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| World Athletics Championships on the BBC |
|---|
| Venue: London Stadium Dates: 4-13 August |
| Coverage: Live across BBC One and Two, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, the BBC Sport website and app. Click for times |
British athletes are underperforming at the World Championships because of issues with their mentality, says ex-Olympic champion Darren Campbell.
UK Sport’s target is between six and eight medals but, after five days of competition, Britain have one – Mo Farah’s gold in Friday’s 10,000m.
While Campbell believes there is “hope” for the future, he told BBC Radio 5 live: “Clearly there’s something wrong.
“We can’t pretend it’s not happening. If medals are not won, funding is cut.”
On Monday, Britain’s Laura Muir just missed out on a medal by finishing fourth in the 1500m, while Olympic bronze medallist Sophie Hitchon was seventh in the hammer throw.
The previous day, Katarina Johnson-Thompson finished fifth in the heptathlon, Holly Bradshaw was sixth in the pole vault and Andrew Pozzi failed to qualify for the final of the 110m hurdles.
“I am the last British sprinter to win an individual global medal, at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, but the talent we have is better than that,” said Campbell.
“The problem we have is the mental side of things.”
Many high-profile athletes missed the British trials in July, which formed part of the selection process for the World Championships in London.
Campbell said: “We were told that the top athletes who weren’t there were being rested for the Worlds. Well now we’re here, where are they producing what we were told they would?”
Campbell, who won 4x100m gold in Athens in 2004, said the experience of former athletes such as Brendan Foster, now a BBC commentator, should be utilised.
“You’ve got Brendan up here, in five minutes you can see his experience. We’re not tapping into that? Wow.”
‘A reminder that sport is brutal’
UK Sport funding is already set for the Olympic cycle up to 2020 – with athletics the second-highest Olympic recipient behind rowing.
When the funding was announced in December, UK Sport CEO Liz Nicholl said the decision to cut funding from several sports was “based on a judgement of potential number of medals”.
“With only one medal at the halfway stage, it’s not going to plan,” former Olympic javelin thrower Steve Backley told BBC Sport. “That is the simple message.
“There have been some marginal performances that went the wrong way. With medal hopes like Hitchon, Muir, Bradshaw, Johnson-Thompson, we could have had three or four medals in the bag by now.
“But sport is brutal, and this is a reminder of how tough it is out there. There aren’t that many more chances left.”
Analysis
BBC Sport commentator Mike Costello
We were talking here at the Anniversary Games in July about how important the first weekend of the Worlds would be.
On Monday night we thought we could win at least two bronzes, but Farah’s gold remains the only medal. Whichever way you look at it, that is troubling.
And if you look at the programme between now and the final day next Sunday, you couldn’t put your hopes on anything but the relay teams.
The pressure is growing and growing on them now – both the men’s and women’s teams.
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