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      I won bronze at London 2012 Olympics to make Team GB history… now I work for the Premier League in totally new career

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      KRISTIAN THOMAS won bronze with Team GB at London 2012 but now works for the Premier League in a completely new role.The retired gymnast was a part of the history-making quintet which came third in the men’s team all-around 12 years ago.Kristian Thomas won gymnastics bronze with Team GB at the London 2012 OlympicsCredit: AFPHe now works as a player care and engagement manager for the Premier LeagueCredit: YouTube / Team EnglandIt was the first time in 100 years Team GB had won an Olympic team medal in gymnastics.Now 35, Thomas has been a player care and engagement manager for the Premier League since January 2022.His role sees him offer support to all 20 clubs and their player-care staff to help raise such provision at each club.He also canvasses player opinions and gives feedback to the Premier League for any potential rule changes.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLDiscussing his career change, he told Olympics.com in December 2022: “Ultimately sport is sport at the end of the day, and I like to think that what I bring to the role is that knowledge and understanding of what being an elite sportsperson looks like, whether you’re a footballer or a gymnast.”That exposure and competing under the spotlight and having a goal, a focus, training towards that, it might happen, it might not happen, the bounce-back resilience shown with injuries, setbacks, and so on, that still stays the same.”As for the impact of his work, he added: “Taking the knee would be a good example.”Recently the captains decided that instead of doing it every game, they would do it in selected matches instead and hopefully drive the exposure that way.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThomas also works for Commonwealth Games England and the British Olympic Association alongside his Premier League job.It follows a range of roles including motivational speaker and athlete trainer since retiring from gymnastics.Footballers you didn’t know were related from Premier League icons to Lionel MessiAs well as bronze in London, Thomas was part of the team which finished fourth in Rio in 2016.He was also a Commonwealth and European champion in the men’s team all-around as well as winning European gold in the floor exercise.His best Olympic performance in the event saw him place seventh in Rio eight years ago.It came after he had made more history at the 2013 World Championships with bronze in vault, the first global medal ever won by a British male gymnast in the discipline.Thomas made history with Team GB in 2012 and competed again at the 2016 gamesCredit: GettyHe won European gold in two events during his gymnastics careerCredit: AFP More

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      I’m an Olympic champion – now I’m earning a living selling pictures on OnlyFans ahead of Paris 2024

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      MATTY LEE is an Olympic gold medal champion who made a splash with Tom Daley in Tokyo.But ahead of the 2024 Paris Games, he is now earning a living by selling pictures on adult website OnlyFans.Matty Lee is making a living on OnlyFans after striking gold at the OlympicsCredit: Instagram / @mattydiverThe diver won at Tokyo 2020 alongside Tom DaleyCredit: EPALee, 26, is one of Team GB’s top stars after breaking on to the scene at the 2015 European Games.After winning gold there, he took silver at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.And Lee clinched the top prize of all when he and Daley won gold in the synchro event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.The Leeds-born ace, coached by Jane Figueiredo, is now closing in on a spot at this summer’s Games in Paris.READ MORE IN OLYMPICSBut in the meantime, Lee is funding his dream by selling saucy snaps on OnlyFans.SunSport exclusively revealed in December that he is one of several male divers taking to the adult website to flog pictures to fans.Others who have joined OnlyFans include Daniel Goodfellow, Jack Laugher, Noah Williams, Robbie Lee and Matthew Dixon.Costing between £8 and £16 a month, Lee has been posting snaps online after joining the subscription-based service last year.Most read in AthleticsCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSRevealing his move onto the platform, he said: “I have not been hacked, I have not been scammed, see for yourself.”On his OnlyFans bio, it reportedly adds: “Where you wanna see more of me.”I’m A Celeb’s Matty Lee and Naughty Boy take on ‘Gross Vegas’ trialThe pair are hoping to make it to Paris 2024Credit: Instagram / @mattydiverLee joined OnlyFans last yearCredit: Instagram / @mattydiverHe previously appeared on I’m a CelebCredit: Instagram / @mattydiverLee’s profile insists his pictures are SFW (Safe For Work)Credit: GettyAccording to Instinct Magazine, Lee also clarifies: “Remember I’m a Team GB diver not a (porn star).“So everything will be SFW (safe for work) and a place where I can interact with you all.”Lee’s journey into OnlyFans came after he appeared on I’m a Celeb in 2021.He lasted 18 days in the jungle and finished a respectable fifth. More

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      Pentathlete breaks down in floods of tears live on BBC at World Indoor Athletics Championship after devastating injury

