Renny Quow on the way to winning the 400 metres at the World Junior Track and Field Games in Beijing.
BY KWAME WILLIAMS
A coach’s dream come true” is how 400 metres runner Renny Quow was once described by the man responsible for developing his skills — Gerard Franklyn.
Franklyn, the head coach of the Zenith Athletics Club in Tobago, was also of the opinion that his young charge, apart from being naturally gifted, exhibited a maturity well beyond his 18 years in that he possessed an understanding, different to those of his peers, of what was required of him.
This, combined with Quow’s determination to be the best and his willingness to put in more than the necessary volume of work, is what has been credited for his triumphant displays over the last three years.
On August 17th, the Darrel Spring-native’s extra hours on the track and in the gym culminated in a historic victory.
At the IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships in Beijing, China, Quow outran Great Britain’s Martyn Rooney (45.87 seconds), the pre-race favourite, and American Justin Oliver (45.78) to capture the 400m crown.
This made him the first T&T athlete to ever win the one-lap title at the meet. Also, Quow reset former national 400m king Damion Barry’s 2001 clocking (45.75), with a 45.74 seconds run in the final.
In doing so, he fulfilled a prophecy made by his coach after the Carifta Games in Tobago last year in which Franklyn boldly predicted that his protege would one day break the T&T junior 400m record.
Overall, it was a memorable performance in more ways than one.
Quow is no stranger to excellence though, and in all actuality, it can be said that one would not have been wrong for expecting the victory.
Since appearing on the local athletics scene, “Chicken”, as Renny is known to friends, has consistently been carding noteworthy performances. Though he was not always regarded as one of the top young prospects in T&T, perseverance saw him quickly becoming one.
This was most evident at last year’s Carifta Games. At the 2004 edition of the meet in Hamilton, Bermuda, Quow came fifth in the final. In 2005, he produced a superb run, coming from behind to win the Boys’ Under-20 title. Such was his level of improvement.
Quow showed his superiority again at this year’s Carifta meet, securing one-lap gold for a second time.
Also among his impressive list of achievements are two Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior 400m titles. He first became champion in 2004 when the meet came off in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
In front of his home crowd at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last month, he made a successful defence of the crown, holding off strong challenges from Jamaican duo Allodin Fothergill and Edino Steele.
Afterwards, his coach said that it was the hardest race his trainee had contested for the year.
Also, Renny secured his first national senior title, winning the one-lap event at the Sagicor Open Championships in June.
With performances like these under his belt, it is not surprising that Franklyn has also predicted that, barring injury, Quow will go on to break the national senior record owned by Ian Morris since 1992 (44.21), and win a medal at the Olympic Games.
Who knows? He might yet again make his coach look like a wise man some time in the near future, but as they say: “Nothing in this life is certain”.
But with a young man like Renny Quow around, someone always driven and always willing to give it his all, betting against him would not be the smartest decision for one to make.
On Independence Day, the youngster was present with the Humming Bird Silver medal for his outstanding performance in Beijing.
No doubt, there will be many more such awards to come his way.
FACT FILE
Renny Quow
2004
Placed fifth in the Boys’ Under-20 400m final at the Carifta Games in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Won the national junior 400m title.
Copped the CAC Junior 400m title in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
2005
Won gold in the Boys’ Under-20 Carifta 400m.
Was a member T&T’s silver medal-winning men’s 4x400m relay team at the CAC Senior Championships in the Bahamas.
Ran the third leg for T&T in the final of the men’s 4x400m relay at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Helsinki, Finland. The team was disqualified for a lane violation.
2006
Retained Carifta 400m title.
Won national one-lap title.
Defended his CAC Junior 400m crown.
Won gold at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing, China.
