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Paul Grech profiles Malta's top female runner Tanya Blake
It has been a good year for Tanya Blake. Not only has the
32 year old been winning medals for her adopted country of
Malta, she's also finally managed to dip below the two minute
waterline that in the 800 meters traditionally separates the
good from the average athletes. An achievement that not only
guarantees her place in next year's Olympics but also means
that she has finally overcome possibly the biggest barrier
of her career.
There was never any doubt that she could run fast. A natural
athlete, Tanya claims that it was always something she always
enjoyed doing. "Oh, I always liked to run, from being
something around six or seven. I joined a club at thirteen
and haven't stopped."
Her talent immediately showed through. A junior champion
over the 400 metres, she eventually progressed to the 800
twice ending the year as the second fastest British woman
over that distance. In 2001, a 2:01.87 finish was only bettered
by Kelly Holmes' 1:57.88. It was a repeat of what had happened
three years earlier when Diane Modahl was under two seconds
faster than Blake's career best of 2:00.10.
"You wouldn't think that it would take five years to
knock one hundredth of a second off your time," Tanya
half-jokingly admits. Although she laughs it off, the relief
at finally ending the wait is evident in her every movement.
Something that she owns up to just a couple of seconds later.
"It was just a relief, a big relief. I was still running
at two-o-one and two-o-two which was great, but it wasn't
good enough. It (this result) makes a big difference. A big,
big difference."
That Tanya is still excited by mere mention of the result
can be seen by the way in which she breathlessly describes
those two minutes - or 1:59.56 to be precise - in the Prefontaine
Classic Grand Prix in Oregon last May. "Even in the first
lap, I just thought 'I'm going to break two minutes today'
and then I took the race on to make sure that I would be fast.
Coming in the home straight, I was looking at the clock and
then looking at Maria Mutola and was thinking 'oh, I've done
it, I've done it'."
Then came that handful of seconds that, for an athlete waiting
impatiently to learn their result, seem to last an eternity.
"At the end, I was looking at the scoreboard thinking
'show the time, show the time'. But I was very happy. And
very relieved."
 Although
the result meant a new career best, the whole season has been
a memorable one for Tanya with a marked improvement in her
performances. And she has no difficulty in pinpointing a reason
for this improvement. "It's very simply. In the last
few years I either didn't have a coach or I had the wrong
coach. This year I had a very good coach who knows my event
well. The 800 meters is very difficult to train for. I had
a structured programme, I had a training schedule and I had
a good coach. So it was a lot easier."
"For me, running has never been hard. My problem has
either been finding a coach or getting help. So, once I had
everything in place, I knew that I could run well. When I
was coaching myself it was too much pressure. Really, you
can't look at yourself objectively. You have to look at the
right things, analyse the right results, you don't know when
to take a rest. A coach takes a lot of the pressure off you
and you put your faith in a coach who knows what he's doing.
All you have to do is train and race."
Finding the right coach, fundamental as it has been for Tanya's
career, isn't the only significant decision she's had to take
in the past couple of years. Born and bred in England, of
a Maltese mother and an American father, Blake had always
competed in Great Britain's colours. Then in 2001, she was
given the opportunity to run for Malta in that year's edition
of the Games for the Small States of Europe held in San Marino.
She obviously enjoyed the experience - winning the gold and
setting a new games' record of 2:06.26 in the process - as
a couple of months later she choose Malta permanently.
"I had actually been in contact with Tony Chircop (the
president of the Malta Amateur Athletics Association) since
1995 but there had never been any serious talk of me competing
for Malta. Then in 2001 the opportunity of participating in
San Marino came up and I accepted. I've always like challenges
and it seemed like a good opportunity."
It was the year in which she finished second behind Kelly
Holmes and was very much a member of the Great Britain team
that would eventually go on to win the European Cup. But instead,
she chose to run for Malta. The natural question, therefore,
is why? "I knew you were going to ask that! I just liked
the atmosphere. I really enjoyed myself in San Marino - there
was a good feeling - so I decided that it would be good to
compete for Malta."
It was a decision that came at a price. For a year Tanya
had to sit out any major championship, which ruled her out
not only of the European Cup - that she had already qualified
to compete in - but also the Commonwealth Games. "I knew
what it meant. Those are the rules set by the IAAF and the
IOC so you have to stick with them. But I was happy to pay
that price."
A sacrifice that would eventually offer her great satisfaction
particularly in the Games for the Small States of Europe,
a smaller scale version of the Olympics in which European
countries with a population of less than one million can take
part. This year's edition was held in Malta and expectations
were high, especially for Tanya Blake.
But few expected to see her start the week in the way that
she did: holding the Maltese flag and leading out the local
athletes in the opening ceremony. "I was genuinely surprised
because I only learnt about it from the papers! I didn't know
anything about it! But I was very honoured to be chosen."
The opening ceremony would mark the start of a week in which
Tanya carried home three medals: two golds in the 800 and
1,500 metres along with a silver in the 400 metres. "I
wouldn't say that I was expecting to win three medals, but
I was hopeful." Her voice betrays a slight tinge of disappointment
when talk turns to the 400 metres. "It was the event
which I was worried most about and after the first turn the
gap was already too big."
Success, however, doesn't please everyone and there have
been those quick to criticise Malta's decision to adopt a
foreign athlete. Despite finding the criticism from some bewildering,
Blake prefers to focus on all the Maltese people who have
really got behind her. "It would take up too much energy
if I were to think about what they're saying. I don't want
to waste my time worrying about what they're thinking. However,
I don't understand their arguments. I have a Maltese passport
and I did everything I had to do in order to represent Malta.
The IAAF and the IOC make the rules and as long as I abide
by them that is all that counts. I followed the rules set
by the IAAF and the IOC: I didn't set those rules. For me,
it's just not an issue. It never has been."
"The only thing I've ever wanted to do was run. God
gave me a gift and I didn't want to waste it."
 Does
she regret turning out for Malta? "I love Malta, I love
what I do and I'm not going to let anyone ruin it for me."
The positive memories certainly outnumber the negative ones.
"The Games for the Small States of Europe were fantastic.
The organisation, the atmosphere, the whole event was just
perfect." She stresses the importance of the support
that the athletes found during that week. "I'd competed
in front of packed stadiums before. But running in front of
a stadium full of Maltese people is something else. The noise
and encouragement they can make is simply unique."
Life after the Small Nations Games has been hectic and she
admits that "the past month has flown by." Nevertheless,
she still has to focus her attention on the coming events.
For the next couple of months Tanya will be basing her training
in Malta, which she has found to be an ideal location. "In
America, where I base myself most of the year, it takes me
an hour to even get to the track. Here, everything is at close
proximity. It only takes you a couple of minutes to get from
one place to another. And there's all the facilities you need."
If next year's Olympics - which Tanya has already qualified
for - are the long term target, the World Championships is
her most immediate one and she hopes to make it to the final
despite some recent setbacks through injury. "Hopefully,
I'll be back to my best condition by then. I certainly feel
that I've been running well enough to make it to the final."
She seems completely unaware of the fact that no Maltese
athlete has ever been close to getting that far. It has been
a good year for Tanya Blake. Hopefully it's about to get even
better.
Photos courtesy of Wally Galea
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