Adam Gemili inspired by his own ‘theatre of dreams’ as he bids to dip below 10-second barrier

If Adam Gemili finds himself out of sorts, then he does not have to look far for inspiration. For before every lecture, the University of East London student drives past the Olympic Stadium, the highpoint of his incredible 2012.

Just eights months after deciding to take up athletics full time, Gemili ran 10.06sec in the Olympic 100metres semi-final, missing out on the final by only 0.04sec.

On Saturday, Gemili, 19, starts his season at the England Under-23 Championships in Bedford and he hopes that by the end of 2013 he will have achieved his next goal; breaking the 10-second barrier.

Linford Christie, Dwain Chambers and Jason Gardener are the only Britons under that landmark time, with Gemili’s best run being 10.05sec, which he set while winning gold at the World Junior Championships in Barcelona last year.

“Going into the race season I think I’ll be better than I was last year,” said Gemili, who is studying for a sports science degree. “For every sprinter the main aim is to run sub-10. That’s the checkmark for all the guys and I’d love to run it this year and join that elite group of people.

“Driving past the Olympic Stadium and walking past the village is quite a weird feeling, given that just a few months before I was there competing for Great Britain. It’s definitely a motivator for me.

“I’m very lucky that I get to see and appreciate it every day as I’m in university, which is more than a lot of athletes, who have not been back since. It does motivate me for the next Games.”

Life has changed since the former Chelsea trainee clocked a time fast enough to send him to London 2012. Gemili has become one of Britain’s biggest sprinting hopefuls but, although he sets himself demanding targets, he does not feel the weight of expectation.

Fortunately, for Gemili, time is on his side. His sprinting career is only just taking off but he has already experienced vast improvements in his strength and technique.

He said: “People have said to me now that there’s a lot of pressure for me to perform but I don’t see it like that. If I go into a race that I’m expected to win and I don’t, then it’s not the end of the world. I’ll go into training and try to work on what went wrong.

“It’s a learning thing, I’m still quite young and I’ve got a lot to learn. I don’t see it as too much pressure, I’m just here to enjoy it and have fun.”

No one enjoys themselves more on the track than Usain Bolt. The six-time Olympic gold medallist is one of sport’s biggest showmen and, not surprisingly, Gemili is a big fan.

“Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay are big idols,” he said. “I try to follow in their footsteps. They’re the quickest men in the world ever, so I just look up to them and try and be like them.

“I’m in the sport to win medals and if I can win any sort of medal at senior level, that would be the best. If you’re doing these sort of the sports you need to aim for the top and if you don’t there’s no point in doing it. One day, hopefully.”

The Briton holds the World Junior Championships record over 100m and he must now continue his progression onto the senior stage and keep loving what he does.