• ESPN Sports Personality of the Year - No. 6

Dai Greene: The man on the golden run

Dai Greene edged Javier Culson in the 400m hurdles © Getty Images

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• Profile: Dai Greene

The past 12 months of the sporting calendar have thrown up a plethora of memorable performances, including a near-invincible tennis star, a globally-loved golfing success story, and a footballing magician who seems only to need one foot. Leading up to Christmas, ESPN will name its top 10 sports personalities of the year in ascending order...

How difficult is it to win on one of the biggest stages of all - when most people expect you to? Okay, let's rephrase that, how difficult is it to do all that ... when you are British?

Hurdler Dai Greene didn't just have the pressure of expectation on him when he went to Daegu for the World Championships, he also had the misfortune of being from a country that traditionally specialises in falling agonisingly short when in pursuit of significant sporting achievement.

So, while there was a certain anticipation that he would follow up his European and Commonwealth golds from 2010 with world gold in the 400 metres hurdles in 2011, there was also a certain apprehension that he might be yet another athlete to fall a few steps short.

That feeling hadn't been helped by Greene's performances in the run-up to the championships, a series of unremarkable displays where even his fastest run of the year - 48.20 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham - was nearly half a second slower than his best run of 2010. Yet all that went out of the window in Daegu, where the former Swansea City trainee suggested his previous runs had been an example of self-control rather than evidence of a loss of endurance as he cruised into the final.

There it was harder to be confident of victory, as both the fastest man of the year (South African LJ van Zyl) and the reigning world silver medallist (Puerto Rican Javier Culson) looked on form and had similar lane draws.

Even with just two hurdles remaining it didn't look like Greene would be able to win a third gold in as many major meets, but he showed the final-straight stamina that is perhaps his trait above all others to overhaul Culson and claim victory by a stride.

"This was my aim all season. It's a dream come true," Greene said in the aftermath. "I had a bad experience at the World Championships two years ago. I finished seventh in the final. I had to dig deep. I believed I could win.

"I'm quite good at dealing with pressure. I believe I can handle nerves better than others."

Dai Greene is on a run of gold medals that hopefully won't end at London 2012 © PA Photos

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That final quality will stand Greene in good stead, as he is now likely to bear a great brunt of the pressure applied to all Team GB athletes ahead of London 2012 next summer. With Jessica Ennis forced to settle for silver in South Korea and the similarly remarkable Mo Farah the only other gold medallist, it is Greene who most will look to for a home success story at the Games.

What is more, with decent flat speed he may also be called upon to help the 4x400m relay team in their pursuit of a medal - something he was unable to do in Daegu after the exertions of the solo event left him physically and mentally drained.

"After this result people will think, 'He's won the World Championships, there's no reason why he can't win [the Olympics]' - and hopefully my competitors will think like that as well," he said. "It will be a very similar feel to what it was a few nights ago so I am looking forward to it again."

Unfortunate Channel 4 anchor Ortis Deley may have become the unwitting star of the two weeks in South Korea ("We've seen some action in the stadium as well ... Jessica Ennis. Goodnight.") but it was Greene who should have the more enduring impact.

Blessed with a winning mentality and - equally importantly - almost unrivalled technique, Greene proved he's the real deal this year. Next year, then, he can become a legend.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.