Flagbearer Rodman eyes medal

Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sports

GUADALAJARA, Mexico:

Cyclist Marloe Rodman will be carrying Jamaica's flag at today's opening ceremony and has his sights firmly set on winning a medal in this elevated Mexican City.

This year, Guadalajara, over 5,000 feet above sea level, is hosting the 16th Pan American Games, and Rodman, who finished 23rd in the 160 kilometres road race four years ago in Rio de Janeiro, wants to step up quite a bit and now earn a medal.

"The road race in Rio was my first big international meet. It was a hard race but I gained a lot of experience. Now I am stronger after competing in several countries all over the world during the past four years," Rodman said on Wednesday night, fully 10 days before he competes here.

Rodman and his manager here, Jamaica's 1984 and 1988 Olympic cyclist Arthur Tenn, are serious about the meet, and with the altitude expected to making it a bit difficult to breathe for some competitors, they are taking no chances and have arrived early to become fully acclimatised.

"After Rio I now know the level you have to get, to compete in these races," said Rodman, who is coached by Trinidadian Chris Gayle.

Experience

The Eltham Park, Spanish Town, native has, since Rio de Janeiro, competed in Puerto Rico, Delhi, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, where he spends a lot of his time, and England.

With that experience under his belt, 23-year-old Rodman said:

"We can only hope for the best, and that is to win."

Road races in big meets are usually won by countries with a team of sometimes four cyclists, so Rodman, Jamaica's only competitor in the sport here, has a tough task.

Manager Tenn says he will have to be smart.

"Where you have a team leader, three or four of his teammates will go out to soften up the competition. So in the last couple of miles when the team leader decides to make his move the other riders will be tired. What Marloe has to do, since he is the only one, is to stay close to the favourites and constantly watch them. In the race, see who is doing the least amount of work. Keep a close watch on them. We may not know who some of these favourites are but other countries know them. Sometimes you see a group of riders from four different countries marking one another (they may be the team leaders). When the leader decides to make his move you have to be close to him," Tenn said.

Dominican Republic's Wendy Cruz won the gold last time and Rodman expects that country to do well again.

The 160 kilometres road race will be contested on October 22.