As a boy, Colin Jackson had an all-round talent for sport, playing football and cricket for the county and rugby and basketball for his school. But he says it was athletics that came most naturally to him, his favoured event being the 110m hurdles. After a brilliant junior career, he won his first major medal in 1986, silver for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

　　He followed that with a World Championship bronze in 1987 and another silver at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 before he was crowned Commonwealth and European champion in 1990. But there was disappointment at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 - he was expected to win but only managed seventh place.

　　Jackson bounced back in style, setting a world record time of 12.91 seconds for the 110m hurdles at the World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993.

　　That record stands to July 12, 2006 when Liu Xiang of China set a new 110 metres hurdles world record in Lausanne, breaking the record he shared with Britain‘s Colin Jackson. Liu scorched to the finishing line in a time of 12.88 seconds, beating the old mark of 12.91 that he matched in winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

　　Colin Jackson did his time of 7.30 seconds for the indoor 60m hurdles in 1994.

　　A string of titles followed, including four successive European titles from 1990 to 2002, but Olympic gold continued to elude him.

　　Jackson has now retired following the World Indoor championships in Birmingham in March 2003.

　　He‘s been praised by his fellow athletes for his focus, his dedication and, despite his achievements, being one of the nicest guys in sport.