Darren Campbell: Track Record
By (author) Darren Campbell With Trystan Bevan
Publication date:
10 December 2020Publisher
St David's PressISBN-13: 9781902719580
Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell is one of Britain's most successful and popular athletes, yet the real story behind his success has not been made public, until now. Track Record, his long-awaited autobiography, reveals how a boy from painfully humble beginnings in Moss Side, Manchester, and who suffered bullying at school, was inspired by Carl Lewis at the 1984 Olympics to harness his athletic ability and break out of a cycle of misbehaviour and petty crime to enjoy huge success in sport, business and as a broadcaster. Despite his early promise as a young sprinter Darren explains how, totally disillusioned with the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics, he turned to football where he played at a semi-professional level for Cwmbran Town, Weymouth FC and was offered a contract at Plymouth Argyle. His realisation, however, that he could either continue to be a decent lower league footballer, or return to the track and become a world class sprinter, saw him link-up with coach Linford Christie and achieve great success, winning a host of gold, silver and bronze medals at major championships, including silver in the 200m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and gold in the 4 x 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics Spurred into finally telling his story after suffering a life-threatening condition in 2018, Track Record is the heart-warming and inspirational life-story of a talented, principled and determined man who overcame economic poverty and racial prejudice to triumph on the athletic tracks of the world.
‘Darren has provided more than just a highly readable account of his life and athletics career, he also gives a fascinating insight into him as a person, and has shared with us all how the many events in his celebrated life were shaped by a background that has created resilience and integrity, both on the track and off it.’
Denise Lewis OBE
‘I first met Darren when he was 14 years old and he had the ability to charm everyone he met and make them believe that he would be good at whatever he set his mind to. Over the years, I realised that there was a deep thinker behind that smile and the only person who could stop him achieving his goals was himself. At a time when Ron Roddan and I coached Darren, we were working with a hugely talented group of athletes who pushed, supported and motivated each other into achieving their goals and some of my proudest moments in athletics have been helping Darren achieve his dreams. He is family and always will be.’
Linford Christie OBE
‘Olympic gold and silver medals are but part of the story. Few of us can relate to the elation generated by the unforgettable sprint relay glory of Athens in 2004, just as the murder of a friend brings a darkness too scary for most of us to comprehend. Some have been tempted to describe a dropped baton in a relay race as a tragedy. Darren Campbell knows better.’
Mike Costello, BBC Radio 5Live