CHRISTIAN Malcolm is hoping to finally put his injury nightmares behind him and bow out in style at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
The veteran Newport sprint star, whose career has been blighted by injuries, has written off this season due to persistent Achilles and heel problems.
And now he’s focusing all his energy on representing Wales at the 2014 Commonwealths in Glasgow before finally hanging up his running spikes at the age of 35.
“We’ve got the Europeans next year as well but everything is gearing up towards the Commonwealths for me now,” said Malcolm, who turned 34 this June.
“One more year of training and, more than likely, that will be my last major championships.
“I said that about London 2012 as well so you never know ¬– I might think maybe I can stretch it to Rio but probably not.
“It would be a great way to bow out but I don’t just want to go there to make up the numbers,” he added.
“I want to go there in shape and give a good account of myself and be competitive.”
If he makes it to Glasgow, Malcolm will be competing in his fifth Commonwealths after winning 200m silver in 1998 and bronze in Delhi in 2010.
“Delhi was alright. It should have been a bit better but I got a medal so I can’t complain,” he said.
“I’ve got two of the fastest men ever in Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in my event so be in the medals this time round is going to be lot tougher but if I make the final and I’m in the mix I’ll be happy.”
Malcolm admits he found it tough to watch the recent world championships on TV but was impressed with the performances of British youngsters Adam Gemili and James Dasaolu.
“It’s frustrating because I was going well in winter training and then the injuries struck again,” he said.
“Having to sit at home and watch the world championships is never nice. It was hard for me because I still feel like I should be there and I don’t know how my partner put up with me!
“But it was good to see people like Adam and James coming through – the future is bright for British sprinting.
“Adam reminds me of the way I came through,” he added.
“He’s definitely got the talent and the mentality to succeed and I think he’s a bit more robust than me.
“I didn’t get injured until I was 22 and I’ve struggled with injuries ever since but hopefully he doesn’t have the same problems.”
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