Dai Greene’s gold sees a new Olympic star born

Britain finally got its first gold at the 2011 athletics World Championships after Dai Greene triumphed in the 400m hurdles - a result that both reduced the pressure on head coach Charles van Commenee and ensured the 25-year-old runner will be centre-stage in the media frenzy as the London 2012 Olympics approach.
 
Not that Greene is looking to downplay expectations. "I can't settle for anything else now," he said about aspirations for Olympic gold next summer.
 
Greene clinched the World Championship title in dramatic fashion, overtaking Puerto Rico's Javier Culson after the last hurdle to cross the line first in 48.26 seconds. "I had to dig deep," the Welshman said after the race. "I'm a fighter and I'm strong and I showed my determination at the end and my will to win."
 
Amid the jubilation, Greene was quick to reflect on how far he's come. "I had a lot of injuries in 2006, '07 and '08 and I was really struggling to make the squad.

"Now look at me," he said. "I've worked hard to get here. That's why I can deal with the expectation, because I remember being bottom of the pile."
 
Yesterday's victory means Greene is now the European, Commonwealth and world champion – the perfect incentive to work hard in the off-season. "It's a lot easier to do winter training when you have a gold medal on the mantelpiece," he said. "Now I have three from three from the last championships, and I want to complete the set next year."
 
Greene's gold will make the Olympic countdown more comfortable for Charles van Commenee, GB team head coach. His prediction of 'seven to eight' British medals from the World Championships, including one gold, was looking unlikely before Greene's victory and Hannah England's silver in the 1500m. Britain now has five medals in the bag, with long-jumper Phillips Idowu and 5000m favourite Mo Farah still to come. ·