Team GB sprinter sues teammate for ‘ruining his athletics career’ in motorbike crash
AN OLYMPIC sprinter is suing his Team GB teammate for £1million over a motorbike crash that he claims has ruined his athletics career.
James Ellington, 37, ran for Team GB in the 200-metre sprint at the 2012 Olympics and reached the semi-finals of the same event at the 2014 European Championships.
Mr Ellington said he was in his athletic prime when his legs were smashed in a head-on motorbike crash while training in Tenerife in January 2017.
He was riding pillion behind sprint teammate Nigel Levine when they were struck head-on by a Spanish motorist on a remote hillside road, London’s High Court heard.
Mr Levine’s insurers have agreed to compensate Mr Ellington, who is suing for more than £1million, claiming his injuries robbed him of a vital speed margin. Katherine Deal KC, Mr Ellington’s barrister, told the court that his injuries have now “put paid to sprinting” for him at the highest level.
Although he recovered from multiple leg fractures to run 100m in 10.93 seconds in 2019, and competed in the 2021 British Athletics Championships, Mr Ellington insisted he was never again the same top-flight runner he had been before the accident.
He claims that, but for the crash, he could have gone on to become a track superstar and enjoy a lucrative commentating career in his retirement, the court heard.
Ms Deal told the judge: “He had hopes and expectations of ongoing success on the track, which would then have led on to greater recognition, more remunerative sponsorship, and increased opportunities for commentating, coaching and other routes to income once he stopped racing. His case is that he has lost out on the most successful and lucrative stage of his sporting career because of his injuries, and his financial losses are substantial.”
Speaking about the crash earlier this year, Mr Ellington said: “Life changed in a split-second. It’s been an incredibly tough few years with a lot of ups and downs. While I’m lucky to be alive, I’ve always been determined that the collision should not define me.”
A trial is now scheduled for 2024.