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| |  Saturday, 31 March, 2001, 00:06 GMT 01:06 UK Aintree legend bounces back Finest hour: Champion after his 1981 success Exclusive by BBC Sport Online's Frank Keogh Legendary Grand National-winning jockey Bob Champion is on the mend after suffering a heart attack in March. The rider won the hearts of millions around the world by beating cancer to win the Aintree marathon on Aldaniti in 1981. He was due to give talks and attend functions in Liverpool ahead of this year's National on 7 April to mark the 20th anniversary of his win. But Champion suffered a mild heart attack on 17 March and was admitted to Addenbrookes Hospital near Cambridge. Now recovering at his Newmarket home, Champion told BBC Sport Online he still wants to make it to Aintree this time around.
"The recovery is coming on OK. I feel a lot better than I did a couple of weeks ago," said the 52-year-old. "Every day, I feel a little bit better and a little stronger. You can't rush it - I do as much as I can and then rest." While in hospital, the quietly-spoken former jockey received hundreds of cards from well-wishers. Champion's heartwarming victory in 1981 on a horse with fragile legs was the kind of feat you would only expect to see at the movies. And indeed a film of the tale, entitled Champions, later starred John Hurt as the rider. Recalling the movie, Champion said: "I warmed to it. John did a very good job as well as all the other actors and actresses.
"Hopefully, it gave people suffering from illnesses a lot of hope." Aldaniti, who beat Spartan Missile ridden by 54-year-old jockey John Thorne in the National, was a motivating factor for Champion to fight testicular cancer. "I did fancy the horse an awful lot and he did go and win," said Champion. "I always thought he was a horse that would win a National - that's why it was my main goal to get back. He was a decent horse when he was sound. "I was always travelling very well throughout the race. I was always very confident of winning especially going out into the country on the second circuit. "But I was worried about his legs - he had legs like glass. "When I got to the winning post it was relief more than anything else. "It was marvellous. But I had to do all the interviews with the Press and everything , so never really got a chance to celebrate until we were in the car going back to Wiltshire."
An hour after being interviewed in front of millions of viewers, Champion was riding in another race at Aintree. He finished fifth. It is perhaps inevitable he is remembered for that stirring Grand National victory. But many people forget the rider was an accomplished jockey who had a number of other big race successes. Cancer charity "I had nearly 500 winners in my career, which I don't think people realise. They seem to think I won the one race. I was quite a successful jockey," said Champion. "I won the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup on a really fantastic horse called Approaching, and had some nice victories at Ascot." After retiring from the saddle, he helped set up the Bob Champion Cancer Trust which has raised about �9m. The charity has just opened a new research laboratory at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to study the causes of prostate and testicular cancer. It is the first of its kind in Europe. Champion's advise to this year's riders is to "just ride a normal race and have fun." And he plans to watch whatever happens - whether at home or Aintree itself. | |
See also:  10 Mar 01 | Other Sports Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Grand National stories now: Links to more Grand National stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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