HELP FROM HEROES Kilty inspired by pals’ brave fightback from horrific bike smash
RICHARD KILTY will defend his European indoor sprint title next week inspired by two pals badly injured in a bike crash.
Kilty feared he would not make the British team for Belgrade following his false-start disqualification at the trials after his spikes were stolen before the final.
But the former world and reigning European 60m champion took strength from the fight being shown by James Ellington and Nigel Levine, GB team-mates who cheated death in a motorbike crash last month.
Ellington lost six pints of blood, broke both legs, his pelvis and fractured an eye socket. Levine fractured his pelvis. “Both are already up with their rehab,” said Kilty, who was at the same Tenerife camp when the head-on collision occurred.
“If you need motivation to get up, just look at James and Nigel. When it happened I thought, ‘No, it can’t be true’. It’s heartbreaking. But those guys are so strong, I speak to them regularly.”
Kilty had powered through the rounds at last week’s trials, only to false start, for the fifth time in two years, in the final. But Sheffield was different.
Arriving in the call room, he discovered his spikes were missing.
“The physios tipped up every bed and bag, but they weren’t there,” he added. “My mind was going a million miles an hour. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to run.”
Kilty, 27, remembered he had a pair belonging to a team-mate in his car which were a size-and-a-half too big. Far from ideal, but he put them on.
“The false start was not like before, where I’ve had super-fast reactions,” he said. “It was just my emotions were everywhere.” With the two automatic places for Belgrade going to Andrew Robertson and Theo Etienne, Kilty (above, with Ellington) had to finish top Brit in Saturday’s Birmingham Grand Prix.
He had flu and on another occasion would have withdrawn. But not this time. Not with Ellington and Levine fighting so hard – and having promised he would bring his baby son back a medal from Serbia.
Kilty duly got the job done, clocking 6.58sec to finish ahead of compatriots CJ Ujah and James Dasaolu.
Britain’s Euro hopes will be spearheaded by Laura Muir and Andy Pozzi, who ran a world-leading time of 7.43sec to win the 60m hurdles.
Muir remains on course for a 1500/3000m double after breaking Dame Kelly Holmes’ GB record for the 1000m, winning in 2:31.93.