Great expectations

Wednesday, 6 January 2009

Youth Sport Trust School Sport Ambassador and Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener has warned of the dangers in putting too much pressure on elite young athletes in the build up to London 2012.

Jason hopes the rapid rise to stardom of world champion diver Tom Daley and Paralympic gold medallist swimmer Ellie Simmonds doesn’t place unrealistic expectations on other young performers.

The 2004 Olympic 4x100m relay champion said:

“Following the recent phenomenal successes of Tom and Ellie, there is now going to be a huge weight of expectation on any young athlete who starts to show signs of greatness at an early age.

It should not be forgotten that the likes of Tom and Ellie are exceptional talents and the danger is we put other young athletes in that bracket too soon, which could have potentially damaging consequences.

My sprinting ability was spotted at an early age, so I know the huge demands elite sport can place on young shoulders. With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place on home soil, the public’s expectation for medals from all our athletes, young and old, is going to be huge.

My concerns are that too often the media and the public expect instant success and forget that these young athletes are still teenagers and therefore experiencing the things that other teenagers go through when growing up such as school, homework, exams and making new friends, but with the added strain of fitting in training and competition.

For me, there is no argument that a career in elite sport opens up the most amazing opportunities and I would urge any young person, who has a talent in that field, to follow their dreams, but they must be allowed to enjoy their sport and most importantly have access to the right support and, crucially, when they need it.

The very real danger is that they quickly begin to resent their sport and wish to be anywhere else other than in the gym or at the track.”

Supporting young talent is a subject close to Gardener’s heart which is why he has joined the Youth Sport Trust as a School Sport Ambassador.