September 30, 2019

A broader view of track and field success

The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships are here and over the next nine days we expect nothing but some great competition both on the track and in the field in Doha, Qatar. Expectations are high, and Jamaicans have already started making the customary medal predictions, and in some cases, experts have been having their say on the athletes they think will do well.

For me, this edition of the World Championships is less about the medals themselves and more about the progress we have made since the last championships in London. Additionally, it will give ideas as to the strategies we will need to implement to advance our track and field programme. The measurement of success should not be solely based on medals but rather should include personal bests, season’s bests, etc., as well as a genuine appreciation of the work put in by our athletes.

Doha 2019 is no ordinary World Championships event. The timing and the weather have made the 2018-19 seasons interesting ones. Most global track and field calendars have had to be adjusted, and controversies abounded with our own calendar. When our National Championship date was first announced it didn’t end there. The JAAA was forced to back-pedal on their initial decision; then later forced to add athletes to particular events due to not having enough qualified persons in certain events. Of course, a doping scandal has also rocked us but now the athlete has been cleared, we hope that this aside we can perform to our best.

READ MORE

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *