The Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 15 August 2000 Mike Lewis IT IS tempting to view Andres Jones as a modern-day Alf Tupper, but not even the 'Tough of the Track' had to dodge molehills and yapping pet dogs while training for the Olympics at his local football pitch with only the streetlights' glow preventing him from ploughing headlong into the goalposts. While most international athletes are mindful of the odd twinge in the calf, Jones must beware of the bull. Some of the more truculent inhabitants of the West Wales fields occasionally take exception to his red tracksuit. "I'm not surprised Welsh beef is so succulent," mused Jones, "they get fantastic exercise chasing me." Jones, 23, is the previously unknown 10,000 metres man who last month took an astonishing 1min 16sec off his personal best at the AAA Championships at Watford, where his time of 28-00 qualified him for the Olympics in only his third attempt at the distance. Then at Birmingham last Sunday he completed an AAA double - a feat last achieved by David Bedford in 1972 - by winning the 5,000m in 13-45, some way outside the qualifying mark although it was never his intention to tackle both events at Sydney. "When I heard Bedford's name mentioned," recalled Jones, "I thought, 'my God, wasn't he the bloke who brought the crowds back to athletics and broke all those world records?' " Jones, who hails from rural Ceredigion, is forced to run circuits of his local hockey pitch. All things considered, Sydney could be a relative doddle. "Growing up with no facilities is something I've had to accept," said Jones, who lives with his Colombian-born mother and Welsh father in the Cardigan Bay village of Aberaeron. "It hasn't done countries like Ethiopia and Kenya much harm. Look at the great runners they've produced. Facility-wise, West Wales is on a par with some of the African nations. You make the best of what you have. "Once I was halfway across this field when a cow started trotting after me. Next thing I knew the entire herd was thundering downhill. I'd run eight miles, but I've never moved so fast in my life. I didn't know I was any good at the high jump until I vaulted the barbed wire fence at the bottom. Being patriotic can get you trampled to death around here." Having forsaken sports scholarships to America, Jones exists on a modest Lottery grant plus the loyal support of his parents. "It may seem eccentric, but it works for me," he said. "That said, I still have an unfortunate habit of falling over in front of people on the coastal path. Ramblers dread the sight of me." Jones was a spindly 10-year-old when his potential was spotted by local policeman Kevin Evans, who, having just launched a running club, was speed-training his youngsters on the harbour-side, pavements, even roadside verges - anywhere flat. "He was really tiny, wouldn't say boo to a goose," said Evans, a former Pontypridd rugby player. "But there was something special about him, an inner strength." So when the shy schoolboy said his ambition was to reach the Olympics, Evans did not laugh. He remembered a towering flight of steps by the River Aeron and repeatedly made Jones race to the top and back, timing him on each occasion. In the town park mums and toddlers grew accustomed to the sight of the coach putting his youngster through a set of exhausting repetitions alongside the swings and roundabout. In between shifts PC Evans thought nothing of a two-hour drive at the drop of a hat so Jones could make a fleeting appearance on a real tartan track. And when the teenager learnt that an Achilles tendon strain had ruled him out of the World Junior Championships, the unflappable Evans was again on hand, offering much-needed sympathy and advice. "It was a bad time," said Jones. "I started partying a bit too much and life began to revolve around socialising. Eventually I realised I was squandering my talent." How that talent flowed. Jones particularly treasures the memory of overhauling his elder brother, Felipe, in the home straight in an under-20 international at Barry. "Felipe claimed afterwards he had a fly in his eye," he said, grinning. Evans and Jones had an amicable parting last year when the latter began commuting weekly to Cardiff for specialised training under Paul Darney. Evans found it difficult entrusting Jones's future to another coach, but is clearly thrilled at his progress. Jones's initial target was the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, but Watford has changed all that. Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com
