interviews

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The home Olympics was meant to hold special significance for 400m hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton. Born and raised in east London, the then 23-year-old was considered a medal prospect leading up to the Games, and set a personal best of 53.77s in a Diamond League event just before the eyes of the world turned to London.

That put her second in the world rankings, made her the second-fastest British woman of all time over that distance, and seemed to justify the praise from those expecting her to be standing on the podium in her home town.

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The X Games take place in Barcelona this weekend – reason enough for us to have a chat with excitable 33-year-old freestyle motocross rider Edgar ‘ET’ Torronteras, the ‘face of the games’. We guess that pretty much makes him the Jessica Ennis of extreme sports.

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The first time Sport lays eyes on Lewis Hamilton, he’s surrounded by a trio of beautiful young women.

A typical situation for a Formula 1 star, you might assume – but not one of them is paying even the slightest attention to Hamilton. Rather, their focus is entirely on his bulldog Roscoe, the handsome pup who makes a welcome addition to the party as we sit down to talk to his owner at his management’s offices in London.

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A rainy Thursday lunchtime at Melwood, Liverpool’s renowned training complex, and Glen Johnson is in reflective mood. The season is drawing to a low-key close for his club, and training is over for the day. An afternoon of childcare awaits – one reason, perhaps, why his mind goes back to the days of his own youth.

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Almost 30 years have passed since Jan Ceulemans captained a golden generation of Belgian players to the World Cup semi finals.

The intervening period has been notably barren for one of Europe’s younger nations: in 2000, Belgium became the first host nation ever to exit a major tournament at the group stage, and it is now more than a decade since Anderlecht were the last Belgian club side to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

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Knight of the British Empire, Tour de France victor, four-time Olympic gold-medallist, seven-time world champion on track and road, and the man the French press affectionately refer to as ‘Le Gentleman’ announces himself to Sport as feeling “rough as arseholes”.

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You finally know you’re in the squad for Oz. How much did you enjoy the 2009 tour?
“It was brilliant. You hear so many stories about the one in 2005 – not that it was bad, but that it was too professional, I guess. But 2009 was great. The group of players were excellent, the coaches were brilliant, and South Africa is obviously a big rugby country. The whole thing was a special experience.”

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A tearful first-round exit in the 2012 Olympics wasn’t what -60kg judoka Ashley McKenzie had in mind. But things have rarely gone to plan for the 23-year-old from Queen’s Park, who starred in BBC Three documentary Bad Boy Olympian before the Games and has since appeared in Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother. As McKenzie prepares to fight in next week’s European Judo Championships in Hungary, he tells us how different his life could have been were it not for a run in with an estate bully at the age of 11…

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The advantages are openly acknowledged in sports like football, but can fighting at home have an impact on boxers?

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You lost to Neil Robertson in the final of the China Open last month, but you’re still world number one. How’s your confidence going into the worlds?
“It’s probably the best season I’ve had, so confidence is pretty high going into the weekend. Having said that, I know what it takes to become a champion – and it’s obviously very tough. With the standard how it is today, it’s going to be very difficult.”