Competing at the Commonwealth Games for the first time can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for any athlete. But imagine how Alf Oddie must have felt in Edinburgh 1986 when he lined up against a decathlete regarded not just as the best of his generation, but arguably the greatest of all-time. Francis Morgan Ayodele ‘Daley’ Thompson finished his career with two Olympic golds, one World Championship title, and three Commonwealth golds. He dominated the decathlon like no other athlete before or since. In 1986 he won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and a few weeks later retained his European Championship title in Stuttgart. Six years after winning his first Olympic gold in Moscow he was still a formidable force, but 1986 was to be the last year he would stand on the medal rostrum at a major championships as injuries which struck him the following season would prevent him from holding off the challenge of younger and stronger rivals.
Alf had joined the Manx Athletics Club as a teenager and competed in cross-country and fell running, and was also a keen cricketer. He started competing in athletics field events at Castle Rushen High School and King William’s College and his aptitude in a variety of events led him to take up decathlon in 1980. In 1982 he left the Island to work as a PE teacher in Preston, and in the years that followed continued to return to the land of his birth to compete in the Isle of Man annual athletics championships. In 1985 Oddie, then aged 25, competed for the Isle of Man at the inaugural Island Games (held in the Isle of Man) and won gold medals in the javelin (setting an Island Games record), a silver in the shot put, and bronze medals in the high jump and discus. The same year he came third in the decathlon at the North of England Athletics Championships representing Blackburn Harriers. In 1986 he qualified for the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games team by finishing second in an invitational decathlon in Hull and in so doing became the first Manx athlete ever selected to compete in any athletics field event at the Games. Alf’s sister Maureen was also selected for the 1986 team – she would go on to finish 11th in the marathon, the first time in Games history that a women’s marathon was held. Taking part in the opening ceremony in Edinburgh was an emotional day for the Oddie family. Sadly, Alf’s dad had passed away a few years earlier, but his mum and Alf’s two other sisters Ann and Margaret were able to attend to see him and Maureen walk out behind the Manx flag. “Attending the opening ceremony was a very proud moment for the whole family, especially as my mum is Scottish,” says Alf. “When the competition started the crowds for the decathlon were huge, mainly because Daley Thompson was the biggest star in British athletics at that time. I was completely outclassed of course, but it was a great experience to represent the Isle of Man and to be part of the Commonwealth Games. I felt very lucky to be born Manx as it gave me the opportunity to compete on the same stage as one of the world’s best ever athletes. If I hadn’t been born on the Island I may never have had that chance.”
So, what was it like competing against Thompson? “He was very relaxed at the Commonwealth Games. He was a real character and a great competitor, but at just over six foot wasn’t the ideal build for a decathlete. If you compare him to his main rivals Jurgen Hingsen, Siggi Wentz, and Guido Kratschmer, they were monsters compared to Thompson. But what Daley had was that psychological edge and mental strength which enabled him to consistently produce his best, even when he was really under pressure, and especially in the field events.”
Thompson had the gold medal in the bag going into the last event, the 1500metres. Safe in the knowledge that he only needed to finish in order to secure the gold, Thompson held a bit back in the metric mile knowing that a few weeks later he had to peak again for the European Championships in Stuttgart (he won gold there too). Oddie finished a few yards ahead of Thompson after four laps of the track and, although he’s too modest too boast about it, you get the sense from listening to him recount the tale that he still gains a sense of satisfaction from that claim to fame. And why shouldn’t he? After all, how many PE teachers do you know who out-ran a double Olympic Champion at a major international event? Alf, who finished 11th in the Commonwealth decathlon, remembers sprinting down the home straight in the 1500metres and hearing a voice in the crowd. It was Steve Partington who was a race walker in the Isle of Man team. ‘Hey, Daley. Alf went that way!’ shouted Steve as he pointed in the direction of the finish line. History doesn’t record whether or not Thompson heard the cheeky bit of Manx banter.
“There are two great traditions in the decathlon,” adds Alf. “After the final event all the competitors do a lap of honour, not just the medal winners – and all the competitors line up at the medal ceremony too. I still get a tingle thinking about those moments, they’re treasured memories which I would probably have never experienced had I been born in the UK instead of the Isle of Man.”
Alf is now Head of PE at Kirkham Grammar Junior School near Preston. He helps to run a sports team exchange visit programme with Neil MacGregor, Head of Prep at The Buchan School. They began that programme when at different schools, but for a quarter of a century hundreds of rugby players from the north west of England and the Isle of Man have taken part – and it all began through connections made via the Commonwealth Games. MacGregor was coach for the Island’s swimming team at those Games and is now a Team Isle of Man Ambassador.
Hopefully, a few Manx competitors return with medals from Glasgow 2014 – but even those that don’t are sure to come home with treasured memories that will help to inspire the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen.
Photo - Alf Oddie, right, sprinting alongside England’s Greg Richards in the 100metres event at the 1986 Commonwealth Games decathlon.
