http://www.trackalerts.com/news/featured/5795-a-review-of-track-and-field-in-tat-septemberA review of track and field in T&T, (September)
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 14:53 By Clayton Clarke, tobtrackmed@gmail.com
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SCARBOROUGH, Tobago: There has been much debate on the performance of Trinidad and Tobago at the 2011 World Track and Field Championships in Daegu, South Korea, where Kelly Ann Baptiste captured the country’s lone medal, when she won bronze in the women’s 100m finals.
The men’s 4x100 squad seemed on course for a medal in the finals, until the third leg mis-hap, when Aaron Armstrong was impeded by US runner Darvis Paton, as he was about to pass the baton to anchorman, Richard Thompson.
Paton fell to the ground and Armstrong was eventually able to get the stick to Thompson who crossed the line in sixth.
Thompson was angry as he passed through the mixed zone. His feelings represented the sentiments of several in the local track and field fraternity, as the entire World Championships episode left a bitter taste in the mouth of many.
The build up to the Championships was not much different. The delay in the installation of a new track at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, led to the postponement of the National Championships.
The local governing body, in its infinite wisdom, opted to reschedule the meet to August 13 an 14. Why? They alone knew.
NAAA president Ephraime Serrette said the new date was the only window available to the professional athletes.
Kelly-Ann Baptist celebrates with her country's flag after taking bronze in the women's 100m at the 2011 Daegu World Championships. Getty Images PhotoKelly-Ann Baptist celebrates with her country's flag after taking bronze in the women's 100m at the 2011 Daegu World Championships. Getty Images PhotoWhen asked if the NAAA had consulted with the Ministry of Sports (who was responsible for the putting down of the new track) and the athletes, the NAAA indicated that they are authority on track and field in Trinidad and Tobago and as such took a decision that they believed was in the best interest of the sport.
I don’t know of any athlete who did not complain about the ill-timing of the new date which was set to two weeks before the World Champs and one day before the deadline for the submission of entries. It was also close to the date of return, for athletes at US Universities . Yet Mr. Serrette, a former athlete himself, said the top athletes will ‘just’ have to adjust their schedules from June 22 thru 25 to August 13 and 14.
I am not sure how simple that would have been given the expenses associated with the use of stadia, gyms, nutrition and travel. I guess the elite athletes funding was expected to cover that.
Some of the US collegiate athletes did not even bother to consider attending the Trials, because the new date would have interrupted their schools' training programmes, which were planned well in advance.
What did the NAAA get for rescheduling the date to one day before the IAAF entries deadline for the World Championships?
One athlete (Ayanna Alexander) being selected when she did not meet the standard!
It was only when the NAAA submitted the team’s list, that they were informed of the 'error'. Their response? .. “We are sorry, we made an error, thank God we did not buy a ticket for her. We will pay for her return home to the US”
Another Alexander, Annie (women’s shot put) and Janiel Bellille (women’s 400m hurdles), made the B standard in their events and were not selected. But because the team was submitted on the deadline date there was no chance of changing or making additions as we have seen with other teams. Their response..None. Darryl Brown was sixth in the men’s 100m finals and was not included in the relay pool. Their response… “We don’t owe the media an explanation on selection”.
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The National Championships come off. Spectular performances. Thompson scorched the new track in a national record of 9.85 in the men’s 100m, as the next five runners set season’s best times.
Rondell Sorillo was sensational in the 200m zipping to 20.16. Jehue Gordon clocked a 2011 best of 48.75 in taking the men’s 400m hurdles. Everybody was excited about the prospects. However, former World Champion Ato Boldon was adamant that the timing of the local trials was too close to the Worlds.
Within two days of that glorious August weekend, the team was named, flights booked and the athletes left for Daegu. There was no time to train, bond or do psychological preparation. No time for massages or therapy either. Then they spent close to seventeen hours of travelling.
