High high captain: Hurdle king Dai Greene to lead Team GB's track and field team at London 2012

400m hurdler to lead Team GB in the track and field events at London 2012

Dai and mighty: Team GB's track and field captain Dai Greene

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When push came to shove, Charles van Commenee opted for a Dai?d-in-the-wool Brit.

UK Athletics? head coach turned to Dai Greene, the world 400m hurdles champion, to lead Team GB?s track and field team into the Olympics . Dutchman Van Commenee had hinted he would hand the captaincy to Yamile Aldama, the Cuban-born triple jumper who has competed for three ?countries.

He could have gone back to his controversial choice of skipper for this year?s world indoor championship, ?US-born Tiffany Porter.

But come decision day he skirted the plastic Brit controversy by plumping for a globally-respected athlete, who is 100 per cent made in Wales.

A man you would be ill-advised to ask impolitely, as Porter was back in March, to recite the words to God Save The Queen.

?Dai was a stand-out candidate for the London 2012 captaincy,? said Van Commenee, who had ?maintained the intrigue by ordering all overseas recruits to learn the National Anthem.

?He is a very professional athlete who is both liked and respected by the rest of the team.

?He knows what it takes to win at the highest level and that is a valuable experience to share with the team.? Van Commenee might have added that Greene the competitor epitomises Britain?s bulldog spirit, but perhaps wisely he steered clear of that.

Greene did not hide his enthusiasm at being appointed 24 hours after his countryman and sporting hero Ryan Giggs was handed the Olympic football armband.

?It is an incredible ?privilege to be asked to captain the British athletics team at any time,? said Greene. ?But to be given the honour at a home Olympic Games is incredible.

?Our team is one of the strongest in history and I believe that we can go out and do Britain proud. I intend to lead by example.?

He did so at last year?s world championship, ?delivering Britain?s first gold medal after favourites Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis had come up short.

And following depressing injury bulletins for ?Phillips Idowu and Paula Radcliffe last week, he lifted the mood by running his fastest-ever time at the Paris Diamond League meeting. ?He is a very ?professional athlete who is both liked and respected by the rest of the team,? Van Commenee added.

?I know we can rely on Dai to inspire the team.?

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/athletics/london-2012-dai-greene-to-lead-1137869

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