Wade goes back to his roots (From Epsom Guardian)

Wade goes back to his roots

7:40am Sunday 1st August 2010

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England Sevens star Christian Wade is returning to his sprinting roots as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games.

The St Mary’s University student, who scored 22 tries in his debut season in the IRB Sevens World Series, was a teenage track star good enough to run in an English Schools 100 metres final.

Wade clocked 11.0secs shortly after his 17th birthday in the summer of 2007, despite committing most of his time to the team sport that has seen him represent England at Under 18 and Under 20 levels.

Now the 19-year-old from High Wycombe is picking up where he left off with his former coach Julian Golding, who won Commonwealth and European 200m and relay gold medals in 1998.

And if he makes the cut for the England Sevens team heading for New Delhi in October, Wade will again be rubbing shoulders with the elite track stars in the athletes' village.

"There was a lot of competition when I was sprinting and I didn't really go as far down that road as I might have done," said the London Wasps winger.

"My coaches always said they thought I could go a lot faster and I went to the English Schools finals and the All-England meeting and I think I could have got to a high level.

I was in the top 20 at that age and I was only really training for about a month because I was doing rugby all year.

"Julian Golding was coaching me for speed work then and I'm about to start training with him again with Wasps this season. I'll be going down once or twice a week to build up my speed on the rugby field.

"My track heroes changed from season to season but growing up I liked to watch Ato Boldon, Linford Christie and Maurice Greene. Now it's Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt, who's just an incredible machine.”

England’s players claimed silver medals in the 2006 Melbourne games – beaten in the final by New Zealand – and face Australia, Namibia and Sri Lanka in the pool stages of the competition stages on October 11 and 12 this year.

Wade added: "I'm really excited about the Commonwealth Games as it's such a big global event and it doesn't get much better than representing England on such a big stage.

“It's like a World Championships or an Olympics and to be in the same camp as so many other great athletes from other sports is going to be something special.

"We've got a training squad of 17 and there are quite a few new faces and players of a high standard so no-one's guaranteed a place. But if I train hard and get to the fitness levels I achieved at the end of last season I hope I've got a good chance."

Wade signed off the 2008-09 season with a brace of tries for the England U18 side that beat South Africa 45-13 in Kimberley last summer before joining Wasps full-time.

He was picked up by England Sevens head coach Ben Ryan to play on the IRB Sevens World Series and also involved with Mark Mapletoft's England Under 20 side at the Junior World Championship as well as for his club.

The plan is for that experience with different teams and in different formats of the game to help him make an instant impact when he gets a first team opportunity in the 15-a-side game.

"For me now it's all about getting the maximum out of each experience and getting to know the game better," he said.

"I'm not from a rugby background and started playing when I was 12 so I'm catching up with the guys who were in the Minis at the age of five.

“I need to do that so that when I do get exposure in the first team at Wasps I can make the most of the opportunity.

“I'm looking forward to the chance of being involved in the Commonwealth Games and being involved in the IRB Sevens and I hope if I do well with that and the Under 20s I can go on to get involved in some first team games with Wasps.

“I want to get the maximum amount of game time I can so that I can develop as a 15s player for the future.”

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