Expect more speed from Levell – coach
Published:Wednesday | March 23, 2022 | 12:12 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
BRIAN LEVELL will run faster than he’s ever gone at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships and later in the season.
Based on what he is seeing at the school’s Frankfield base in training, Levell’s Edwin Allen High School coach Leon Powell is optimistic about his prospects for the greatest high school meet on earth.
Speaking yesterday, Powell gave Levell’s 2022 form – 10.36, 20.53 and 47.86 seconds for the 100, 200 and 400 – a nod of approval.
“They are basically good numbers but they are numbers I expect based on how I operate as a coach,” said Powell
“I coach what I call overall sprinters. I expect my sprinters to run good 300s, good 400s. Those numbers are nothing surprising for me. As to his season, it’s really tough some of the times in terms of getting in the training because even now as we speak, we’re having rain and we’ve been having rain for the last month, almost every afternoon. So it has kind of put us out of practice for the most part but he’s going on fine and I’m expecting him to run faster at Champs,” he said.
CLASS I FAVOURITE
With four wins in four starts and with his 20.53-second personal best at the Carifta Trials standing as the fastest time of the high school season, Levell is the Boys and Girls’ Championships Class One 200 favourite.
Asked how his charge will do in the 100 metres, Powell chuckled.
“As I said, I expect Bryan to be faster in the 100 and even in the 200 also, but it really is depending on how he executes his race because I think he executed the final at the Carifta Trials poorly. We spoke about it. We’re working on it and come Champs, I’m expecting a better showing from him,” said the coach.
Levell lost to the fleet-footed DeAndre Daley of Herbert Morrison High at the Trials and while coach Powell made no excuses, he did say that a pre-race false start threw his sprinter off.
“Yes it did. So that’s one of the things and we’ll keep on working on it. As I said in the last interview, his confidence is not where we want it to be, but we’re working on it and hopefully, for Champs and the rest of the season, it gets better.”
The 18-year-old’s quickest 100-metre time of 10.21 seconds was done last June, weeks before he raced his way into the men’s final at the National Senior Championships.