JARED Deacon went through a unique checklist when packing his bags for the Commonwealth Games.

Tracksuit, running kit, spikes, toothbrush - and guitar.

Confused? Well don't be.

Deacon, from South Shields, is the antithesis of the one-dimensional sportsman - someone who realises there is more to life than athletics.

Deacon, who competes in the men's 400 metre heats in the City of Manchester Stadium this lunchtime, likes nothing better than to wind down after a hard day's training by strumming a few chords on his guitar.

Speaking from the city that spawned Oasis, 26-year-old Deacon revealed that one of the Gallagher brothers' biggest inspirations - the Modfather, Paul Weller - is his musical hero.

He said: "I'm a massive Paul Weller and Jam fan, and I like Mod bands like The Who, The Kinks and Small Faces.

"The first song I ever learnt to play was Sunflower by Paul Weller, and I've added a few more of his to my repertoire since then.

"I like Oasis, too, and I do a few of their B-sides like Talk Tonight.

"My niece sings and we've been together at some buskers' nights. She sings Dido and Texas, and we do Weller's You Do Something To Me - which sounds even better on acoustic guitar than it does on piano.

"I started playing the guitar because I needed to take up a hobby. For a long time athletics was something I wasn't that heavily involved in, so I enjoyed doing that when I could.

"But once I started earning a bit of money, and became a full-time athlete, I needed to do something else.

"There's no point in getting so wrapped up in sport that it's the be-all and end-all. I have interests away from athletics - but a lot of the athletes don't. It's a bit of a shallow existence.

"It's a great release because I need to get away from athletics. It wouldn't be any fun if I spent all my time involved with athletics.

"Playing the guitar requires my full attention because I'm not particularly musical, so it takes my mind right off athletics.

"Ben Challenger, a high jumper in the England team, is a Jimi Hendrix fan and we had a jamming session at the Sydney Olympics."

Deacon, who is starting a new job as a sports development officer in South Tyneside, will put his guitar in storage for the next three days as he attempts to win the first major individual medal of his career.

He ran a personal best of 45.57sec in the trials to cement his place in the team alongside Sean Baldock and Daniel Caines.

He said: "My initial aim is to reach the final because I'll be up against a lot of the world's best athletes at 400m.

"Realistically, I'm looking for a medal in the 4x400m relay, but I'm feeling very confident.

"I had a lot of injury problems last year, but this year has gone to plan so far. It's the first time I've had an individual spot in the team and I'm really excited about that."