If you have no plan, you are treading the path of failure. Master Planner Phil King was the perfect architect. He made plans and his planning was professional and total. And his execution was nothing short of poetic.
It was only after Laurie became friendly with Debbie Flintoff-King, and her coach and husband Phil King, that he became aware of just how ruthless, persistent and single-minded they were in their pursuit of excellence and Olympic gold.
Debbie Flintoff, at the time, was born in Melbourne and started athletics as a hurdler, long jumper and pentathlete. Competing for Frankston she first appeared in the senior state championships in 1979 when she placed fourth in the 100m hurdles in 14.9 seconds.
During the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Debbie changed coaches, joining future husband Phil King who had a swimming background. He quickly adapted to athletics with startling results. As a result, Debbie won the Nationals in Brisbane in 56.43.
Debbie and Phil’s preparations were by then all geared towards the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Although injuries had affected her preparations, she won the Nationals in Perth in 56.27 and then headed to Europe where she ran well without recording startling times. A 54.05 win in Berlin however confirmed they were on track for Seoul.
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