From headliners to extras

Jamaica’s top athletes will again command the attention of the world when the National Senior Championships get underway inside the National Stadium starting tomorrow.

However, as the battle for Tokyo 2020 Olympics places take centre stage, the spotlight will be shining far away from the island’s male sprinters, who continue to struggle on a follow-up act that pales in comparison to a now fading record-breaking era for Jamaican sprinting.

Today’s protagonists continue to return comparatively pedestrian times, with no Jamaican man dipping below 1o seconds so far this season. In fact, Yohan Blake’s 9.96 seconds, which was done in June 2019, is the last legal sub-10 seconds time registered by a Jamaican male.

By comparison, 12 Americans have so far gone below 10 seconds in the 100m, with Trayvon Bromell’s 9.77 leading the way resulting in little to no medal hopes among Jamaica’s men in the short sprints.

The picture is even gloomier in the 200m, where only one Jamaican has legally dipped below 20 seconds since July 2018, with Akeem Bloomfield’s 19.81 seconds run, the only saving grace for local males in the half-lap event.

Something else to ponder?

Of the entrants in this year’s National Championships, only Yohan Blake, Nigel Ellis, Davonte Burnett, Julian Forte, Andre Ewars, and Tyquendo Tracey have achieved the 10.05 seconds qualification standard for the Olympic Games 100m event. In 2012, eight Jamaicans ran faster than 10.00 seconds in the 100m.

Stephen Francis is one of the most respected voices in athletics and has conditioned some of the island’s greatest male sprinters, such as former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Nesta Carter who, along with the iconic Usain Bolt and Blake himself, formed the backbone of Jamaica’s star cast in the sprints.

Francis believes the problem lies in talent being placed in the wrong hands.

“If I was to tell the truth a lot of people will be offended, but I think the big problem is that too many of the high school coaches believe that they are capable, without any evidence, of carrying especially the men into adulthood and bring them success as sprinters,” Francis told The Gleaner.

“What I have seen over the last couple of years, if you don’t make progress in your first year out of school or second year, it is unlikely it will happen again. You have to be making serious progress.

“I mean, there are very few coaches who have shown that they can progress an athlete from 19 years-old to 20 and 21 and they get better and I think that every single young man who leaves school and think he has potential, needs to limit himself to these few coaches,” added Francis.

GREATER COMMITMENT

Sprinter-turned-coach Frater, who now ironically coaches Blake along with a few high school stand-outs who have yet to make the billing as seniors, believes that there is a need for greater commitment and application from the island’s upcoming male sprinters.

“I think most of the guys haven’t really stepped up. The best we have had in the last few years has been Yohan actually, he has been fourth at the last three championships,” Frater said of the 2011 World 100m champion and double Olympic silver medal winner from London 2012.

“I think these young guys just need to apply themselves. We need to see discipline and guys who are willing to go out there and make the necessary sacrifices to compete at a high level. Talent is not something that we are in need of in Jamaica. Every year you see guys in high school running 10.1 or 10.2, so the talent is obviously there,” added Frater.

Francis had a grim review of the state of affairs.

“If what we see continues with the folks who leave high school, it will not stop. The women on the other hand don’t tend to listen to their high school coaches. They tend to go abroad or stay somewhere locally where it is proven that they can succeed and that’s what needs to happen with the men. But we live in a free society and anybody who believe they can make it as a coach at this level will try to convince the people over whom they have influence to do it and I don’t think it matters much to them because its not their child,” said Francis.

Still the hope is that this week’s Trials will signal the beginning of Act 3, with a resolution to the island’s male sprinting woes awaiting on the Tokyo horizon and beyond.

andre.lowe@gleanerjm.com