Wales’s most successful male track athlete of all time, Colin Jackson is the subject of a brand new documentary on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Wales tonight (Tuesday January 14) at 10.40pm. His friends, family, coach and biggest rival are among those interviewed for the second programme in the Legends of Welsh Sport series, all of whom contribute to the telling of how Jackson became the world’s greatest hurdler.
Reflecting on the decision to become an athlete, Colin Jackson recalls how he wasn’t selected to play cricket for Wales. Three of his teammates from his school side were picked but Colin was passed over despite being the team captain. “I wasn’t selected courtesy of being black,” he recalls. So instead he made up his mind to become an athlete. He never played cricket again.
Sporting greats Sally Gunnell, Daley Thompson and Colin’s rival on the track, Mark McKoy all recall some of his greatest moments as an athlete alongside Colin’s coach from the age of 14, Malcolm Arnold, his sister the actress Suzanne Packer and their mother, Angela.
The documentary also reveals the real story behind his Olympic medal disappointment in Barcelona as his training partner, Canadian Mark McKoy won gold. Colin Jackson reveals his devastation at not realising his potential in Barcelona, the hurtful comments that followed and how, ultimately he proved his critics wrong.
