Athletics: Britain's golden gang to take on the world

DENISE LEWIS, who left Budapest yesterday as European heptathlon champion, had been competing under strict instructions. Her friends and neighbours near her childhood home in Wolverhampton were expecting to be able to hold another street party, just as they had when she won Olympic bronze and, last year, world silver.

"My mum's garage will be decorated again," Lewis said as she contemplated a victory that, for its mixture of talent and application, mirrored the wider achievement of Britain's team.

The British performance in achieving their best-ever showing at a European Championships - top of the medals table, with a total of nine that they have only equalled once, eight years ago in Split - has come at an ideal point. After the widespread and unwarranted criticism of British athletes' performance in the 1996 Olympics, and the subsequent financial collapse of the British Athletic Federation last October, the image of this domestic sport had plummeted in terms of public esteem.

But the men's successful defence of the European Cup in June signalled a new sense of optimism that became transformed into one of overwhelming confidence over the course of the past six days in Hungary.

One of the underlying reasons for a success that British television viewers have been witnessing all week with an athletics version of football's World Cup team - Des and the boys, Linford and Rog - has been team spirit.

"There are a lot of like minds in the team right now," Lewis said: "There have been factions in the past, but not now. Everybody is backing everybody. Maybe it is because many of the team are so young. Everyone is feeding off each other's energy, enjoying the art of competition, the beauty of competition."

Another underlying factor this week has been the cost of competition. Many of the athletes who have emerged into the public eye at these championships have paid tribute to a National Lottery-funding programme that has allowed them to travel and train full-time.

Young talents such as Darren Campbell, the 100 metres winner, and the 200m gold and bronze medallists, Doug Walker and Julian Golding, have clearly benefited from a system that appears to be working efficiently now after a woefully slow start.

The experience of these young athletes is shared by others in sports, such as triathlon and women's modern pentathlon, that will be part of the 2000 Olympic Games. After her recent victory in the modern pentathlon World Cup, Britain's Kate Allenby said: "The Lottery money is definitely making a difference. This was the best result of my career."

The funding also appeared to be working for Britain at the recent World Junior Championships, where, thanks to the efforts of Christian Malcolm at 100 and 200m, David Parker in the javelin and Julie Pratt in the 100m hurdles, Britain finished with a record number of four golds, with only China and Russia above them.

Max Jones, Britain's chief coach, described the events of the past week as being crucial to British athletics. On Friday the Sports Council will consider a six-year plan submitted by the sport that will seek annual lottery funding at three times the current level, which is pounds 2m.

If the display Britain put up in the Nepstadion does not help their case, then nothing can. For Dave Moorcroft, who has shouldered the main burden of reconstructing British athletics as chief executive of UK Athletics 98, the champagne celebrations that took place at the side of the track on Sunday night were a richly deserved reward. But even as the champagne dried on his tracksuit, Moorcroft was aware of another looming deadline for the sport.

Diane Modahl, still seeking compensation from the BAF after her successful appeal against a doping ban, has given the current administration until 1 September to settle for a figure that has been estimated at close to pounds 500,000. Otherwise, according to Modahl's husband and manager, Vicente, the case will proceed to court with potential costs of more than pounds 2m for British athletics.

But for now attention is focused on those who have earned success in Budapest. Tonight in Lausanne, four of the gold medallists - Jonathan Edwards, Colin Jackson, Steve Backley and Darren Campbell - return to the grand prix circuit to measure their achievements in world terms. It will be tougher for some than others.

Campbell, who spoke of his ambition of "mixing it with the big boys" after winning the European title last held by his mentor, Linford Christie, now has his wish. The field in Switzerland includes the world champion Maurice Greene, the world 200m champion, Ato Boldon, and the Olympic silver medallist at both sprints, Frankie Fredericks.

Britain's double world junior sprint champion, Christian Malcolm, will also be involved.

Jackson, too, faces a step-up in terms of competition against the Americans who beat him over 110 metres hurdles at last month's Goodwill Games, including the world champion, Allen Johnson.

Backley faces a number of those he beat in Hungary, with the possibly crucial additions of Kostas Gatsioudis of Greece, who missed the European Championships with injury, and Marius Corbett, the South African who deprived the Briton of the world title last year.

For Edwards, the prospect is clearer in an event where he has established himself as the season's top performer.

Yesterday, as he travelled out to Lausanne, the recollection of his final triple jump of 17.99m in the Nepstadion still raised a smile. It was the very last action of the championships, in that it was allowed to take place after the traditional finale of the 400m relay.

Edwards, who had already won the gold, relished his opportunity to perform an individual farewell to 47,000 supporters who clapped in unison as he stood on the runway. But the efficiency of his effort took him aback.

"I still don't know where that jump came from," he said yesterday. "I was tired by then and I wasn't expecting anything that long. It wasn't even a technically good jump - my step wasn't right. If I had been tighter on that, I would have been close to my world record."

That record - 18.29m - is clearly within range once again for the 32- year-old Gosforth athlete. And his celebrations afterwards, with the Union Jack draped over his shoulders, were more expansive than ever before.

"I was talking to one of the national coaches, Tudor Bidder, beforehand," he said, "and he emphasised to me that I had a God-given talent and that I should allow myself to enjoy it."

Which is what he did. And so did all who witnessed what served as a fitting climax to six memorable and significant days for British athletics.