Former Team GB athlete reflects on his career and gives powerful talk to students
One of the quickest men to step foot on planet earth came to Abbeygate Sixth Form College to discuss life in the fast lane.
Dwain Chambers – who once clocked 9.97 seconds in the 100 metres – talked to students on sports courses at Eastern Education Group during an event held in Bury St Edmunds.
During this occasion, the 47-year-old discussed the highs and lows of a careers that saw him win World championship medals as well as receiving a two-year ban in 2003 after testing positive for THG, a performance enhancing drug.
In an open and honest reflection, Chambers discussed being the ‘fastest kid in the world’ by achieving a world junior record in 1997 and gave a series of powerful messages to the youngsters in attendance about turning things around and making the right decisions.
Chambers – who managed to overturn a lifelong Olympic ban and went on to compete at London 2012 after dalliances in American Football and Rugby League – said: “It’s been fantastic (giving this talk at Abbeygate). We had a room full of students who want to know about sports science, and it gave them a chance to put their learning into reality. They asked honest questions. My one big message I want them to know is that they have what it takes to go forward, without making the same decisions that I made.”
Tommi Charlish is a lecturer of sport at West Suffolk College and she organised the talk. Tommi said: “Part of the curriculum looks at various issues that includes drugs in sport and sport science and Dwain was on my LinkedIn. I saw what he was doing at other schools, and I thought that the issues he was discussing would give our students some real-life insights into topics they were studying.
“Having someone who has been there at the highest level who had experienced good moments and bad – helped make this a discussion to remember.”
Chris Steele is group head of school for sport at Eastern Education Group. Chris said: “Dwain’s talk was very well received. The way he presented his information made it relatable to the young people. He talked about resilience and said how important it is to bounce back when things don’t go your way.”
Madeleine Butcher, 17, from Bury is on a sports course at West Suffolk College. She said: “I liked how he (Dwain) took accountability for his actions and this allowed him to turn it around.”
Isabel Moore, 18, from Bury is also on a sports course at West Suffolk College. She said: “It highlighted the pressure on elite athletes and how this leads them to make decisions that they regret. It was interesting, helpful and engaging.”
Henry Mason, 19, from Bury is on a sports course. He said: “There was lots of positive messages.”
