It looks like our relay teams need as much classroom preparation as on the track.
Our coaches need to do a better job of helping the relay participants understand their roles, understand the seriousness of their task, have them watch some film of the best in the world vs. our own performance to understand the gaps, then put corrective actions into practice over and over and over again on the track.
Even with the current talent affected by suspensions and injuries we should not have placed so badly in both the men's finals or not qualified for the women's 4x100m finals. Makes me wonder what the teams were doing in camp in Finland in terms of drills, tactics, team selections, etc.
So often we are left wringing hands at the end of championships thinking of what might have been. To be honest it is just mentally exhausting as a fan, and most likely even more anguishing as an athlete. Time for us to buck up.
With just Jehue reaching his goal I am afraid the cycle would continue - shower all the adulation on him and forget the rest (including an injured Keshorn), continue to gloss over poor team administration by focusing on the one victory, forget to task/educate the private sector about providing support in ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT not just accomplishment, and ultimately settling for "middling" team success.
I am thinking/hoping that Jehue, his parents, coaches, and agent will have enough common sense to draw the line between accepting his just rewards when he returns home, and becoming a pawn of political expediency. He is university-educated and from observation a level-headed young man who expresses himself intelligently. I look forward to him using his current platform to help improve things in the sport.
