Momentum Sports is launching a new series — Storey's Stories — following MTC athlete George Storey through the competitive season, from the build-up to racing to the aftermath of competition. Coached by Pat Logan at Momentum Track Club, George has improved across every sprint event since returning to athletics in 2021, taking his 100m from 12.94 in his first season of open competition to 12.36 this year, and his 200m from 25.95 to 24.71 over the same period. The series will track his races, his thinking, and what competing at club level actually looks like from the inside. Here is the first instalment:
"I first joined Kestrels when I was 9 and trained there from 2010–2016 but due to school and exams, I left running for several years. Halfway through university however, I was watching the Tokyo Olympics, and seeing the sheer determination of Olympians, not just in athletics but other events too, made me wonder why I wasn't pushing myself more and so, in 2021, I returned to Kingsmeadow and Momentum Sports. It was a bit of a bumpy start at first as I repeatedly got shin splints which were difficult for me to get rid of and very demoralising, but after I finished University, I was able to more consistently train at the track. It wasn't an easy journey as both within and outside of training I had reached some very low points, but the Track and Gym sessions that Momentum provided and the fellow athletes I was training with kept me going. I could see the benefits of my hard work; I was getting stronger and faster and more in shape.
I went on warm weather training with Momentum in 2024, and to be surrounded by so many other people at various levels and who were all committed to the same sport was very motivating for me. Then one person told me about open events, I signed up for my very first in April that year, and the rest is history! To say athletics has improved me would be a gross understatement. It has reminded me of how much I enjoy the sport, and it has had immense physical and mental benefits for myself. I've been improving every season in most events that I do, a literal indicator of the result of the work and training I've put in. It's been brilliant not only to rekindle old friendships, but to forge many new ones, both in training and at race meets, and to train and race alongside fellow athletes, each and every one of whom has been a huge inspiration and motivation for myself."
Part two of Storey's Stories will cover his June competitions in detail — the races, the mindset going in, and how it played out on the day.