The team arrived as the booking allowed, given the late arrangements. Some athletes complained that two days had passed and they still had not yet slept properly. While in Deagu, news broke that Jehue Gordon was not on the list for the men’s 400m hurdles. Their response was… “no big deal. It is just an error.” No consideration was given to the ordeal the young athlete was going through.
Then it was on to the performances where Baptiste blazed to bronze in the women’s 100m finals. Thanks to shrewd management, she was on her way to Daegu when our trials were taking place and had ample time to adjust and train.
At her press conference, with the exception of her manager, there were no NAAA officials being there to celebrate with her. The Jamaican and American contingents were there most prominently and proud indeed in their colours.
Borel made it into the women’s shot put finals. She too was in Daegu ahead of the team. Richard Thompson and Keston Bledman flopped in the men’s 100. Both looked sluggish and nowhere near their 9.85 and 9.93 forms.
T&T’s third entrant Armstrong did not make it out of the heats, clocking a pedestrian 10.48. Gordon missed making the finals and not breaking the 48 second barrier.
The youngsters may have stolen the show in Daegu as teenagers Kai Sevlon and Michelle Lee Ahye showed. Selvon set a national Junior 200m record (22.89) and made it to the semifinals of the half lap event.
Lee Ahye set a PB in the 100m (10.20) in advancing to the semis, both were part of the women’s 4x100m team which set a nationl record of 42.50, in taking the second heat in the preliminaries. Baptiste and Semoy Hackett were the other runners.
The quartette missed out on medaling in the finals.
It was interesting to hear the comments of NAAA President Serrette of the meet, as he was there to see it first hand. “It was a good performance. What’s the fuss ? Jamaica and USA did not do as well as they could have done?”
Makes me wonder what was Serrette or the NAAA's expectation of the team going to Daegu? Was it just to surpass the medal haul of 2009?
It will also be intriguing to find out also what was the plan of action leading up to and arriving in Daegu. But I guess those plans were thrown out awry with the postponement of the national Championships, due to incompletion of the laying of the new track.
I am baffled at the comments of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports Ashwin Creed, who described the team performance as disappointing. He called on the athletes and NAAA to revisit training programmes ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
Coach Creed identified what areas athletes need work on (to ensure they continue to get their elite funding…I guess). My question to him is when was the last time the athletes got their funding? How much did they get? When will they be getting the next part?
I guess no one should ask, because that would be biting the hand that feeds them.
I however feel that him and the NAAA still have an axe to grind…over the new track not being finished on time, over the seeding of the 400m heats at the Championships, over the Secondary School Championships, or maybe it is just old wounds opening up.
Following the World Championships Thompson was in ripping form. He won in 10.05 in Slovakia beating the World Championships bronze medallist Kim Collins. He was third in Croatia (10.03) and Berlin (10.08). Gordon topped the field in Berlin (48.66). Had the national championships not been so close to Worlds we may have seen better performances from our athletes.
What is astounding is that there has not been an acknowledgement by the NAAA that better could have been done by the team. As a matter of fact there has been no comment from the Daegu team management. The Bahamas Association president Michael Sands, in response to the failure of the country’s 4x400m team not advancing to the World Championships final, said his association has to admit that some management errors were made in selection.
The month has ended on a sad note, as NAAA executive member Ali St. Louis passed away. St. Louis was a former national 400m athlete and competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. His name is well known in the local track and field circles, as all five of his daughters represented our country.
Sade won medals at the 2001 Carifta and 2002 CAC Junior champs. Britney won double CAC Junior gold in 2005 and double Carifta titles in 2005. She was semifinalist at the 2008 World Junior Champs and is a part of T&T women’ national junior 4x400m record breaking team.
Alisha and Aquilla were part of the CAC Age Group team in the BVI this year. His wife Portia was a coach on that team and also spearheads the D’Abadie Progressive Athletic Club .
The month of September was a special month for Trinida and Tobago. The World Championships ended on the 4th with Kelly Ann Baptiste capturing this country’s lone medal, a bronze in the women’s 100m dash.
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