NORMAN Phil

General
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DISAPPOINTMENT
He received a World Athletics invitation to the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, but the invitation was declined by British Athletics. He said this fuelled his motivation ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "This time last year [2019] I was gutted after working so hard through the season. I got so close to the qualifying time on so many occasions and to get my invite to the championships rejected by British Athletics felt like a kick in the teeth. I wanted to prove to people this year [2020] that they made the wrong decision, and have used that disappointment to fuel the way forward to get to Tokyo. The reason for the invite being declined was based on the selection policy stating that they would only take athletes that were medal potential at Doha or Tokyo." (northdevongazette.co.uk, 07 Sep 2020; Twitter profile, 12 Sep 2019)

SIX-YEAR BREAK
In 2008 he left the sport due to injury and personal reasons, but returned to athletics in 2014. (brend-hotels.co.uk, 25 Mar 2021; uk.gofundme.com, 16 Oct 2020)

OCCUPATION
He works full-time as a pole tester for British telecommunications company Openreach. He took unpaid leave to focus on his training for the 2020 Olympic Games, but returned to work during the COVID-19 pandemic as he was classed as a key worker. (Twitter profile, 11 Jun 2021; brend-hotels.co.uk, 25 Mar 2021; uk.gofundme.com, 16 Oct 2020)