He is big, isn't
0:15:39 > 0:15:39
0:15:39 > 0:15:42he. Huge. I never knew he was that big. What do you think of having
0:15:42 > 0:15:47someone like Daniel to make sure that rugby grows in Shetland? Is it
0:15:47 > 0:15:53a good idea? Yes. He is good with the young ones and teaching them
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and all that. More interaction with local kids in the afternoon and
0:15:55 > 0:16:03then a personal visit. Coincidentally, Richie's dad works
0:16:03 > 0:16:05in Shetland and has been keen to chart his son's progress. He has
0:16:06 > 0:16:09been playing well. It is disappointing for the team that we
0:16:10 > 0:16:15have not made our mark, but there are a couple of games to go and I
0:16:15 > 0:16:19am sure Richie and the boys will get some points. He is my biggest
0:16:20 > 0:16:29critic and I have not been told I am doing well. It's always, you can
0:16:30 > 0:16:39do better. That is just a dad really, isn't it? It's a nice break
0:16:40 > 0:16:40
0:16:40 > 0:16:44to come and see your dad. It has been really warm. Everyone is kind
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and welcoming, as my dad said they would be. It has been a brilliant
0:16:47 > 0:16:57reaction and great to see some of the kids participating in Rugby. It
0:16:57 > 0:17:08
0:17:08 > 0:17:18Olympic selection continues to be the major focus for hundreds of
0:17:18 > 0:17:21
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Scots up and down the country. Rowers met a silver medallist from
0:17:24 > 0:17:27the last Games in Beijing. He is doubling his chances of success in
0:17:27 > 0:17:30London 2012. This is a Lee Valley, the Olympic venue for canoe slalom.
0:17:30 > 0:17:39I am wearing a life vest because 13,000 litres of water per second
0:17:39 > 0:17:49is the gushing along their below me. In the midst of it there is a
0:17:49 > 0:17:56
0:17:56 > 0:18:04This is David Florence, the first Scot to make it to the podium with
0:18:04 > 0:18:10a silver medal at the Beijing Games four years ago. Competing for Great
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Britain, he has got to turn it on. This is his first Olympic final.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19One more gate downstream. He is absolutely flying. This is a
0:18:20 > 0:18:27tremendous time. He is in the lead and could get a medal in at the
0:18:28 > 0:18:31final. Brilliant! I've only been to one the Olympic Games, but I am now
0:18:31 > 0:18:35an Olympian and an Olympic medallist. It will stay with me
0:18:35 > 0:18:43forever and I will be proud of it. It is an amazing experience and I
0:18:43 > 0:18:51hope to repeat the chance. He says he hopes to repeat because
0:18:51 > 0:18:55selection into Team GB will be an achievement in itself. People don't
0:18:55 > 0:18:59realise how difficult it is to go to the Olympic Games in the first
0:18:59 > 0:19:02place, particularly in canoe slalom. With only one sport for each
0:19:02 > 0:19:06category, for some of the categories, we have got two or
0:19:06 > 0:19:09three boats that are top performers and only one will get to go. It is
0:19:09 > 0:19:16really tough and it is not the fun part necessarily, but that is
0:19:16 > 0:19:19competitive sport and that is what you have got to do. But this time
0:19:19 > 0:19:28around Florence has taken a decision which could double his
0:19:28 > 0:19:37chances of success. The last few years I have taken up C2 with
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Richard Hounslow. It is going pretty well. Only to try to get to
0:19:40 > 0:19:47the Olympic Games. It is exciting times. Compared to going into
0:19:47 > 0:19:53Beijing, I am in as good shape as I was so leave. The difference now is
0:19:53 > 0:19:56what taking up the doubles category as well as the singles. I have two
0:19:56 > 0:20:02chances at selection and assuming I get to London, two chances to go
0:20:02 > 0:20:07and win a medal. But also, it is more of a challenge for training
0:20:07 > 0:20:17for both of those and racing for both of those for selection. It is
0:20:17 > 0:20:23
0:20:23 > 0:20:26He has been to the Olympics already and won a silver medal, so he has
0:20:26 > 0:20:34got a lot of experience. We are hoping that extra experience will
0:20:34 > 0:20:39help us get the edge. After the session on the water, it is
0:20:39 > 0:20:49straight to video analysis. managed to keep the weight on the
0:20:49 > 0:20:52
0:20:52 > 0:20:55front. I was not far off. You see how you are drawing down? Yes. It's
0:20:55 > 0:20:58like seeing yourself after a run, you have a different perspective of
0:20:58 > 0:21:02how it was and it allows you to build more and more understanding
0:21:02 > 0:21:06of what you are doing. If you hit a gate by a slight margin, it can
0:21:06 > 0:21:11cost you a lot. In Beijing, I literally brushed a gate by a few
0:21:11 > 0:21:17millimetres with an elbow and that gives me a to second penalty. That
0:21:17 > 0:21:20put me out of the poll position. Absolutely superb. His very first
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Olympic competition. He has been so consistent throughout the last 18
0:21:24 > 0:21:26months, but Team Florence have done it. Well done to all of you, and in
0:21:26 > 0:21:30particular, well done to David Florence. Surely he is going to
0:21:30 > 0:21:38stick around for another four years and try and get the gold medal in
0:21:38 > 0:21:41London. A lot of people outside the sport do not understand how it
0:21:41 > 0:21:44works and how competitive and difficult it is to get to the
0:21:44 > 0:21:54Olympic Games. You meet people in the street, and it is nice, it is
0:21:54 > 0:21:57
0:21:57 > 0:22:01great people support you. They say silver last time, got this time.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04There is more to it than that, but the people who really know me and
