The
UK Athletics head coach has a 12-year plan to get the best from
British athletes and make them a force on the world stage
“I don’t see myself as a trailblazer,” says Christian Malcolm, as he finally pauses for breath after a frantic few days since taking charge as British Athletics’ first black Olympic head coach. “I just feel that I was selected because I was the best man for the
Job. It’s about my abilities, and what I can do, not because of the colour of my skin.”
When Malcolm’s appointment was announced in September, the UK Athletics chief executive, Jo Coates, likened it to
Pep Guardiola taking over at
Barcelona. But while Guardiola had Messi and millions to play with, Malcolm surveys a sport in conflict and crisis, and staring at a financial black hole. Yet he is relishing the battle ahead.