HUSSAIN COMEBACK IS RIGHT ON TRACK

Trackspeed1 sprinter Jason Hussain continued one of the most remarkable comebacks to track athletics on Saturday, as he helped his club, Belgrave Harriers, storm to a second successive victory in the British Athletics League Division one competition.

Hussain, who underwent chemotherapy treatment all last summer, and who has beeen beset with injuries throughout his fight to get back to fitness, took third place in the B 200m in 22.1 seconds, and then ran second leg of a sprint relay that saw Belgrave whitewash the opposition. It was only his third race of the season after he clocked a winning 22.25s at an open meeting in Watford three days earlier.

"It may not have been a headline-making performance," said coach John Powell of his charge's efforts at the Windsor fixture on Saturday (4th July), "but people have to realise where this guy has been to in the last twelve months and what his body has been subjected to.

"The fact that he is back to semi-national standard sprinting barely nine months after his body was devastated by chemotherapy drugs is little short of amazing. And that's without considering the recent six-week enforced layoff he had due to an Achilles problem. It's been an immensely frustratiung few months, but at least now we look as if we are on the real comeback trail"

Jason is pictured above taking the baton from clubmate and training partner Set Osho on the back straight at Windsor in the 4 x 100m relay.

Hussain continued what is becoming a very classsy season for Trackspeed1, many of whose athletes now head to Birmingham to compete in the World Championship Trials next weekend (10-12th July), or Sheffield for the English Schools Championships (10-11th July).

Also competing at Windsor was Trackspeed1's hugely improved 400m ace Set Osho. He led the A race home with another classy 47.6s run, although confessed that there was a fair bit he needed to learn from the race:

"I've been working on some technical stuff with John," he said, "and there were things in that race that were a bit messy that we need to look at. But it's all a learning curve and I've been in my best form ever this season, so it should be interesting at the trials next week."

Set is pictured right as he covers the final few yards to win the 400m at Windsor on Saturday.

James Ellington, whose lifetime best 100m seven days before had turned a few heads in the world of sprinting, cruised to a 10.6s A-string second place after a nightmare start. But then he produced an awe-inspiring relay leg on third, cutting through the field like butter. It left John Powell salivating at the prospect of the trials in a week's time, and he could only describe his run as "totally world class" afterwards!

So the second weekend in July looks to be a fairly defining one for Trackspeed1. The World Championship trials will see Jason Hussain, James Ellington, Laura Langowski, and Set Osho in action, while at the English Schools, Savannah Echel-Thomson, Federica Foster and Tom Bensted will feature, with all three likely to be among or very near the medals.