0:22:05 > 0:22:08what I am doing, my coach, my family and friends, who have an
0:22:08 > 0:22:11understanding of what is going on, they know it is about going to
0:22:11 > 0:22:14selection and in the best I can bear and preparing the best I can
0:22:15 > 0:22:18for the Games. Winning a silver last time does not mean you will
0:22:18 > 0:22:26win a gold this time. It means you have the potential to be right up
0:22:26 > 0:22:29there in the world. And now for the latest chapter in the incredible
0:22:29 > 0:22:32story of Thom Evans. He is a Scotland international rugby player
0:22:32 > 0:22:39who have to retire in 2010 because of a life threatening injury. He
0:22:39 > 0:22:47has now switched to sprinting. Late February and many of Scotland's top
0:22:47 > 0:22:57athletes gathered for the National Indoor Championships. For one of
0:22:57 > 0:23:02
0:23:02 > 0:23:12their number, it's the first steps A good debut heat for Thom Evans,
0:23:12 > 0:23:13
0:23:13 > 0:23:23but you may know him better from a different arena. And through for a
0:23:23 > 0:23:24
0:23:24 > 0:23:34try! And there he is, Thom Evans. That is why he is here. Thom Evans
0:23:34 > 0:23:41
0:23:41 > 0:23:44caps a good performance with a try. But after just 10 caps, that
0:23:44 > 0:23:52promising career was ended when he suffered a broken neck in Wales two
0:23:52 > 0:23:59years ago. Given the severity of the injury, he admits he never
0:23:59 > 0:24:03imagined he would be a competitive athlete again. I was just happy to
0:24:03 > 0:24:06be walking again, to be honest. I am so grateful to everyone who
0:24:06 > 0:24:14looked after me. I feel I have come away from a fatal injury relatively
0:24:14 > 0:24:20unscathed and I am grateful for that. The man who treated Evans
0:24:20 > 0:24:24highlights how close to death he came. When we realised there was
0:24:24 > 0:24:34weakness in his legs because of the spinal cord injury, you can seek he
0:24:34 > 0:24:36
0:24:36 > 0:24:39could have been paralysed. The blood vessels that are in the neck
0:24:39 > 0:24:46supply the brain. It is life- threatening. We lost a patient not
0:24:46 > 0:24:54so long ago with an injury like that. In his first outing, Thom
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Evans had support from the he's friends in Rugby. He is amazing.
0:24:58 > 0:25:08was a tough injury and to lose your career that is difficult, but he
0:25:08 > 0:25:09
0:25:09 > 0:25:12will always bounce back. And it was not only rugby stars in the crowd.
0:25:12 > 0:25:19His model and actress girlfriend Kelly Brook turned more than a few
0:25:19 > 0:25:25heads. She is really supportive and I am very lucky to have someone who
0:25:25 > 0:25:35is as enthusiastic about me progressing in the sport as I am.
0:25:35 > 0:25:44
0:25:44 > 0:25:47One last good luck kiss and then on Evans misses out on a medal and he
0:25:47 > 0:25:54concedes he is still adjusting to a very different discipline from
0:25:54 > 0:25:57rugby. You are expecting guys to come in at all angles to smash you.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02You can get away with the technique been slack, where as in a straight
0:26:02 > 0:26:06sprint, everything has to be working as one. It is so technical.
0:26:06 > 0:26:12Part of me wanted to tackle the guy next to me, but I had to restrain
0:26:12 > 0:26:15myself. It is strange because obviously there is so much
0:26:15 > 0:26:18camaraderie in a rugby team and when you are feeling the pressures
0:26:18 > 0:26:23of going out to an international game, you have other guys to talk
0:26:23 > 0:26:31to. Whereas you just got to get yourself up for athletics because
0:26:31 > 0:26:41it is an individual event. But he has got some expert advisers in his
0:26:41 > 0:26:49
0:26:49 > 0:26:56corner. Come on, Alan! Come on, The wife of Alan Wells helped into
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Olympic gold in 1980. Now she is helping Evans. Thom is in a
0:27:00 > 0:27:02fortunate position. He has got Alan there if he needs him. There is no
0:27:02 > 0:27:09correlation between training someone for rugby or training them
0:27:09 > 0:27:13to be a sprinter. I could teach him how to do a block start. We have
0:27:13 > 0:27:16done no training really. We have just had to sharpen up what he has
0:27:16 > 0:27:23had an making what explosive and technically efficient and Roman out
0:27:23 > 0:27:29there and see what happens. course, it is still early, but how
0:27:29 > 0:27:39good can Evans become? There has been talk of the Commonwealth Games,
0:27:39 > 0:27:47
0:27:47 > 0:27:51but in my mind, it is a bit too I want to carry on training the way
0:27:51 > 0:27:55I had been training and see how I am over the summer. I think I will
0:27:55 > 0:27:59be good at the 200 and 400. I want to assess it from there and decide
0:27:59 > 0:28:02what to do. It won't be easy, but if I continue with my training, who
0:28:02 > 0:28:06knows what the future will hold. has got enormous strength and he
0:28:06 > 0:28:10has shown that with rugby. He came into rugby late compared to a lot
0:28:10 > 0:28:13of us and he was exceptional. Just had the desire to be as good as he
0:28:13 > 0:28:19possibly can. It's the same with sprinting. He will work harder than
0:28:19 > 0:28:29anyone to get as good as he can possibly be. Two years before 1978,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31
0:28:31 > 0:28:38Alan ran 10.52. No-one thought he would win. Anything is possible. It
0:28:38 > 0:28:41is exciting, the journey. Well, that is it for this month.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Next month we are devoting the whole programme to the Scottish men
0:28:44 > 0:28:49and women dreaming of being heroes at the London Olympics. That is the