In a bet placed with Plod in a Dorset pub in 1998, the Minister for Education swore, according to Plod, to “Jump off the Eiffel tower” if the man dubbed “The slowest outside back in the south” could beat Usain Bolt in a race. This was considered a risky move by Gove, for at the time Bolt was a 12-year-old boy living in the back of a grocery store in Jamaica and Plod was a semi-professional athlete.
Jim Klinock, head teacher at the Most Comprehensive Comprehensive School, hailed Plod as “A thoroughly dull man”, calling the
Geography subject leader “One of the most boring people I have ever met”, empathising his “undying passion
for Geography” as a key factor in his consistent level of popularity at the school. Klinock
was, however, not optimistic on his employees chances against World Record
holder Bolt, calling his chances “Slim to none”, but was full of support for
his colleague, hoping that he gets “completely and utterly battered” against
Bolt.
This is not the first time Gove has found himself in a risky
position following a bet made before his political career flourished. In 2012,
the education secretary found himself forced to drink a litre of comedian David
Mitchell’s saliva, after he bet the Peep Show star that he could not learn to
ride a bicycle within the next 30 years. Gove also found himself in hot water
with Prime Minister David Cameron after a bet made with disgraced TV star Jimmy
Saville in the 1980s was found to be a motivating factor in the alleged child
sex offences.
The race is to be held next week at an undisclosed venue.
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