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      A SPANISH pentathlete was left in tears after rupturing her Achilles tendon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.Maria Vicente, a triple jump youth Olympic medallist, injured herself as she attempted a high jump in the morning session at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.Maria Vicente suffered a nasty-looking injury as she attempted a high humpCredit: ReutersShe burst into tears after hitting the matVicente appeared to damage her AchillesCredit: AFPShe was quickly attended to by medical staffCredit: ReutersThe Spaniard looked in agony as she was wheeled away on a stretcherCredit: ReutersThe 22-year-old laid on the crash mat in agony before being attended to by medical staff, concerned teammates and Spanish coaching members.Vicente had already cleared heights of 1.67 metres and 1.70 metres in the competition but when she tried to take on 1.73 metres, it all went horribly wrong.In clear distress, Vicente was stretchered away from the arena to a backstage medical room, and was later seen in a wheelchair.Tears continued to flow as she left the field of play and she put her hands on her head.READ MORE IN SPORTIt meant the end of her competition in the women’s pentathlon, which starts and ends on Friday.Depending on how bad the issue is, it could also mean she misses out on competing at the Paris Summer Olympics.Vicente finished 18th in the heptathlon with 6,117 points at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.It was a real blow for Vicente who had topped the leaderboard after the first event.Most read in AthleticsShe scored 1113 points for winning the second heat in the 60m hurdles, posting a top speed of 8.07 out of all 12 pentathletes.Katarina Johnson-Thompson is the reigning world heptathlon champion but she has decided against competing at the World Indoors this weekend.The Power Players: Celebrating Two Decades of Inspirational SportswomenA number of home-grown high-profile individuals have stayed away from the event even though it is being held on UK soil. More

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      I nearly lost my finger in a freak accident but now I’m an influencer hoping to win gold at Paris 2024 Olympics

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      MOLLY CAUDERY will be jumping for joy at the Olympics if she can carry her red-hot pole vaulting form into Paris.And her dream of a medal this summer could come true less than three years after virtually losing her finger in a freak accident at home.Molly Caudery is the rising star of British athleticsCredit: GettyShe is on top of the world as the best pole vaulter in 2024Credit: PACaudery has overcome a series of injury battlesCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe loves to travel and soaked up the sun in South Africa in early 2024Credit: instagram @molly_cauderyBorn in Cornwall in March 2000, the new darling of British athletics is enjoying a simply astonishing rise – both on the field and online.Caudery, 23, hit the headlines with her silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – four years on from her fifth-placed finish as an 18-year-old on the Gold Coast in Australia.Incredibly, though, just eight months earlier, a shocking injury in her home gym almost ended her pole vault career before it got off the ground. Caudery, who sports a scar on her index finger, said: “I was doing snatching and, as I brought the bar down, my finger caught between where you rack it and the bar.READ MORE ON ATHLETICS“It was 90 per cent off. It was holding on by the skin on the side. “Three surgeries later, it is all good. But since then, I had two Achilles surgeries, which put me out for almost nine months. “That was a pretty big setback that I managed to come back from.”That final sentence is an understatement. Most read in AthleticsSince that Commonwealth silver, Caudery has literally jumped to new heights, setting two PBs on the same day to claim the British Championships title in July 2023.That gained her automatic entry into the Worlds the following month, where she came fifth with her new record of 4.75m. World’s sexiest athlete Alica Schmidt turned down ‘high six figures’ sponsorship deal despite earning £611 a monthThe Loughborough University sports science graduate backed that up as she claimed the UK Indoor title with a 4.85m.And with her PB now at 4.86m, she heads into the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow as the leading pole vaulter this season.So with Paris 2024 just around the corner, it is little wonder she is dreaming of a medal – just like her Team GB team-mate and Loughborough pal Holly Bradshaw, who claimed bronze in Tokyo three years ago.After all, Bradshaw jumped 4.85m for her bronze, with 4.90m the gold-medal height.Caudery added ahead of the Glasgow meet: “It’s every athlete’s dream to get an Olympic medal. “If I can just get to the final in Paris then you never know what is going to happen.“Every athlete has their timeline and mine was always 2028.Caudery dreams of bringing home a gold medal from ParisCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe pole vaulter is dating British high jumper Joel Clarke KhanCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe has racked up more than 205,000 Instagram followersCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe Cornwall star has been to Greece, the Canary Islands, Florida and The BahamasCredit: instagram @molly_caudery“But I know that what I’ve jumped so far could be pushing towards those medal areas, so I do think I need to re-evaluate. It’s crazy to think that that could put me up there.“To go from my PB being 4.60 at the beginning of last year to 4.86 already this year, it’s all happened very quickly for me.“I took so much confidence from last year and I’ve improved physically and mentally and I think that’s just taken me to the next step.“Coming into the season, a world indoors medal was not a clear target. But now I can’t shy away from the fact that I’ve been consistently jumping 4.80. “If I can keep doing what I’m doing, a medal could be on the cards and that’s exciting.”It is little wonder adidas snapped talented Caudery up early in 2024 as she put pen to paper on her first kit contract.The sportswear giants undoubtedly spotted the huge potential of their new client, too, given her sudden explosion of popularity online.Her combination of athletics posts, worldwide holiday snaps, glamorous selfies, bikini pics and doting content with her fellow British athlete boyfriend, high jumper Joel Clarke Khan, proves to be a winning formula. Caudery is relishing her red-hot form in the fieldCredit: PAHer current PB stands at a whopping 4.86mCredit: PAHer jump of 4.85m secured gold at the 2024 British Indoor ChampionshipsCredit: GettyCaudery needed surgery to save her left index fingerCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe x-ray shows the horrific damage done in her home gym in December 2021Credit: instagram @molly_cauderyCaudery has ticked off South Africa, Indonesia, Greece, the Canary Islands, Florida and The Bahamas – with the incredible photos going down a storm with supporters. Like her jumps, the followers count is going through the roof and now stands at a new PB of more than 205,000.And it shows no signs of letting up, either.The aspiring baker, keen traveller and part-time surfer – who has had to put her thrill-seeking skydiving on pause during her athletics career – is riding the wave and taking the fame in her stride, though. And while she denied suggestions she is also a model, reflecting on the social media stardom, Caudery said: “I don’t know where it really came from. “More recently, I’ve been posting a lot of pole vault videos and I’m getting like 10,000 more followers just from that. READ MORE SUN STORIES“’I think having that following is super important. People have said that athletics is not quite as big as it used to be. “So if I can inspire one person from the next generation, let alone the 200,000 or so who follow me, to be a part of athletics and keep it going, then that would be great.”Caudery ticked Indonesia off the bucket listCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe signed her first kit deal with adidas this yearCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyCaudery works hard in the gym and is reaping the rewardsCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe star loves baking and surfing in her free timeCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe has had to put her passion for skydiving on pause during her athletics careerCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe rising star knows she can inspire others to get into athleticsCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyHer holiday snaps rack up thousands of likesCredit: instagram @molly_caudery More

