Macey almost quit for good

13 April 2012

Dean Macey revealed here in the Olympic Stadium that just three weeks ago he was on the point of quitting athletics for good.

"I mean, you've had three years out with injury, you've got no money and it doesn't look like you're going to the Games. What else are you going to do?" he reflected.

Last night though, as he soaked up the cheers of a British athletics' fan club here who adore 'Deano' like no other, his memory was suddenly jogged.

"Yeah, I was reminded that, as many times as I question myself out there thinking 'Jesus Christ, Macey, you could be sitting in an office as some old penpusher', there's actually nothing else on God's earth I want to do. Nothing but this."

How British athletics should celebrate that fact. Macey is its one larger than life figure, a giant battered but barnstorming presence who emerges all patched up once in a blue moon and does something extraordinary.

Others would have quit years ago but Canvey Island's finest just can't say no and last night, in one of the great decathlons, finished fourth. A fairly unbelievable fourth.

How did he do this? He was a last minute qualifier, scrapheap rusty, nursing a dodgy hamstring and undergoing intensive medical treatment.

He'd only had three hours sleep over two days and he'd been forced to take iced baths at midnight after his first day's programme.

It made you wonder that if he could score a superb 8,414 points with a couple of personal bests in this state, what might he do in perfect nick?

"Well, Kelly Holmes showed what can happen at last when you get on that start line totally fit," he beamed.

"She's an inspiration and there is not one person on God's earth who deserves a gold medal more than her. I watched her win while I was out there in the field and it even helped me get over 2.15m in the jump!"

With this amazing athlete, you keep believing his day must come too.

He is always playing catch-up with the very best of his opposition because he's so often injured, yet whenever they've been able to wheel him on to that start line of the 100 metres, he just offers a brand of competitiveness and talent that makes him the most compelling sight in British athletics, and that includes Paula's tears.

His four major championship decathlon finishes now read 2nd, 4th, 3rd and 4th. He never lets anyone down but his body has so often let him down that the question now is, whether he can ever knock himself into the shape required to build a base on which he can really take on the true elite. Like Roman Sebrle, the mighty Czech who last night took the title with a fantastic 8,893pt haul.

"Look, I'm under no illusions," he said. "I don't know how long it's going to take me to catch these guys up because they are awesome. But I've got a whole new lease of life after this.

"In Beijing, I'll still only be 30, just a bit older than Roman is now. To beat this lot I'm going to have to beat Daley Thompson's record (8,847pts) and I can."

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Macey almost quit for good

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