Sprinter warms to new diet

An Aga stove, a sense of failure and words of encouragement from Olympic champions past and present are set to fuel Mark Lewis-Francis's quest for glory in 2002.

The teenager has cut out the junk food he loves so much. He has been helped in this regard by the sponsors of his club, Birchfield Harriers, giving him the £2,000 oven as a reward for his performances last year. "I've been eating more of my mum's food," he said. "It's better for me."

His preparations begin with a low-key race in the Birmingham Games at the National Indoor Arena on Saturday. Lewis-Francis surprised even himself at the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon last year when he won the bronze medal in a world junior record of 6.51sec for 60 metres. He will be hopeful of going faster this year as he is not only stronger but his starting technique has improved since last winter.

This year he has his sights on success at both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships when he hopes to wipe out the dissatisfaction of last year. Only in his own eyes did he disappoint by failing to reach the final of the 100m at the World Championships in Edmonton at the age of 18. "I made lots of goals and didn't achieve most of them," he added.

As a result he has doubled his winter training from two days a week to four, including doing weights, and it is already showing. Lewis-Francis looks more sculpted in the face. But he pats his stomach to indicate that he still has some puppy fat to lose.