The then 20-year-old who is now CEO of World Athletics followed home Greg Foster of the USA, who ran 13.21 to retain his world title. British team-mate and boyhood rival Colin Jackson was just behind in third.

World Championships, Rome, September 3 1987 – silver, 13.29

I used to be full of that youthful self-confidence when you just back yourself. I had a pretty successful period with a bronze medal at 17 in the first World Indoor Games and winning a few medals and championships. And you just naturally get better every year.

The summer of ‘87 started with me running fast. I won the World Student Games, broke the British record in the semi-final and again in the final. I knew I was able to use the pressure and the adrenaline of a big event to get the best out of me. I was very aware that I was in pretty good form, and was telling myself: “Don't blow your opportunity, take your moment.”

Quite rightly, Greg Foster started as favourite but I honestly believed I could win and, if I could get through to the final, I knew I was going to get my best result of the year.

I wasn’t particularly trying to lay down a marker in the early rounds. It was just making sure I got through. I knew that Greg was the guy to beat, and he was probably a little bit surprised when I beat him in the semi-final.

Whether he was jogging or not, I can't tell you. Sadly, you can't ask him either but I won that race and was reasonably close to my personal best, but I still had plenty in the tank. 

It was a strange set-up back then – we had a heat one day, a semi-final the next day, then we had a rest day before the final. I had two coaches, Graham Knight and Bob Smith, and they came up with a plan so I wouldn't sit around the village stressed.

They said: “Let's drive out to some site outside of Rome,” but we got caught in terrible traffic, and I spent eight hours sitting in a car. Of all the preparation, you couldn't have gotten worse, even if their motivation was good.

In the end, I said: “Let's get back to the village.” I had a bit of dinner and chilled out but the idea of this restful day, in the Roman countryside, sitting under an olive tree … it wasn’t that! I'm not making any excuses from that, but I did spend way too much time stuck in the back of a tiny little car.

But then race day came. I remember warming up thinking: “Oh my God, I have never felt this fast.” I was just feeling phenomenal so I went to the stadium thinking: “I'm really ready … let's try and use this feeling that I've never had before, feeling this fast, to do something really special.”

Except one part of that was ending up with a dislocated toe. The gun went, I got a reasonable start and, halfway through the race, I was second to Greg.

My second half of the race was always better than my first, so I started that push but I landed off hurdle six, and I felt my little toe pop out. I knew then that I couldn't push any more. I just had to run a cautious race.

There's so much adrenaline. I mean, I was only running for another six seconds or whatever, and I was certainly limping around after. But that got me second, equal to my British record. I might not have won but I think I would have run quicker without the toe problem.

Thank goodness I was able to finish the race because I didn't run again for a few months after that  because the toe needed to settle down. It could have been an absolute disaster.

I went out for some drinks with my coaches. The reality set in. When you achieve something you're really pleased with, the emotion is often more relief than elation. I was just so relieved that I'd been able to hold it together and get a world championship medal.

Colin was third and he went on to much greater things and much bigger rivalries with various people but, when we were juniors, we massively helped each other, because he'd win some races and I'd win other races. Whoever won, it wasn't by very much. We were very evenly matched.

I'm sure that I ultimately played a small part in Colin's success, because I made his early years more competitive and faster than had he just been on his own. We were absolutely rivals at the time. We were always civil to each other but we weren't necessarily great friends.

I'm sure he was pleased that he got a bronze, but I'm sure he wasn't very pleased that he was the second Brit home, and I would have been exactly the same. It never happened to him again. That was the last time any Brit beat him and once I got injured and I wasn't around, then he had Tony Jarrett who was close, but still second to him.

At that point, particularly as I was only 20 and the youngest-ever world championship silver medallist at the time, I was thinking: “This is the start of a great decade ahead.”

Because at 20, why wouldn't you get faster? I thought this was just a marker. But it wasn't to be when Achilles problems and injuries came along. It's probably a lesson of life, to try and really embrace the moment more. Unless you're very lucky, sporting careers are often quite short and you don't get that many high moments. So you've got to really enjoy it. In retrospect, I probably should have celebrated more and savoured the moment.

Had I known that was going to be my only world or Olympic medal, I would have certainly spent a little bit longer on the track that day, looking around, taking it in. But I'm delighted that even though my career was short, I can look back at a moment like that.

I eventually threw myself into the broadcast and business world, and I was highly driven. Some things worked out, some things didn't.

But had I been the athlete that I'd loved to have been, I don't think I would have had that same drive that lives within me today. And definitely, I've had a much better second career because of my slightly disappointing first career.

Born: February 14, 1967

Event: 110m hurdles/400m hurdles

PB: 13.29/48.73

Achievements:

1988: European Indoor Championships 60m hurdles silver

1987: World Championships 110m hurdles silver, World University Games 110m hurdles gold

1986: World U20 Championships 100m hurdles silver and 4x100m relay gold

1985: European U20 Championships 110m hurdles gold