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      We’re twin sisters, 27, who both secretly battled same disease… now we’re plotting Olympic gold at Paris 2024 together

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      TWO TWIN sisters aiming to bring back Olympic gold for Team GB this summer have been battling the same disease since being 13.The 27-year-old Londoners Lina and Laviai Nielsen first started to dream of representing their country in the relay race together while chasing around the primary school field.
      Twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen are hoping to bring back the gold this summerCredit: Rex
      The success of the siblings is even more remarkable after the pair were diagnosed with the same diseaseCredit: Reuters
      That looked set to become reality when they were selected for Britain’s 4x400m team at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
      However, after a stress fracture in her foot ruled Lina out, it took another five years before the pair were chosen together again.
      But they were unable to compete alongside each other at the 2022 World Championships as Lina suffered a relapse of the multiple sclerosis that both sisters suffer from.
      Up until that point in their careers they had kept it secret after originally being diagnosed aged 13, but the flare-up prompted them to finally reveal their story.
      READ MORE ON SPORT
      Laviai is still yet to suffer major symptoms like her sister, and she told BBC Sport: “We’re still deciding not to take medicine because we’re not sure of the side effects.
      “We’ve always been pretty good with our diet and nutrition, but after Lina’s flare-up we’ve taken it even more seriously. So far it’s all gone well.”
      Despite those previous setbacks, the duo are hoping it will be third time lucky after being chosen together again for the World Indoor Championships this weekend in Britain’s 4x400m team.
      Laviai explained how they hope to not only make it to at least the final, but that she is desperate to compete over 400m hurdles and join her sister in a bid for Olympic gold at the Paris Games this summer.
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      And Laviai tried to put into words just exactly what it would mean if they were to stand together on the relay podium.
      She said: “We would definitely celebrate it greatly. It would be huge.”
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      Lina, who finally made her international debut in 2022, has now switched and made the 400m hurdles her primary individual event.
      She added: “There have been so many setbacks along the way.
      “It’s the nature of sport – it is cut-throat. Sometimes you need luck on your side.
      “Hopefully we’re all good this time round. It can’t get better than finally racing together in front of a home crowd.”
      The sisters are hoping it’ll be third time a charm at the World Indoor ChampionshipsCredit: Getty
      Laviai Nielsen pictured winning the 400m ahead of Lina in Birmingham this monthCredit: Rex More

