Type the two words Sam and Haughian into the search engine and you’ll probably get half a dozen hits on some runner who was knocking-about in the late nineties/early naughties.

But,

The information found there doesn’t do justice to the promising talent that was, a riot of talent, which was becoming more disruptive with each passing year.

Born in the July of 79, Haughian began his dominance in the U17 ranks, winning the UK Inter-Counties by a solid twenty seconds over our own local boy, 1500m English Schools champion Simon Burton. Sam won his own track title at the English Schools two years later, taking the 3,000m in Sheffield.

It was, however, in the U-20’s/Junior Men where Sam really began to take hold, pulling away comfortably from all competition, leaving a chasing pack of contemporaries in ruins. Witnessing a winning streak. Gold in Brussels. International Cross-Country in the Belgian capital. I met him briefly in the Christmas night time; man of few words and small simplicity, seemingly humble yet with an air of certitude and confidence at where was heading. Not a high-miler at the time, quality over quantity, miles of speed. Fast train coming.

His most spectacular performance, undoubtedly, came on Nottinghamshire soil. The battleground of the Newark Showground. Turn of the millennium. The National Cross-Country of 99. Sam had put the race to bed in the first 400m, only to carve out more chunks of time with every passing mile. Dismantled. Destroyed. Decimated a field which included fellow internationals such as Ryan “The Biz” Falkner and Nicky Mapp from the highly-esteemed, infamous OWLS A.C. Little Me, just catching meagre glimpses of the heroic Haughian from the rear of the field, taking twists and turns without strain, floating over boggy patches of quicksand like he had a Hoverboard nailed to his spikes. Poetry in motion. An ocean of time separated he from the rest, two whole minutes of it.

Yep, he was the one.

For many juniors, for most juniors, their talent melts into the mire, fades into the fog of obscurity when ageing into the senior ranks. Not Sam. Not quite. It took him only two years before he was owning that bad-boy too. National of 02, under barbaric weather conditions he came away with another gold at the National. Another convincing win with a good thirty seconds to spare at the finish line.

Onto the bright lights and big stage of the Commonwealth Games, where he finished just two places outside of a medal behind an array of World Class Kenyans…followed by a 1:04:47 at the Great North Run of 2003.

Peak of his powers, just getting started, and tragedy hit. Sixteen years ago today, April 23^rd, St George’s Day of 04 and Sam was involved in a road traffic accident in the South African city of Johannesburg. Warm weather training. A fateful journey which took his life and almost that of Sir Mo Farah. Had he not opted to watch a cricket match the double-double Olympic Champion would have taken that ride.

Twenty-four years young. James Dean on the road, road runner, country crosser, track tracker. Perched on the podium and good to go. Good die young.

Along with Chris Thompson and Mo, Sam would have been the best to come out of our generation. Whether he would have reached the incomprehensible dizzy heights of Mr Mo remains to be seen, but he would have been by his side on that Olympic start-line.

For sure. For real.

*Article provided by Joe Archer (Health & Lifestyle Correspondent).

*Main image @BritishAthletes Sam Haughian in fine running glory during the Commonwealth trials in 2002.