Olympic legend Daley Thompson has told how he nearly burst with pride watching son Elliot follow in his golden spike marks.
Forty six years after Britain’s greatest athlete won the first of his British decathlon titles, Elliot wore the crown in Manchester. Thompson beamed: “It’s fantastic, I honestly couldn’t be more proud of him.
"It was never going to be easy for him because it never is for the kids of people who have been good at something. He was always going to have that, especially doing the same event as me - and people put high expectations on him. But Elliot is living proof that hard work, patience and sticking at it pays off. He is a national champion and I am just delighted.”
Thompson senior still holds the British record for the 10-discipline event, 36 years on from setting it in Stuttgart. After winning the national title he went on to win back-to-back Olympics and roam unbeaten in completed decathlons for nine years.
Elliot, 29, is only ranked 82nd in the all-time British list but wasn’t worrying about that after finishing like a train in the final 1500m to jump from third to first place with 7,197 points.
“Dad will be happy - though he probably will have expected more,” he laughed. “Isn’t that what most sons and dads think of each other!”
The Enfield and Haringey athlete, who only took up decathlon in 2017, actually starts a new job tomorrow in app development and will go part-time.
But no-one can ever take away from him the memory he made for himself and his family on a blustery June day in the shadow of the Etihad Stadium.
But no-one can ever take away from him the memory he made for himself and his family on a blustery June day in the shadow of the Etihad Stadium.
“We have already spoken on the phone three times today,” said Daley. “He is absolutely overjoyed. He is going part time now but, to be fair, that’s the way we used to do it in the old days.”
Asked whether dad helped out with his coaching, Elliot joked: “No, he’s an awful coach. I think when it comes naturally to you, it’s quite difficult to describe sometimes.”
Daley agreed: “I’m his dad and I leave him to get on with it. I don’t think he’s even watched films of me competing.
“It’s just a shame he only took it up five years ago. Who knows where he might have got to - but this is fantastic.”