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      My husband was a Premier League star but I’m making my own way as an Olympic gold medal skiing champion

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      LARA GUT-BERHAMI is to many just the wife of a former Premier League star.The 32-year-old is married to former West Ham and Fiorentina midfielder Valon Behrami, whom she tied the knot with in the summer of 2018.
      Lara Gut-Berhami is the wife of former West Ham midfielder Valon BehramiCredit: EPA
      But the 32-year-old is an Olympic and World Championship downhill skierCredit: GETTY
      Lara has a slew of medals in her trophy cabinetCredit: EPA
      But she’s much more than Mrs. Berhami.
      Lara – who is fluent in FOUR languages – is a Swiss alpine ski race sensation who has a slew of major medals in her trophy cabinet.
      She participated in her first-ever race at the FIS races at the tender age of age FIFTEEN back in December 2006.
      Appearances at the Alpine Youth World Championships and World Cup followed in 2007, with the then-teenager winning silver in the downhill race in the former competition.
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      The year 2007 proved to be a successful one for Lara, who became the second youngest Swiss national champion of all time in the super-G.
      A slow recovery from a hip would prevent Lara from competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada.
      But she would fulfil her dreams four years later when she competed at the Sochi Games in Russia.
      And it was at those Games where she picked up her first Olympic medal in the downhill, winning a bronze medal.
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      That year’s World Cup would see Lara win the super-G season title and claim a third-placed finish.
      Lara claimed a bronze medal in the super-G at the 2017 World Championships, although she would suffer a horrific ACL injury in the ensuing combined event.
      I was a top skiing star – now I’m making my way in new job after sporting career ended in tears aged just 23
      After a long and arduous recovery, she returned to action at the 2019 World Championships – although she was a shell of her former self.
      But a mere two years later, she claimed gold medals in the Giant Slalom and super-G events.
      She would take the winning form into her second Olympics – the 2022 Games in Beijing.
      And the tournament proved to be the highlight of her career as she left China with a gold medal after winning the super-G event.
      After fulfilling her childhood dream, she said: “I am really happy to have got that gold.
      “But you can’t build your life around winning gold.
      “I just thought it was probably going to be my last Olympic super-G of my life and I just wanted to show something great. I just wanted to ski.
      “I am happy that this time I am fast enough because last time for sure I was fourth and it was always tight.
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      “It’s not bad to have the hundredths by my side this time.”
      Lara was in World Cup downhill action last Friday, stretching her lead in the heated race for the crystal globe with victory at Crans-Montana.
      Lara Gut-Behrami has two World Championships and one Olympic Gold medal to her nameCredit: AFP
      Lara Gut-Behrami is currently in World Cup action at Crans-MontanaCredit: AP More

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      Olympics athletic event may never look the same with plans to trial radical new format

