Hardly had Mo Farah and Chris Thompson finished their lap of honour together last night than they were in disagreement.
'Chris and me go way back,' said gold medalist Farah in the area under the tunnel where athletes exiting the track have to pass the media eager for their thoughts.
'I remember us holding hands at the finish of a cross country in Margate.'
Thompson interrupted his flow. 'Not how I remember it, Mo. We said we’d get selected anyway in that race, so let’s cross together and we’d share the prize money.
'But you ran off and won the £100 first prize and I got £75 for second. I’m still waiting for the £12.50 you owe me.'
The pair who became the first national one-two in the 76-year history of the Europeans will not be in need of such paltry pay days in future. The world of marathons is holding its hands out to them.
Many of British running’s legendary names think their immediate move now should be to the classic road race. While they are medal winners now in Europe those they beat are not world class.
Neither man is likely to be a contender when the Africans and even Americans are thrown into the mix next year at the world championships.
But at the marathon they would be. Remember how in the 1980s the Portuguese Carlos Lopes went from a 10,000 metres time not dissimilar to what Farah and Thompson have run this year to win the Olympic marathon.
Worship the king: Chris Thompson pays homage to his pal Mo Farah
And Britain’s own Steve Jones was transformed from 10,000 metres to the world marathon record holder.
Paula Radcliffe herself fell short always on the track because of the presence of Ethiopians at global events but when she moved to the marathon in 2002 she was unbeatable.
Thompson, who does not have any Lottery support, already lives in Eugene in the west of America with girlfriend Jemma Simpson, a qualifier last night for Friday’s 800 metres final.
The lucrative US road running circuit would make sense for him as a prelude to the Olympic marathon in London. New York in November may not be too soon for his debut at the distance.
The lighter, slighter Farah would make perfect marathon material. He trains already like a marathon runner, basing himself for months on end at high altitude training camps. London next April would earn him a six-figure fortune in participation money that race there is so desperate for British ‘stories’.
Its director David Bedford announced his retirement after the 2012 Olympic marathon which he will be helping to organise and would love to go out on the first ever British win in the Olympic marathon.
Just imagine it – Paula or Mara Yamauchi for the women’s gold, Mo or Chris for the men’s.
Expect an announcement soon.
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When Linford Christie was the main man in the 100 metres in Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium, the media knew that he would never stop for a quick comment after preliminary rounds.
He was through the S-bend where the Phil Joneses of those days lurked with their microphones and cameras faster than he had run the race, utterly focused on the single race at the end.
Not Dwain Chambers last night. He knows that this might be the end of his Indian summer, his last in the limelight of contention for gold. He is banned from this year’s Commonwealth Games and the Olympics in 2012.
Next year, at the world championships, he will be a side-show when Usain Bolt takes his place to defend his titles.
So Dwain is determined to enjoy every last moment. And that goes for the post-race interviews. After round one he stopped for so many that he was over-taken by finishers from races ending 10 minutes later. Even French television wanted his views because of today’s impending clash with their young star, Christophe Lemaitre.
The French sports newspaper L’Equipe believes Chambers is favourite because of experience. So does Lemaitre himself. And there would be no more popular winner among the British team than the man who has patiently rehabilitated himself into a respected member of the squad.
*****
David Greene, the Briton with Europe’s leading time, goes to his blocks for the first round of the 400 metres hurdles today. At least that is what it says on the start sheets.
But there has been a name change. Greene himself wants to be known and addressed as Dai. 'Everybody at home calls me Dai,' says the Welshman. 'If I was English they’d call me Dave. So it’s Dai, please.'
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