Linford Christie opens revamped stadium named after him

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Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie and BBC Radio London presenter Geoff Schumann were among the guests at a free sports and fun event to mark the reopening of Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s new athletics facilities at Linford Christie Stadium – now renamed Linford Christie Outdoor Sports Centre.

The stadium’s track and other facilities have been refurbished after the council secured £500,000 funding from the Sports Lottery Fund and Wormwood Scrubs Trust. The high quality floodlit track and field facilities offer division one standard long jump, high jump, pole-vaulting, discus, shot and provision for all track sports. This will make Linford Christie Stadium an important regional centre for athletes of all ages. The council and Thames Valley Harriers athletics club, who are based at the stadium, hope the revamped venue can now help nurture the talent needed to boost the British Olympic team’s medal hopes in 2012.

The relaunch of the Linford Christie Outdoor Sports Centre, in Du Cane Road, Wormwood Scrubs, follows London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Games – which the council actively supported. More than 500 people attended the Athletics for All celebration, which was held at the stadium yesterday (Sunday, 4 September). Athletes and coaches from Thames Valley Harriers joined the council’s sports development team to provide:
· Free athletics coaching and taster sessions for all ages
· Fun and competitive sports events, including 4 x 100m relays, children’s 60m races, long jump, a ‘Community Mile’ run for all ages and abilities and an 800m race for wheelchair athletes
· Sack and egg and spoon races for children
· Mobile climbing wall; barbecue and sports club information stalls
· Linford Christie, who is president of Thames Valley Harriers, opened the new track and facilities and BBC Radio London presenter Geoff Schumann was MC for the day.

London Nigerians Rugby Club, who use the grass pitch at the stadium, provided training for children and young people during the celebration event as well as being among the local sports clubs to have an information stall there on the day.

Linford Christie said he was proud to have the stadium named in his honour.
“It’s a great achievement and up there with my Olympic gold medal. You normally have to wait until you die before you get something named after you.”
Linford said he planned to visit the stadium more regularly with the athletes he trains to encourage young talent. More…

“Now there’s a brand new track I will be down here a lot more and will try to get my athletes down here too,” said Linford. “If young people see me at the stadium it will hopefully give them an incentive to get involved in training.”

Also among the guests at the stadium relaunch were local young people who have benefited from the Linford Christie Trust. The trust, which is supported by the council, provides grants to talented young athletes who live in the borough to help them with training and equipment costs.
Among them is 16-year-old judo champion Monica Grzelewska, from Shepherds Bush, who has been selected to represent Great Britain in the sport 26 times.

Monica has also represented Hammersmith & Fulham at the London Youth Games for the last five years, gaining three gold medals, one silver and one bronze during that time. She receives an annual grant from the Linford Christie Trust towards her training costs. Her ambition is to one day represent Britain at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

Another young athlete to benefit from the Linford Christie Trust is Tushar Patel, 26, from Fulham, who is the British wheelchair 1,500 metres, 5k and 10k record holder. Tushar, who also attended the Athletics for All event on Sunday, was the first local young athlete to receive a grant from the Linford Christie Trust at the age of 19 and continued to receive grants up to the age of 23.

Cllr Melanie Smallman, Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s cabinet member for education, said: “We are now in a great position to play our part in developing sporting talent for the 2012 Olympics and beyond.
The new track and facilities at the Linford Christie Outdoor Sports Centre will give a major boost to athletics in west London and make the borough an important destination for regional and national championships.
As well as securing £500,000 worth of improvements to Linford Christie Outdoor Sports Centre’s athletics facilities, we will also be developing football and hockey at the stadium on a new full-size pitch to open by the end of the year thanks to a £600,000 grant from Barclays and the Football Foundation. Four five-a-side pitches are being built alongside the new pitch with council funding.
In recent years the council has secured a new Fulham Pools; all-weather pitches for our parks and schools; a new fitness centre for White City - which will be extended later this year to include a £4 million swimming pool - and a partnership to secure £2 million worth of improvements to our Lillie Road and Broadway Squash fitness centres.”

Paul Oppé, chair of Thames Valley Harriers, said: “We are delighted with the new facilities at the Linford Christie Outdoor Sports Centre and see this as a great way for our club to develop athletics in the local area. We look forward to working with the council’s sports development team to bring as many prestigious fixtures to the stadium as we can.”

 

September 11, 2005