Jamaican team departs for World Championships
JAMAICA’S officials and some athletes left the island yesterday en route to Russia ahead of the 14th IAAF World Championships to be held in Moscow from August 10 to 18.
Some members of the 45-strong team are already in Europe and will be making their way over to Moscow in the coming days.
Fitz Coleman, one of the four assistant coaches travelling with the technical unit, expressed confidence in the composition of the team, despite the absence — through failed drug tests — of sprinters Veronica Campbell Brown, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson.
While refusing to make any medal predictions, he insisted that Jamaica will do well.
“I think we are a resilient set of people and in terms of the make-up of the team…each individual that goes out there I’m confident that they will lift their performances and I have no doubt about them performing and performing well,” he told the Jamaica Observer after he and national 110-metre hurdles record holder Hansle Parchment checked in at the Norman Manley International Airport.
The veteran coach had kind words of support for the missing trio and added that the members of the team will have an extra motivation to do well.
“They will be well missed. As far I’m concerned they are still a part of our team. I think what has happened is unfortunate, and I know that we are all rooting for them and looking forward to a positive decision from the investigations.
“I think this will motivate those who are going to compete simply because those persons aren’t around. I think it is going to be a motivation rather than anything else.
“For one, it’s an opportunity, and two, this is World Championships and anybody who makes the team deserves to be there. Each person who is there got there on merit,” Coleman said.
Campbell Brown, Powell and Simpson have all publicly expressed their innocence.
In the meantime, Coleman said Parchment has adequately recovered from an ankle injury sustained while warming up during the National Senior Trials in June.
“He is good to go. He can run and is running and training well. He will be competing… he will be at the starting blocks,” he said.
The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) has had issues in the past getting the competitors from the various training camps into one unit ahead of big championships.
Coleman, who has been travelling with the Jamaica team since the late 1970s, suggested that the experience within the coaching staff will alleviate any problems.
“It’s an experienced group of people. The coaching staff has a number of senior people on it so I don’t see an issue.
“We are not an inexperienced bunch…we’ve worked together before and it (getting athletes together) is not going to be a problem,” Coleman said.
The 45-member athletics team includes 100 and 200-metre world record holder Usain Bolt and Olympic 100-metre champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Maurice Wilson, who was head coach for the team to the World Championships in Daegu and the London Olympic Games, has been named technical leader. Calabar High’s Michael Clarke is the head coach.
Officials: Team leader – Trevor ‘TC’ Campbell; assistant managers – Deon Hemmings-McCatty and Dave Myrie; technical leader – Maurice Wilson; head coach – Michael Clarke; Assistant coaches – Fitz Coleman, Lennox Graham, Jermaine Shand, and Maurice Westney; Doctor – Derrick McDowell; Physiotherapist – Mathew Parchment; Masseurs – Everold Edwards, Damion Rowe, Collin Turner, Gavin James and Dwayne Davis; team press liaison – Dennis Gordon.