Lee McConnell is only too aware it's make-or-break time at Birmingham

Thursday 21 June 2012

A distinguished record of service counts for nothing, Lee McConnell concedes.

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Mark Woods

World championship medals, European gongs, trinkets from Commonwealth Games. All in the past, she knows. And if she wants the opportunity to seek the one souvenir missing from her collection, the Glaswegian must convince UK Athletics this weekend that her presence in London is required.

The sport's Olympic trials start tomorrow in Birmingham and the veteran of so many grand stages over the last decade is feeling the heat. Results so far this year over 400 metres have not been to her liking. "So there's a bit of pressure going in," she admits. "I really can't afford to make the mistakes I've had in my previous races. I hope that, even if I get my pace wrong in the heats, I can still qualify and then correct it in the final." With only the marathon squad pre-selected, everything hinges on the next three days for those seeking a place in Great Britain's track-and-field team. Many have strengthened their hands in advance by acquiring the primary qualifying mark: for them, a top-two finish will suffice. Others must present evidence and build a case, then wait until judgment is passed by the selectors.In an event, like McConnell's, where there is strength in depth, there is no time like the present to become one's own best advocate. "We've got trials every year for every major event," she acknowledges. "But this is probably the biggest one of my career because it's a home Olympics. Every British athlete wants to be there and it will be more of an occasion than in previous years."Last summer, she was the sole Briton chosen in the two-lap event for the world championships, producing her fastest time for several years in the Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace. Christine Ohuruogu, still the reigning Olympic champion, was mired in a funk. No longer. "She's looked good," acknowledges her long-time rival. For how much longer? McConnell, now 33 and with her wedding planned for later this year, has no plans to continue towards Rio. Should she earn an invite, London will be her third and last Olympics. For so long, she has been the public face of Scottish athletics, adorning Phone Book covers and posters as a willing ambassador.Finally, she hopes, there is a crop of compatriots who look capable of pushing themselves forward over the three days of competition, and then beyond. Lynsey Sharp, Eilidh Child and Eilish McColgan have all risen through the ranks. "Hopefully, there'll be more," McConnell asserts. "And, hopefully, the whole British team will encourage kids to take up sport." There are good signs, she adds. Her busy diary has been unable to accommodate every request from schools eager to get up close and personal with a real Olympian. "Unfortunately, it's been difficult with training but I went to as many as I could. You see the excitement which is fantastic."In five weeks, Danny Boyle will premiere the Olympic's opening ceremony in Stratford. The UK's athletes will watch on TV, mandated instead to prepare in Portugal rather than march in unison. "A shame," McConnell states. "But on past experience, it's better to focus on getting ready."That past knowledge can work in her favour, she hopes. In Birmingham, there are dreams. In London, reality is approaching. Once Monday comes, and fates are decided upon, the focus must be resolute. "You have to remember why you're there, which is to compete well. Once you're finished, you can do all the other stuff. But you have to avoid distractions."She is reserving her own fervour. Until the red smoke emerges from the post-trials deliberations, the cap on Games euphoria will remain. "It still feels far away. I suppose it's because hardly anyone's qualified yet. We're not there yet. But once selection's done, it will start becoming a reality."

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Lee McConnell is only too aware it's make-or-break time at Birmingham

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