Michael East

Professions :

Athlete

I could produce spurts of speed and after taking up athletics I found myself running quite quickly over 400m.

over myself up speed

You have to have your wits about you and think quickly on your feet.

your think you feet

Deciding on when to kick is crucial and depends on how the race is unfolding.

kick how depends race

I first discovered my turn of pace when I was playing football as a kid.

playing turn kid football

If it's a slow race you have to be on your guard. You have to be patient, but I prefer that.

slow your you race

If you go too soon, you can come unstuck with 50m left when the guys are going past you.

go you left past

If you see swarms of guys coming around you, you have to try and avoid being stuck on the kerb.

try being see you

It is a natural gift I was born with but it's something I've had to nurture in training.

i-was-born gift training born

It probably won't sink in until I've retired from running but I'm a much better athlete than two years ago.

better athlete two years

So when you put the kick in and the other runners go past you, it's game over!

game go you past

Stepping up a gear during any race is not an easy thing to do.

stepping up race easy

Winning Commonwealth gold was just totally unbelievable.

just unbelievable gold winning

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