The crowd wept and cheered as he sprinted at 3mph down the home stretch of the Cross Country Championships in Cardiff. It was a sporting comeback on parallel with Schumacher, Armstrong and Thorpe; one that proved that talent never dies.
Ben Snowball finished 163rd in the Mens B (best) race, a remarkable performance from a man described by many as an "unfashionable bloke". Indeed his red hoody, which was worn on all three days of the BUCS trip, did little to dispel this rumour. Critics have since said that his green Jamaica jumper might have been a better option to mix things up a bit.
Shooting off at the back of the field, he impressively negotiated the rugby players making up the numbers and started to overtake the chubby kids in worn down trainers. Many spectators stayed to support him for the first 200m before accepting that watching fat kids and Ben battle it out for 250th wasn't the best way to spend the afternoon.
Feeling very perked up by chants of "Go on Loughborough" he made a breakthrough into the top 200. Luckily for him he completely forgot he was wearing a Sheffield vest, and thought he was popular.
Three laps of jogging later and the sprint finish began. The noise was unbearable (there was a Welsh man on the tannoy describing the day's lost property... the crowds had largely dispersed by this point) and every stride bought the prospect of a medal closer.
Ultimately it turned out that medal ceremonies are stingy affairs, with only the top three athletes receiving awards. Snowball's suggestion of having a podium for the top 163 runners was rejected.
A lot of positives emerged from the weekend. 1) He finished with only a mediocre foot injury, 2) he borrowed four safety pins and failed to return them, and 3) pizza express made him a gluten-free pizza for £3...
Showing posts with label return. Show all posts
Showing posts with label return. Show all posts
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Friday, 22 April 2011
Return Rumours
The pen was cast aside. It was too late, however, for it had already made its potent black mark upon the calender. 11th August 2012 was labelled: '18:45 - 5000m Men's Olympic Final. Get fit for it.'
Fresh from fending off family competition to locate a Cadbury's Creme Egg hidden in his Grandparent's garden earlier on Good Friday, Snowball returned home with a new lease of life. Logging online to the 2012 website, he booked three tickets to the Olympic stadium for this great spectacle so his family and friends could share in his defining moments.
Stories emerging from his camp suggested that he had already handpicked the four safety pins he would entrust to keep his number on in the final, as well as having backups should the track judge see fit to impose a back number also. The testing procedure to find the ultimate pin allegedly involved 'accidentally' drawing blood from unsuspecting friends to find just the right mix of sharpness and protection.
With rumours that GB already consider themselves out of Snowball's league it is no surprise that their neighbours have expressed an interest - who he qualifies for under Rule 89.b)... 'An athlete who is given permission to wear the famous green vest may, from that day forward, be considered for selection.'
Speaking at his annual Easter press conference Snowball said, 'Yes it is true. The Ireland selectors have already contacted me about filling their long-distance vacancy, but I'm holding out for a more lucrative offer from Team GB.'
He went on to say, 'I recently went out for a run that lasted two songs.'
It was later revealed that these songs were both over three minutes in length, although his spokesman laughed at the notion that their combined total was anything in excess of eight minutes forty seconds saying, 'Let's just take it a day at a time.'
With calls for Snowball to reduce the diameter of his gluteus maximus (massive bum), and stop measuring runs in terms of music, it is evident he has a lot of work to do between now and the top step of the Olympic rostrum...
His recent workout, where he managed sixty pillow presses and eighteen mattress bounces, is a step on the right path. It appears he's finally making an impact in a sport he refuses to reject, but one that keeps rejecting him.
Fresh from fending off family competition to locate a Cadbury's Creme Egg hidden in his Grandparent's garden earlier on Good Friday, Snowball returned home with a new lease of life. Logging online to the 2012 website, he booked three tickets to the Olympic stadium for this great spectacle so his family and friends could share in his defining moments.
Stories emerging from his camp suggested that he had already handpicked the four safety pins he would entrust to keep his number on in the final, as well as having backups should the track judge see fit to impose a back number also. The testing procedure to find the ultimate pin allegedly involved 'accidentally' drawing blood from unsuspecting friends to find just the right mix of sharpness and protection.
With rumours that GB already consider themselves out of Snowball's league it is no surprise that their neighbours have expressed an interest - who he qualifies for under Rule 89.b)... 'An athlete who is given permission to wear the famous green vest may, from that day forward, be considered for selection.'
Speaking at his annual Easter press conference Snowball said, 'Yes it is true. The Ireland selectors have already contacted me about filling their long-distance vacancy, but I'm holding out for a more lucrative offer from Team GB.'
He went on to say, 'I recently went out for a run that lasted two songs.'
It was later revealed that these songs were both over three minutes in length, although his spokesman laughed at the notion that their combined total was anything in excess of eight minutes forty seconds saying, 'Let's just take it a day at a time.'
With calls for Snowball to reduce the diameter of his gluteus maximus (massive bum), and stop measuring runs in terms of music, it is evident he has a lot of work to do between now and the top step of the Olympic rostrum...
His recent workout, where he managed sixty pillow presses and eighteen mattress bounces, is a step on the right path. It appears he's finally making an impact in a sport he refuses to reject, but one that keeps rejecting him.
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