Wilson gives thumbs up to World Champs preparation
One week into their pre-World Championships training camp in Birmingham, Jamaica’s Head Coach Maurice Wilson says things are looking good.
Members of Jamaica’s team have been in camp since July 22, and will move to London on August 2 before action begins on Friday, August 4.
“With the persons who have turned up, I would say that the camp has been successful,” Wilson told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
The weather has been ok; the people of the University of Birmingham are very helpful. The facility is excellent. A brand new track was laid four days before we came, so I would say the camp has been very successful,” he added.
Despite not having all 59 members in camp at the moment, Wilson says the vibe in the camp has been good.
“The camaraderie is good and presently, I don’t see nothing to suggest otherwise,” he noted.
However, Wilson, who was Jamaica’s technical leader at the Rio Olympics in Brazil last year, lamented the fact that not all athletes would be present for one reason or another, ranging from visa to personal issues. He said more than half the team turned up.
“As usual I would love to have had all persons in camp. I would love to have everybody for relay practice. It’s a perennial problem. But we do have persons from the relay pool participating,” he explained.
Over the years, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association has had issues with some team members who failed to show for camp, but instead trained with their clubs elsewhere.
— Howard Walker