A very popular GB athlete, Darren was a world class competitor in the 100m, the 200m and 4 x100m relay. Amongst his achievements, Darren won Olympic silver at the Sydney Games, a bronze medal in the 200m at the Commonwealth Games in his hometown of Manchester, and in the 2004 Olympics Darren was a member of the men’s 4 x 100m relay squad whose speed and excellent baton changing took the gold medal. This was the first time a GB team had done so since 1912.

As a youngster, Darren’s sprinting was on the rise after winning the 200m at the English Schools Championships before going on to impress at the European Junior Championships in Thessaloniki in 1991, as well as medaling in the 100m 200m distances at the World Junior Championships.

After being selected for the World Championships in 1993 as part of the relay squad, Darren was hit then by injuries and opted for a switch to his other love, football.

He had trials for Millwall featuring in the reserves, playing a match against the Arsenal reserves. He ended up playing seven games for Plymouth Argyle , scoring nine goals for the reserve team. He was on the verge of receiving a contract from then manager Neil Warnock, but by that point he had already signed a semi-pro contract with Weymouth. After a year, Darren returned to athletics.

Darren retired from athletics in 2006. He will long be remembered as a sprinter who always gave his all, and for being a special talent and personality who won medals at all four majors in addition to the golden night at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.