WE'VE delved into the archives of Southampton Athletic Club and their illustrious past today. 

In their most productive era in the 90s, they boasted a host of Olympic and World Champions.

Mike Smith was the man with the Midas Touch when it came to coaching one lap athletes. 

The late great guided 30 athletes including Kriss Akabusi, Roger Black, Iwan Thomas and Todd Bennett to medals at major championships, presiding over a golden era for British 400 metres athletes.

Roger Black MBE was famously a regular visitor to Southampton Sports Centre for training. During his  career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4 × 400 metres relay gold medals at both the Worlds and Europeans.

Kriss Akabusi's most celebrated hour was when he brought home a famous victory for Great Britain in the final of the 4x400m at the 1991 Tokyo World Championships.
The popular hurdler followed teammates Roger Black, Derek Redmond and John Regis on the anchor leg, pulling off a spectacular victory over the second placed USA, winning in a time of 2:57.53 – a British and European record time.

THE next step for two famous Southampton athletes was an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. 
Iwan Thomas, who  remains the UK 400m record holder, having run a time of 44.36s in Birmingham in July 1997, is pictured with Ola Jordan in 2015. He was the first contestant to be eliminated.
Roger Black was fifth in the second series alongside Camilla Dallerup.

Other archive images show Southampton Athletic Club members in 2014 winning the Hampshire athletics run for charity and a 25 hour charity relay back in 2011.