Brum's the place for a man in the fast lane
ONLY one person can be the fastest in the world and Birmingham's speediest son, and Mark Lewis-Francis, wants it to be him.
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He's already got one Olympic gold in his bag, having run the final leg of the 100 metres relay in Athens 2004 - and it's something he remembers proudly.
"Holding off Maurice Green was one of the greatest moments of my career so far," he said.
"We all had a buzz that we'd get gold that day. Nobody else thought we would, but they hadn't seen us in training."
At the age of 24 Lewis-Francis has a lot of time to achieve further gold, having already gone down in history as the fastest ever teenager.
But it will mean a lot of sacrifices - "I wish I could have a burger, but it's that or a gold medal, and I'd rather have the medal" - not to mention time spent away from his beloved home city.
"To me Birmingham is the greatest place in the world. I'm from an estate in the suburb of Smethwick so I had a real community upbringing where everyone knew each other," he said.
"I'd get up early on a Saturday morning, call my friends, get the BMXs out and go down to the park to play football.
"The city's growing massively. We've got the Bullring shopping centre now, the Mailbox leisure and retail development and Beetham Tower.
"It's an exciting place to be and although Manchester sometimes claims to be the second city, clearly it's Birmingham."
Glowing with civic pride, Mark pointed out some of his particular favourites:
Sandwell Valley Country Park - "We used to go on trips there when we were at school and it hasn't really changed.
"It's a nice way of getting fresh air, having a stroll around the farm and being among the trees.
"I took my son, Romeo, there last summer and he loved it. The air is nice - as long as you don't mind the smell of horse manure."
The Custard Factory , Digbeth, Birmingham, the former Birds works converted into a centre for artists in the nineties - "They hold performances there and show artwork. I first experienced it when my sister used to drag me along when she was a teenager.
"I started going more and developed a bit of an interest in art. I'm yet to buy anything there, though, as I save buying art for when I'm abroad and make the usual impulse buys."
Prana Bar , Suffolk Street Birmingham - "It opened maybe a year ago, and is very exclusive. It's a restaurant and a bar and is right next to the new Mailbox complex. Prana's is a great place to go and chill, although obviously I can't do much drinking.
"Out of season I'll go there for an amaretto and lemonade with a bit of ice. It tastes like Dr Pepper."
Dutch Pot, 427 Dudley Rd, Birmingham - "It's a West Indian takeaway, which is the kind of food I love. I grew up on it, as my mother was born in Jamaica and my dad went out to live there when he was young.
"I can't really have much, though, as it's not too good for a runner, but I'll still go in, have a look around, have a smell and that's about all I can do.
"My favourite dish is the pea soup. It tastes amazing."
The Rotunda - It's an absolute landmark for the city. It's a huge cylinder and some people argue that it's an eyesore, but I don't think so.
"They're giving it a facelift and it will look amazing when it's finished. It's being turned into apartments. Maybe once the sponsorship starts coming in I'll be able to afford one!"
The Jewellery Quarter - It's the place to go if you're wanting to buy a ring to propose or just after something fancy for yourself.
"A shop there kindly made me a chain with a miniature running shoe on it after I won gold in the Olympics.
"I won't wear chains while I'm running as it's a distraction, but I do wear diamond earrings."
A full version of this interview is in Arena magazine, out now.
To find out more about Mark and his favourite hang-outs in Birmingham, log on to www.1off.com - the BMW 1 Series online UK city guide.
Sandwell
London 2012 Olympics
Jewellery Quarter
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