At 32, and with nine relay medals to his name - two of them gold - Conrad Williams could not hide his excitement at being given the chance to lead Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Glasgow International Match at the Emirates Arena on Saturday.
I love representing my country, and it doesn’t get much better than being made captain. I am so chuffed.
Williams has an outstanding record of success, with his last gold being just five months ago as part of the British 4x400m relay team which triumphed in Zurich in 2:58.79, the fastest time by a European quartet in 2014.
But when he slips into his blocks on Saturday for the 400m itself, it will be his first individual indoor race at the distance for three years.
He will look to lead the team in style in this European Athletics Indoor Permit meeting as Britain face opposition from Scotland, France and Germany.
Williams said he was 'surprised but delighted' when asked to skipper a strong British side which includes Chris Tomlinson, the 2008 world indoor long jump silver medallist, and Luke Cutts, who won Commonwealth Games pole vault silver in Glasgow last summer.
See Williams giving a motivational speech ahead of the Match:
Our captain @cwilliams400 doing a great job giving the Team an awesome #Motivation boost ! #TeamGB @BritAthletics pic.twitter.com/QJCVtXHU35
— Poora Singh (@PooraSingh) January 23, 2015
So many competitors are looking for good performances ahead of selection for the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague in March and Germany’s captain Verena Sailer knows all about making the podium on such a stage.
She won European 60m bronze in Turin in 2009 and then, the following year, won the 100m gold at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.
I am excited to compete; it's a nice venue and a good track. In the UK you always have a good atmosphere in the stadium and I really like that. I really have to stay focused to do my best.