By Owen Morgan
Almost 12 months to the day after dramatically collapsing at the same event, Welsh athlete Jade Williams was happy to be back competing at the British Championships having been given a clean bill of health.
The Amman Valley Harrier was taking part in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase at the Alexander Stadium last July when she started blacking out during the first couple of laps.
Determined to complete the race, she carried on for two more laps before she realised she would have to stop, especially given the danger of jumping over solid barriers.
As she was stepping off the track, she lost consciousness completely and collapsed trackside.
Worried spectators looked on as Williams was stretchered from the stadium and taken to hospital for tests.
Doctors initially feared she was suffering from a serious heart complaint, but following a battery of tests over a period of two months, the athlete who runs her own financial advice business, was given a clean bill of health.
Despite not being able to train properly over the winter, she is now competing again over her original distances of 800 and 1500m and in the run-up to the British Championships was approaching somewhere near her pre-illness best.
Shortly after eventually finishing seventh in her 1500m heat on Saturday, which she led for much of the race, Williams said she was delighted to be back in Birmingham, despite the drama at the same venue 12 months before.
The former Welsh 800m champion said: “It’s just amazing to be honest, I can’t complain about anything, I wanted to go hard.
“None of the girls wanted to take it on so I thought why not? I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m an honest runner and I didn’t want to go there today and go slow and wind it up.
“But it’s just nice to be back healthy and running. I feel great, I’m just at the start of my track season obviously because I had a the heart issues last year, which was the reason for me collapsing here.
“They’re all cleared and I’m injury free, so it’s just fantastic to be back here amongst some amazing athletes.”
Having decided to postpone her pursuit of the steeplechase for this season, Williams has posted some excellent times in the limited races she has entered so far this term.
The former Cornell University student said: “They’re my best times for about two and a half years and that’s because I’m obviously not having the issues I was having before and I’m just trying to tweak a few things.
“I work full-time, I run my own business, so it’s almost like a juggling act. I love both things, my business and my running, so hopefully my running can go up from here and I can represent the country I love.
“I’m going to do the steeplechase next year, so my plan is just to be healthy this year, have a really good season on the flat at 800 and 1500 and then focus on the specifics over the hurdles during the winter.
“So I’m definitely going to give the steeple another go. It’s my Welsh toughness from all the mud back home in West Wales. It pays off sometimes, so fingers crossed.”
For the rest of the season Williams is aiming to try and bring her times down even further and enjoy being fit and healthy once more.
She said: “I’m racing a lot in Europe so I’m going to be in Belgium and France trying to chase times this season and, you know what, just enjoy it and just relax.
“It’s not rocket science as long as you’re healthy and you’re enjoying the sport . . . that’s the main thing.
“I didn’t have any winter training this year to come off, so being amongst these amazing athletes and running how I am, close to my personal best, I can’t ask for more.”