Harriers set the pace for sporting dreams

With 30 Olympic medal winners in 100 years, the Birchfield Harriers has its fair share of sports stars. Cathy Spencer talks to club president Tom McCook.

As he sits in the stands at the Alexander Stadium, looking down at the track, Tom McCook smiles as he remembers the dozens of young Birchfield Harriers who have competed in the Olympics.

"During the Beijing Olympics I have been on the edge of my seat watching Birchfield Harriers such as Kelly Sotherton and Julie Hollman take part in the heptathlon," says Tom, who is president of the Birchfield Harriers.

"If the games had been in Europe we would have all gathered at the club to watch them compete.

"But with the games taking place on the other side of the world we had to watch when we could - and cheer them along on our own." Birchfield Harriers, which is based at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, has been represented at every Olympic Games since 1908, except for the 1952 event in Helsinki.

One hundred Birchfield Harriers have flown the flag for their country in the Olympic Games in the last hundred years and that number increased during the Beijing games when six people took part.

These included heptathletes Kelly Sotherton, 31, from Bearwood and Julie Hollman, 31, from Great Barr as well as Tom Parsons, 24, from Hall Green who competed in the high jump.

Other Birchfield Harriers taking part included hammer thrower Zoe Derham from Gloucester, Dale Garland from Bath who was in the 400 metres relay squad and Adam Nelson from Georgia in the USA who was competing for America in the shot.

"The first Olympian we had was Archie Robertson who was a very good cyclist and joined the club in 1907," says Tom. "He took part in the 1908 Games and won gold in the the three mile team race and silver in the steeplechase."

"Also, the Birchfield Harriers had eight members in the famous Chariots of Fire team of 1924 in Paris.

"The club's first lady Olympian was Audrey Kilner-Brown who won silver in the 4 x 100 metres relay in the 1936 games in Berlin.

"Since Audrey we have had dozens of excellent women athletes go to the Olympics including Denise Lewis and Katharine Merry. "In 2000, when they both came back from the games in Sydney, the atmosphere in the West Midlands was electric - it is a year I will never forget.

The Birchfield Harriers was created in the grounds of Aston Hall in 1879 after an argument about a cross country race.

"At the end it was felt by some that the race should have been re-run," says Tom.

"As a result, a group of dissatisfied cross country runners agreed to meet to discuss the formation of their own athletics club.

"Birchfield Harriers came into existence and they were the first athletics club to own their own track with a paid administrator.

"Our present track is owned by Birmingham City Council as the Alexander Stadium was built in the 1970s when the council had hopes of holding the Commonwealth Games.

"We have the AGA Academy for youngsters from nine to 15-years-old and who knows, we could find the next Denise Lewis or Archie Robertson."

How the club's medals were won

How the Harriers' Oly-mpic medals were won:

The 2004 games in Athens.

Gold - Mark Lewis-Francis - 4 x 100m relay.

Silver - Adam Nelson (for USA) - shot put.

Bronze - Kelly Sotherton - heptathlon.

( Para-Olympic medals: Bronze - Deborah Brennan - 100m; Silver - Deborah Brennan - 200m).

The 2000 games in Sydney.

Gold - Denise Lewis - heptathlon.

Bronze - Katharine Merry - 400m.

Silver - Adam Nelson (for USA) - shot put.

( Para-Olympic medals: Bronze - Deborah Brennan - 100m; Gold - Deborah Brennan - 200m)

The 1996 games in Atlanta.

Bronze - Denise Lewis - heptathlon.

The 1984 games in Los Angeles.

Silver - Philip Brown - 4 x 400m relay.

The 1972 games in Munich.

Bronze - Ian Stewart MBE - 5,000 metres.

The 1968 games in Mexico City.

Bronze -- John Sherwood - 400m hurdles.

The 1964 games in Tokyo.

Silver - John Hugh Cooper - 400m.

Silver - John Hugh Cooper - 4 x 400m relay.

Silver - Robbie Ian Brightwell MBE - 4 x 400m relay.

Bronze - Daphne Arden -- 4 x 100m relay.

The 1960 games in Rome.

Silver - Carole Quinton - 80m hurdles.

Bronze - Peter Radford - 100m.

Bronze - Peter Radford - 4 x 100m relay.

Bronze - Nick Whitehead - 4 x 100m relay.

The 1956 games in Melbourne.

Silver - John Salisbury - 4 x 400m relay.

The 1936 games in Berlin.

Gold - Godfrey Brown - 4 x 400m relay.

Silver - Godfrey Brown - 400m.

Silver - Audrey Kilner-Brown - 4 x 100m relay.

The 1924 games in Paris.

Silver - Bert MacDonald - 3,000m team.

The 1920 games at Antwerp.

Silver - Charles Blewitt - 3,000m team.

The 1908 games at London.

Gold - Archie Robertson - 3,200m steeplechase.

Silver - Archie Robertson - 3 mile team.