He's probably one of the best guys I know, one of the best competitors I know and one of the best humans I know.
- Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey

Colin Jackson first came to media attention as a hurdler, with his achievements being noted by many incuding the Queen who made him a CBE in 2003. He has since gone on to stay in the attention of the media and society mainly thanks to the BBC.

Athletic Career

Born 18 February, 1967, to Jamaican parents, Colin Jackson was born and raised in Wales with his sister Suzanne¹ He attended Llanedeyrn High School in Cardiff and together with his father formed a passion for sport. Jackson proved that he was good at all sports and played both for his school and the county.

I had a natural talent for things like cricket and table tennis; I'm not saying I would have gone on to be record holder or anything but I was naturally good at all sports. What swung it for me was that it was a three hour trip to get to cricket and just a 10-minute walk to the athletics venue.

However, it was clear that he particularly excelled in the area of athletics and the 110m hurdles. Therefore, he concentrated his efforts on this sport and invested in a personal coach that encouraged him to be the very best.

In 1986 he won his first silver medal at the Commonwealth Games that were held in Edinburgh and just a year later won bronze at the World Championship. Another silver medal followed in 1988 when he took part in the Seoul Olympics and in 1990 he became Commonwealth and European champion.

Questioning His Sexuality

Throughout his career in athletics it was clear that he was focussed on his job and nothing could rival that. He spent less time out socialising and partying with his peers than being on the track and because of this he soon found his colleagues starting to suspect he was gay. He told the Independent:

Everybody always thought I was gay because I never played around, and that's very rare in my world because, believe me, everybody else did. Nobody could understand it. Here I was, number one in the world, in some exotic location. I could have had [girls] flocking to my room. But I never did. I simply wouldn't allow it.

He has had a girlfriend in the past though and would love to have a girlfriend that resembled Halle Berry he told Voice Online:

I am a person who just goes out and does things so I would like them to be exactly like me. In that sense, I need them to be a free spirit. I don’t want to be tied down so I don’t want to be tying them down.

For now though, he is still very happy to be single and is kept busy with a myriad of different things.

Business Buddies

In 1992, fellow athlete Linford Christie turned to Jackson and asked him whether he would like to help him put together a company that inspired athletes of the future. Although, Jackson was reluctant at first, as it would mean less time for him to practice hurdling, he finally agreed and Nuff Respect was created. However, Jackson soon came to realise that his views differed from that of Christie and soon they found it difficult to work alongside one another.

A Brush With Anorexia

The year 1992, was also the time when the Olympics in Barcelona took place and Jackson found himself coming in seventh place. For him a drastic rethink was in order as to whether to carry on as an athlete or not and he chose to continue competing. He found that what he eat and the amount could have a destinct affect on him and it was in this way that he felt he would once again achieve.

I constantly watched what I ate and obsessively monitored my weight and form, in order to make myself faster. Looking back, I know this was not good for me and I can understand how anorexia can happen.

The results of his brush with anorexia are reflected in 1993 at the outdoor games in Stuttgart, where he proved to be a hero of the athletics track once again by setting a new world record of bouncing over 110m hurdles at 12.91 seconds. He followed this record by setting another at the indoor games in Sindelfingen in 1994. This time the record he set was 7.30 seconds for indoor 60m hurdles. It seemed there was no stopping the welsh athlete after that with four gold medals being won consecutively at the European Championships between 1990 and 2002.

Broadcasting Career

Then in 2003, after the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, he hung up his running shoes and joined the sports section of the BBC. He first commentated on the 2004 Athens Olympics, followed by the Winter Olympics in 2006, Commonwealth Games and European Championships. In 2006, he acted as development producer to BBC Sport Relief and went on to compete in the televised dance competition Strictly Come Dancing.

He has also been seen reminiscing about his past sporting career and questioning what it was that made him the fantastic athlete he once was? Through series like Who Do You Think You Are and The Making of Me, he discovered his roots and found out how nature and nurture enabled him to blossom in the arena of athletics. During the making of Who Do You Think You Are, he found that his DNA was unexpectedly made up of 55% Sub-Saharan African, 38% European and 7% native American and The Making of Me led him to re-examine his upbringing, jump out of an aeroplane and have brain scans all in the name of science.

He has also co-presented the religious belief show Sunday Life with Louise Minchin, written a biography on his life to date and taken part in The One Show. Any spare time left over is spent as a coach to Welsh sporting heroes of the future and advocate to the 2012 British Olympic Games.

I took part in four Olympics and, as far as I was concerned, I represented not just Great Britain, but Wales and also Cardiff. That meant a lot to me and I really want to get across the spirit of the Games to people who may be asking what's in it for them. I hope that people all around the UK will be able to share it.