Birchfield stars shine in Athens

Two athletes from Birmingham's Birchfield Harriers have won Olympic medals in Athens, capped by a thrilling relay gold for Great Britain.

Mark Lewis-Francis anchored the British men's 4x100 metres relay team to victory on 27 August, holding off the American Maurice Greene in a dramatic finish. A week earlier, Kelly Sotherton won bronze in the heptathlon.

Relay glory

The British quartet of Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Lewis-Francis produced a near-perfect run, with smooth baton changes giving them a lead going into the final leg.

Lewis-Francis took the baton with Greene, the former world and Olympic 100m champion, chasing him down. The 21-year-old held his nerve and crossed the line one hundredth of a second ahead of the Americans, in a time of 38.07 seconds.

It is Britain's first Olympic sprint relay gold since 1912, and one of the highlights of the Games for the British team. The Americans had been strong favourites, with a team made up of some of the fastest men in the world.

A star in the making

Lewis-Francis, from Darlaston, has been tipped for great things since he won the world junior 100m title in 2000. He trains with Birchfield Harriers at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, and has been one of Britain's most promising sprinters for several years.

His Olympic gold is the biggest moment of his career so far, and a huge boost for a young sprinter who has had his share of ups and downs.

Sotherton's bronze

Kelly Sotherton, who also competes for Birchfield Harriers, won bronze in the heptathlon, the seven-event competition that tests athletes in sprinting, hurdling, jumping and throwing.

After a solid first day, she had a poor javelin throw that threatened to cost her a medal, but she produced a superb run in the final event, the 800 metres, to secure third place. The gold went to Sweden's Carolina Kluft.

Sotherton follows in the footsteps of another Birchfield athlete, Denise Lewis, who won heptathlon gold at the Sydney Olympics four years ago.

A proud club

Birchfield Harriers is one of the oldest and most successful athletics clubs in Britain. Founded in 1877, it has produced a long line of Olympic and international athletes and is based at the Alexander Stadium, which hosts major national and international meetings.

The club's success in Athens is a boost for athletics in Birmingham, which is also home to the National Indoor Arena. The city hosted the World Indoor Championships last year, and will stage further major events in the years ahead.

Club members and coaches will be preparing a warm welcome for their medallists when they return home.