Veteran Collins interested in being better, not bitter
THE temptation might have been there but instinct and experience dictated that his gaze would not be shifted. There would be no look up and down the start line, no time to consider the men — these infamously flawed men — that he was about to come up against.
And so it has been for the majority of Kim Collins’ long and distinguished career, which stretches back to the mid-90s and various duels with athletes who were to leave little but tainted legacies.
On this occasion, it was Thursday night in Lausanne as Tyson Gay returned to action in the 100metres following his controversial — and reduced — one-year ban for taking performance-enhancing drugs.
The American would finish second, losing out to Justin Gatlin, with another of their countrymen, Mike Rodgers, in third. All three men on the podium in Switzerland had been forced to spend time away from the sport due to drug offences.
The trio also broke the 10-second barrier, with Collins finishing a more than respectable fourth in a time of 10.13secs. At 38, he remains a truly remarkable athlete — and not just in terms of the performances he can still produce.
While his sport seems weighed down by the crimes of his contemporaries, the guilty parties do not — at least in terms of the times they are producing — and Collins could be forgiven for feeling bitter about circumstances.
It is to his enormous credit that he is not.
‘Life is what it is,’ insisted Collins earlier this week in an interview with Sportsmail. ‘When we meet up at the line, we don’t think about what someone did or what they might be doing — we think about winning.
‘So even if we think someone is cheating, our aim and goal is always to beat them.
‘It really doesn’t affect my relationship with them because people are people.
‘It’s about how they behave with me. That’s how I judge people.’
On Friday, Collins will return to Glasgow, a city where he is always readily and warmly received, to compete in the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix. He will join the likes of Mo Farah, Yohan Blake and Scotland’s own Eilidh Child but, for the purists at least, he alone would be worth the admission fee.
It was at the Kelvin Hall in the city three years ago that the Saint Kitts and Nevis athlete made his comeback following his retirement in 2009 and he has continued to be a regular visitor for indoor athletics.
Having won the world championship in 2003 — in one of his 11 appearances at the event — you would have been forgiven for thinking his best days were behind him. However, he produced a personal best of 9.97secs last year — and insists there’s more to come from his aging limbs before he even considers retirement again.
‘It’s always great to be back — I’m very excited,’ said Collins of his imminent trip to Scotland. ‘The competition always seems to get more intense every time.
‘I know this is going to be an amazing time for not just me but everybody.
‘After doing a lifetime best last year, I think I can do it again. Another lifetime best at 38, at 39 and then again at 40. That’s two more years of not slowing down.’
A former Commonwealth champion, having won gold in Manchester 12 years ago, Collins should be gearing up for a second Hampden appearance later this month.
Alas, life doesn’t always run as smoothly as he does. A fallout with his nation, or at least their athletics chiefs, at the London Olympics in 2012 has yet to be healed.
An argument over missed training sessions and a meeting with his wife means the man who had a national holiday named after him following his world championship gold will not compete at Glasgow 2014. It is a source of enormous regret.
‘I tried and I tried — but I failed miserably,’ revealed Collins of his attempts to build bridges. ‘I don’t really know what to say.
‘I know within my heart that I did the best I could to make things right.
‘I did my part but now I just have to come and watch. The Diamond League in Glasgow definitely takes on more importance because that will be my Commonwealth final.
‘It will be a great experience for me to be in the Commonwealth Stadium.
‘So when I’m watching (the Games) from the stands, I know that I’ve competed on the track at least.’
When Collins lines up against Blake at Hampden, it will therefore be the country’s only chance to see the duo go head to head this summer.
The Jamaican superstar has elected to give Glasgow 2014 a miss, insisting it is not in his ‘best interests’ to compete. His current struggle for form — he was fifth in the 200m in Lausanne — would suggest his reasoning may be sound.
While Collins may not be able to relate to his decision, there will only be one thing on his mind when he comes to the start line on Friday night. As always, eyes will be straight ahead — the focus will be clear.
‘A lot of people are selective (about the races they take part in) but I live for the championships,’ he said passionately.
‘I would not willingly give up a championship for anything else because that is what I live for.
‘So if he (Blake) makes that decision, it is up to him but if I had the opportunity, I would definitely be at the Commonwealth Games.
‘(Facing him i n Glasgow) is something I look forward to. You always want to race who is doing well or who has beaten you before.
‘So I’m looking forward to beating him!’
There’s little doubt the Hampden crowd would roar their approval should he succeed.
WATCH 47 global medallists including Mo Farah, Yohan Blake, Christine Ohuruogu, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Greg Rutherford and David Rudisha star at the Sainsbury’s Glasgow Grand Prix as part of the IAAF Diamond League series. For tickets please visit: britishathletics.org.uk