NEWPORT sprint star Christian Malcolm admitted his roll of the Olympic dice had paid off in style after securing his fourth Games berth at the Aviva 2012 Trials yesterday.

Aged 33, Malcolm arguably gambled his entire athletics future in using the Olympic trials as a glorified training weekend.

Malcolm chose to run both the 100m and 2000m in order to speculatively prepare himself for the Games itself and after missing out on an individual berth over the shorter distance the gamble appeared to have backfired.

However the Newport sprinter came roaring back in his best discipline – the 200m – on the final day of action, taking the silver medal that secured his passage to London 2012.

And after booking his spot at his fourth consecutive Olympics the evergreen Malcolm said: “It was a bit of a gamble for me to double up and do all five races because it wasn’t so clean cut.

“It was more about doing some training for the Olympics themselves, which was a bit of a gamble with the other guys being so close around me.

“I like doing the double at the trials because it prepares you very well for the major championships.

“If you can put in five good races in it prepares you well for the Games. It means a lot to be going to my fourth Games.

“I was speaking to some of the media and they said to me that not many people had been to four Games so it does mean a lot.

“I haven’t looked at it like that in the past, I just look at trying to get to every major championship there is.

“Obviously this year is a lot more special with it being a home Olympics and to be part of it is going to be so special.”

Malcolm certainly has an impressive Olympic pedigree having reached the final at both Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008.

And the 33-year-old is not ruling out another appearance in the top eight after revealing his winter training has been better than ever.

“I’ll admit that I have had one of the best winters that I have had in a long time,” he added. “I know I am in a lot better shape than what the times showed in the 200m but there is always a method behind the madness.”

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