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Christian Malcolm: 'It’s about my abilities, not the colour of my skin'

<span>Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

“I don’t see myself as a trailblazer,” says Christian Malcolm, as he finally pauses for breath after a frantic few days since taking charge as British Athletics’ first black Olympic head coach. “I just feel that I was selected because I was the best man for the job. It’s about my abilities, and what I can do, not because of the colour of my skin.”

When Malcolm’s appointment was announced in September, the UK Athletics chief executive, Jo Coates, likened it to Pep Guardiola taking over at Barcelona. But while Guardiola had Messi and millions to play with, Malcolm surveys a sport in conflict and crisis, and staring at a financial black hole. Yet he is relishing the battle ahead.

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“I’m definitely no Pep Guardiola,” says Malcolm, smiling wryly. “It is flattering and I don’t know what to say as I am a United fan. He is a great coach. I don’t compare myself to anyone else. I’m young, I’ve been in the sport for such a long time, and all I want to do is the best for the athletes.”

The largesse is somewhat different in athletics, too. “It’s been a bit of a challenge on a personal level,” he says. “I’ve got no house at the moment. Tenants got to move out. No car. Internet’s not the greatest at my mum’s. But I feel really enthused by it all. We have a real opportunity to drive this sport in a different direction.”

Crucial, says Malcolm, is his 12-year plan rather than what happens at the Tokyo Olympics next year. “I’m not here to put pressure on people to try to step up, especially going through a pandemic now,” he says. “From a British perspective, it will be great to go and win some key medals in Tokyo. But is it the be all and end all? I don’t think it is. We have an opportunity to pick up a couple of medals in Tokyo, but more importantly for me is building towards 2024.”

No one doubts the 41-year-old Malcolm, a former world, European and Commonwealth Games medallist, is almost universally liked. However, the Welshman’s lack of coaching experience – and badges – has led many in the sport to fear such a top appointment has come too soon. It is a criticism Malcolm accepts is partly fair.

“A former British head coach gave me some advice about going for the role,” he says. “‘You know, is it too soon? Maybe it is one or two years too soon, but you could go for the job in four years and you might be waiting for seven or eight years for the job. You’ve got the right character, the right personality, and if you get the right people around you to support you, you will come through this’. I believe as well.”

And while Malcolm’s appointment has been welcomed by many athletes, the relationship between them and the governing body has often been strained. Earlier this year an independent review into UKA also found the crisis-hit organisation “couldn’t get any worse” and demanded changes to its structures, culture and ethical approach.

To make matters worse, Malcolm has also lost Stephen Maguire, the brilliant sprints and relays coach, who has left after being overlooked for the top job. “We’re gutted Stephen has decided to move on,” says Malcolm about the man he worked under between 2015 and 2019.

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Did you have a conversation and try to talk him out of it? “No, no, no, I didn’t have a conversation. Steve is a grown man. And I respect Stephen 100%.”

Another man Malcolm has enormous respect for is Sir Mo Farah, and he insists that his appearance in I’m A Celebrity will not affect his chances of defending his Olympic 10,000m title in Tokyo. “It is a decision for Mo,” Malcolm says. “He is an experienced athlete who is, I guess, towards the back end of his career, and he’s also looking to try to position into something else. And Mo isn’t stupid, let’s get it right. If he felt this was going to really jeopardise his preparation, he wouldn’t be in there.”

So how should Malcolm be judged? “It’s a 12-year strategy, not a four-year strategy,” he says. “Athletics is an incredibly difficult sport. Every country in the world does athletics so to be exceptional is a challenge. But we’ve got the pedigree and the history of doing it. I see us being able to turn some of our young talent into regulars in the top eight and hopefully, yes, being on the podium.”

He pauses, takes a breath, and perhaps allows his boundless optimism to sprint away with him. “It took Leeds a little while to get back into the Premier League,” he says. “And athletics is such a unique sport. You could have somebody right now, who’s never done the sport before, who could actually be a medallist in Tokyo in some events. That’s the nature of our sport, right? That’s the beauty of it. That’s what I love about it.”