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Findley eyeing Olympic spot
BY RAYMOND GRAHAM, Freelance Writer
Findley waits for the baton during the 4x400m at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year.
WHEN Jamaica men's mile relay team was selected for the recent World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Spain, there were many who doubted that the team could medal at the Championships.
The athletes selected, except for Michael Blackwood, a regular member on Jamaica's team at the various championships over the years, were not names that Jamaicans were used to - Edino Steele, Dwayne Barrett and Adrian Findley.
By the end of the Championships, however, the team proved the doubting Thomases wrong as they grabbed silver to maintain Jamaica's good record in the mile relay.
Undoubtedly, the star on that team was Findley, who ran a powerful third leg to put Jamaica in that medal contention.
Even today people are still asking the question, who is Adrian Findley?
Last weekend in North Carolina, Findley won the Raleigh Adidas 400 metres hurdles event in 49.63 seconds to register one of the top-five times so far in the world.
Adrian Findley competes at the Penn Relays for St Augustine College. - contributed
"Although I was doing track and field at St Augustine my focus was on getting my degree," he said. It was no surprise that during those four years he kept his G.P.A at a consistent 3.9 and graduated with a Batchelor's degree in Mathematics.
After doing so well at the World Indoors, Findley is motivated to make the team for the Beijing Olympics as he will be concentrating on the 400 metres hurdles.
"I was very happy to make the team to Spain and I was glad that Richard Phillips made some contact for me with the JAAA, as running indoors for several years I knew that I had the experience to do well at this level," said Findley. "When I went to the Championships it was the first time I was meeting these guys on the team but they made me feel welcome, especially Yhann Plummer, who was my roommate."
Despite the competitive field in the 400m hurdles, Findley is very optimistic of making the team.
"Right now coach Williams has a large group which he is coaching in Raleigh and this group has many experienced athletes, especially in my event, as nine of us are training in the 400 metres hurdles and we help each other," he noted.
The group includes former national senior representative Ian Weakly along with former Calabar High star Kurt Duncan and 2005 World Senior 400 metres Hurdles Champion, Bershawn 'Batman' Jackson of the United States. The latter was the favourite to win at last year's Championships, before a terrible stumble at the final hurdle in the semi-final caused him not to advance.
Despite working two jobs in the afternoon where he counsels children from broken homes, Findley has been following a strict training regiment which he expects will pay off when the national trials are held in June.
"I did my personal best of 49.34 seconds at the Holyfield Track Meet in Atlanta last year, but I am very confident I can go much faster and this will enable me to make the team to Beijing," he concluded.
BY RAYMOND GRAHAM, Freelance Writer
Findley waits for the baton during the 4x400m at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year.
WHEN Jamaica men's mile relay team was selected for the recent World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Spain, there were many who doubted that the team could medal at the Championships.
The athletes selected, except for Michael Blackwood, a regular member on Jamaica's team at the various championships over the years, were not names that Jamaicans were used to - Edino Steele, Dwayne Barrett and Adrian Findley.
By the end of the Championships, however, the team proved the doubting Thomases wrong as they grabbed silver to maintain Jamaica's good record in the mile relay.
Undoubtedly, the star on that team was Findley, who ran a powerful third leg to put Jamaica in that medal contention.
Even today people are still asking the question, who is Adrian Findley?
Last weekend in North Carolina, Findley won the Raleigh Adidas 400 metres hurdles event in 49.63 seconds to register one of the top-five times so far in the world.
Never ran at Champs
This reporter caught up with Findley after his event to find out more about who he really is.
Unlike most other Jamaicans, Findley, who attended Herbert Morrison Technical between 1995-96, has never participated at the Boys' and Girls' Championships.
This reporter caught up with Findley after his event to find out more about who he really is.
Unlike most other Jamaicans, Findley, who attended Herbert Morrison Technical between 1995-96, has never participated at the Boys' and Girls' Championships.
"I did not know much about track and field and I only did some running while attending Chetwood Primary School in Montego Bay," he said.
"One day I was in the bathroom in my last year at Herbert Morrison and one of the big boys tried to rob me my lunch money and I ran from him and he could not catch me.
"One day I was in the bathroom in my last year at Herbert Morrison and one of the big boys tried to rob me my lunch money and I ran from him and he could not catch me.
Later, I found out that the same guy was the captain of the track team and he came and he asked me to join the team because he saw that I could run," Findley stated.
Findley said he did not get to run at the Championships because he did not take his ID photograph. He also admits he was also more interested in his academics than athletics.
He migrated to the United States at 14 years old in 1997 with his parents and transferred to Overbrook High School in Philadelphia.
"While at Overbrook High I competed at the Penn Relays for several years and then later I got a track scholarship to St Augustine College in North Carolina where I came under the tutelage of George Williams, one of the top coaches in the United States," Findley revealed.
Under coach Williams, he became very interested in the sport and competed at the Jamaica Trials in 2004, where he made the NACAC Under-23 team and finished third at the Championships in the 400 metres hurdles in Canada.
Degree in Mathematics
Adrian Findley competes at the Penn Relays for St Augustine College. - contributed
"Although I was doing track and field at St Augustine my focus was on getting my degree," he said. It was no surprise that during those four years he kept his G.P.A at a consistent 3.9 and graduated with a Batchelor's degree in Mathematics.
After doing so well at the World Indoors, Findley is motivated to make the team for the Beijing Olympics as he will be concentrating on the 400 metres hurdles.
"I was very happy to make the team to Spain and I was glad that Richard Phillips made some contact for me with the JAAA, as running indoors for several years I knew that I had the experience to do well at this level," said Findley. "When I went to the Championships it was the first time I was meeting these guys on the team but they made me feel welcome, especially Yhann Plummer, who was my roommate."
Despite the competitive field in the 400m hurdles, Findley is very optimistic of making the team.
"Right now coach Williams has a large group which he is coaching in Raleigh and this group has many experienced athletes, especially in my event, as nine of us are training in the 400 metres hurdles and we help each other," he noted.
The group includes former national senior representative Ian Weakly along with former Calabar High star Kurt Duncan and 2005 World Senior 400 metres Hurdles Champion, Bershawn 'Batman' Jackson of the United States. The latter was the favourite to win at last year's Championships, before a terrible stumble at the final hurdle in the semi-final caused him not to advance.
Despite working two jobs in the afternoon where he counsels children from broken homes, Findley has been following a strict training regiment which he expects will pay off when the national trials are held in June.
"I did my personal best of 49.34 seconds at the Holyfield Track Meet in Atlanta last year, but I am very confident I can go much faster and this will enable me to make the team to Beijing," he concluded.
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