Crouch, touch ... engage | Sometimes a ‘Marvelous’ opportunity just comes along

One of the perks of working in the sports industry is the occasional opportunity to meet a childhood hero or modern day athletic legend. Not that I consider myself a celebrity jock strap-sniffer, but I must confess it is interesting to meet in the flesh those whose careers one normally follows on TV or in the pages of the SCMP.

Inevitably, you sometimes end up a bit disappointed – there is no prerequisite for an elite athlete to be either charismatic or charming. Indeed, many of the character traits associated with sporting success, such as single-mindedness and a fierce competitive streak, do not necessarily make for the ideal companion for a social pint down your local pub.

That is not the athlete’s fault however, and it’s important to remember that the reason for their fame is normally based purely on their sporting prowess, and the scowling, miserable individual you are faced with is still the same person who has impressed and amazed you with their ability to score goals, hit sixes, run world record times, and so on.

That said, there are times when your expectations are not just realised, but surpassed. Perhaps inevitably I have yet to meet a Scottish rugby player who wasn’t a great bloke (although I believe there may be one or two out there), but as painful as it is to admit, the most impressive figure I have had the pleasure to meet in person was an Englishman.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has had the privilege of meeting or working with him to hear that the individual I am referring to is Jonny Wilkinson, and I will always remember his insistence of standing patiently in the rain at King’s Park when he visited Hong Kong, refusing to leave until every last fan had been given their opportunity for an autograph or photo.

He came across as both the ultimate professional and also remarkably grounded – at one point he was introduced to Rob Naylor and Johnny Zhang, who at that time were the penalty kickers for the Hong Kong and China teams respectively, and he actually asked them for their autographs!