Jamie King, via e-mail
Bill Sweetenham talks a good game, but how does he explain the performance of the British swimming team in Athens? We were told our medal contenders were in the best shape of their lives, and that nothing had been left to chance, but, with one or two notable exceptions, they seem to have arrived at the Olympics feeling tired and jaded. Sweetenham’s tactics seem to have backfired badly.
Kevin Butterworth, Hull
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Our swimmers have pitched their skills against other hopefuls in Athens, so where will the finger of blame point and where will our next generation of aquatic hopefuls come from? To compete on the world platform and win requires more than just natural talent and hard work — it requires structure and training from early years to peak performance.
Samantha Stewart, via e-mail
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How good to see Darren Gough back in world cricket. Be it in the dressing room or the one-day side, he has consistently been the backbone and set the standard by which England have been judged on the world stage.
Stewart Smith, Coventry
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Alan Hansen claimed on Match of the Day that Liverpool will miss Michael Owen ‘big time’. I beg to differ. The relatively low price paid by Real Madrid reflects that he is a one-dimensional player, with a poor first touch, little vision and a goals-to-chances ratio that is far too low. Take away the electric pace and he’s quite ordinary. He also makes Steven Gerrard a lazy player. Without Owen, Gerrard will give the ball away less and will venture upfield more, which will mean more goals and more crosses. And if Owen scores 20 goals for Real this season, I’ll eat my hat. I don’t think Liverpool will miss him one iota.
Archie Berens, London SW1
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With Michael Owen having arrived in Madrid, is it too much to hope that the minutiae of his private life will not be seized upon by the media, as happened in the case of David Beckham where it was probably instrumental in a decline in his prowess on the field of play, not only for his club, but also for his country?
K J Wood, Exeter
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I was disappointed to read David Walsh’s column (last week) regarding drugs in sport. The fact that there were no positive drug tests among Team GB members in the run-up to the Olympic Games is a good thing. To suggest otherwise is to demean the work of UK Sport’s anti-doping team which, in partnership with the British Olympic Association, has conducted more tests than ever before on Team GB.
Sue Campbell, Chair, UK Sport
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