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      THE LONG jump competition will undergo a radical change – as athletes take a leap of faith into the future.World Athletics bosses are trialling a new format where long jumpers use a “take-off zone” rather than a take-off board.
      World Athletics chiefs are planning major changes in the long jump eventCredit: Keith Campbell – The Sun Glasgow
      Trials will start taking place in the lower competitionsCredit: Getty
      Long jumpers will use a “take-off zone” rather than a take-off board.Credit: Getty
      Data collected during the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest showed that a THIRD of all attempts were recorded as no-jumps.
      The rule experiment will take place throughout this year in lower-level competitions and jumps will be measured from the front of the take-off foot within that zone.
      If the tests are successful – and if the competitors fully embrace and love the concept – then it could become permanent for the event from 2026 onwards.
      Jon Ridgeon, 57, a former British athlete and now CEO of World Athletics, said: “We’re looking at all of the disciplines, particularly the field events, and going: ‘Right, how do we make them better?’
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      “At the World Championships in Budapest last summer, a third of all the jumps were no-jumps where athletes stepped over the front of the take-off board.
      “Well, that doesn’t work. That’s a waste of time. So we’re testing at the moment a take-off zone rather than a take-off board.
      “We’ll measure from where the athlete takes off to where they land in the pit.
      “That means every single jump counts. It adds to the jeopardy and drama in the competition.
      Most read in Athletics
      “At the same time we’re working out ways we can get instant results so you don’t have to wait 20-30 seconds before the result pops up.
      “How can we speed up the whole competition? It’s a whole range of innovation we’re looking at based on hopefully robust data.”
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      Britain have had three Olympic long jump champions – Mary Rand (1964), Lynn Davies (1964) and Greg Rutherford (2012).
      The men’s world record is 8.95 metres set by American Mike Powell in Tokyo in 1991 while the top women’s mark of 7.52 metres was established in 1988 by Russian Galina Chistyakova.
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      Ridgeon – who won 110 hurdles silver at the 1987 World Championships in Rome ahead of Colin Jackson – accepts that the traditionalists may not be happy.
      Especially as the event was part of the 1896 Olympics for the men while women starting jumping at the 1948 London Games.
      Speaking on the Great British Bosses series on the Anything but Footy podcast, he said: “We’ll spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes.
      “If it doesn’t pass testing, we’ll never introduce it.
      Measures have to pass testing
      “So, we aren’t going to introduce things on a whim because one of us thinks it’s a good idea.
      “Yes, it’s going to be based on good data. Yes, we’re going to test it really well.
      “If you have dedicated your life to hitting that take-off board perfectly and then suddenly we replace it with a take-off zone, I totally get that there might be initial resistance.
      “As long as it is based on good testing and good data, I think eventually it’ll work through.
      “It will not be without its controversy. You cannot make change in a sport that was basically invented 150 years ago without some controversy. But I think it’s worth doing.
      “Ultimately this is about not this year, but making sure we have got a sport that is hopefully fit for purpose for another 150 years.”
      In the summer of 2026, World Athletics will introduce a new global competition that will run in the years where there are no World Championships or Olympic Games.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      This World Cup of Athletics will be staged with countries pitted against each other in semi-final and final stages. The host city will be announced this year.
      + Listen to the whole interview which is part of the Great British Bosses series on the Anything but Footy podcast More

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      Controversial British athletics icon Dwain Chambers to make shock return to competitive sprinting aged 45

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      DWAIN CHAMBERS will run in a competitive race at the age of 45, yet he should really forget all about winning!Despite his dodgy drugs past, UK Athletics are open to him working with and talking to the current generation about his chequered past and complicated history.
      Dwain Chambers is still competingCredit: PA
      He is unlikely to qualify for the World Indoor ChampionshipsCredit: PA
      In his pomp, Chambers was one of the best sprinters around, winning bronze at the 100 metres at world level in 1999 plus gold over 60 metres indoors in Doha 14 years ago.
      But infamously, he was caught up in the USA BALCO doping scandal – in 2003, he tested positive for a banned steroid, was suspended from the sport for two years and was stripped of some medals.
      Chambers probably should have retired by now and given up competition but he will be the oldest person in the field at the two-day UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham.
      UKA Olympic Head Coach Paula Dunn said: “The reality is he’s not going to qualify for the World Indoors with the standards.
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      “He enjoys his athletics. He’s qualified as right.
      “He’s doing great work down in Lee Valley with his academy. So like every other athlete, he can continue to race.
      “I don’t think he has aspirations, realistically, to go to the World Indoors (in Glasgow) but he’s running very well for somebody who’s in his mid-forties.
      “Some people enjoy keeping fit and competing. He obviously feels he has more to give.
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      “And like any athlete he feels he wants to reach his full potential at the age of 45.
      “As a sport, we’re inclusive. So, he’s welcome to do that.”
      British track sprinter Dwain Chambers races a HORSE ahead of Cheltenham
      It is ten years since he last ran in GB colours, notably finishing fourth in the 100 metres final at the European Championships in Zurich.
      That year, he also ran at the 2014 World Indoors in Sopot, Poland, but came sixth as Teesside Tornado Richard Kilty claimed the 60-metre title.
      Some will not forgive Chambers for his indiscretions and UKA policy prevents someone who has served a drugs ban from being employed as a national coach.
      Dunn would have no issue potentially bringing him into a UKA camp on a one-off basis, especially as he tried to redeem himself, teaching people about the pitfalls of cheating.
      She said: “Dwain has done lots of workshops telling youngsters about the dangers and how you have to say focused on what you are trying to achieve without taking shortcuts.
      “So for me, it’s a story of redemption. He got caught, he owned up to it and he has tried to make the best of a situation.
      “If he can educate people about the pitfalls, I think that’s a bonus.
      “Sometimes the best people to give the message is the person who has suffered through some consequences.
      “So it is not off the table but I haven’t actually thought about it. Long-term, it could be something that could be useful for the programme.
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      “As an adviser and as a speaker to athletes in the areas that he talks in at the moment then he could be useful.”
      Sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – who is Nitro in the BBC Gladiators reboot – has pulled out of the national trials. More