Athletics: Christie Steps in for Malcolm

Christian Malcolm, Britain’s top 200 meters runner, is set to be coached by Linford Christie after his long-time coach Jock Anderson unexpectedly retired on the eve of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next month.

Anderson, 68, had been coaching the Newport-based Malcolm - who won the European indoor title in 2002 - since the sprinter was a teenager but quit after a row over the funding he was receiving from the Athletics Association of Wales.

"I’d like to have gone to Australia with Christian but they don’t seem to want me to," Anderson said. "They have enough money for Christian to go warm-weather training but there’s none for me. He’s top-10 in the world, for goodness sake."

Anderson, who has also coached Jamie Baulch and Tim Benjamin having previously worked as a trainer of greyhounds, added: "There is all this money and the kids are not getting anything. It’s absolutely ridiculous the way the sport is going. Where is all the money going? This is not because I’m not going to the Commonwealth Games.

"There is no bitterness between me and Christian at all. I think he is a bit uptight about it but you can only take as much as you can. Why should we bring runners through like this when we don’t get any help at all? I feel bitter about it, you know."

Malcolm, 26, is now expected to join Christie, the 1992 Olympic and 1993 world 100m champion who coaches Darren Campbell. Malcolm is already a client of Nuff Respect, the management agency owned by Christie.

Meanwhile the 1500m runner Tom Mayo, 28, has switched allegiance from Britain to New Zealand but will not represent his new country in Melbourne as he has not yet received his citizenship papers.