Brown ready to get back on track
By Kern De Freitas
Story Created: Jan 15, 2011 at 10:47 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jan 15, 2011 at 10:47 PM ECT
Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Darrel Brown is raring to get back on track for 2011.
The 26-year-old athlete has been under the radar for much of the last two years after picking up an injury at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Brown has been regarded as one of T&T's top sprinters over the last decade, but has suffered a number of injury setbacks since his impressive junior career—which saw him set the World Junior 100-metre record of 10.01 seconds at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, where he clinched the silver medal.
Brown has set up his base back in Trinidad since October last year under coach Vern Gambetta and has been focusing on strength training to avoid yet another injury as he targets the 2011 World Championships and charts a course to the 2012 London Olympics.
"Right now I'm feeling like back (to) my old self, I feel young again, like back in 2002," Brown told the media on Friday at the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, where he was presented with a cheque from the Elite Athletes Assistance Programme (EAAP) by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts.
This year, in addition to making the World Championships final and improving his personal best of 9.99 seconds, Brown has set the goals of getting up to optimal strength and staying healthy.
"I'm just trying to get my core strong...stable, because that's my main problem," Brown said. "That's why I keep getting injured...(My plan is) mainly just keep on my strength training programme. Once I'm healthy and ready, I'll be good for next year."
Mentally, Brown is doing well too.
"I have a short memory," Brown stated. "So if I get injured like today, and heal, I would just put that behind me and just move forward. Just forget about the past and just look forward."
Minister Roberts handed out the first tranche of cheques to Brown, half-miler Jamaal James, Ainsley Armstrong—father of US-born T&T sprinter Aaron Armstrong—and sailor Andrew Lewis, as assistance to the elite athletes, most of whom are expected to compete at the 2012 Olympics.
Overall, 15 athletes, including T&T Olympic Committee 2010 Sportswoman of the Year Cleopatra Borel-Brown, long jumper Rhonda Watkins, swimmer Christian Homer and Commonwealth Games silver-medallist boxer Tariq Abdul Haqq will benefit from the EAAP.
Track and field athletes Jamaal James and Jessica James and cyclist Adam Alexander received funding specifically for developmental work.
National Association for Athletics Administration president Ephraim Serrette expressed concern recently that athletes, particularly those assisted by the Government, neglected to represent T&T at events like the Pan American Games and last year's Commonwealth Games. Roberts said he had no problems with athletes who miss international events when preparing for big events like Olympic Games.
He reminded the athletes, however, that his Ministry will be looking at those athletes who make it a regular habit of skipping out on competitions rather than lining up to represent Trinidad and Tobago.
