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'Francis, MVP are all about Jamaica'
BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter bogled@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
STEPHEN Francis, head coach of MVP Track & Field Club, is a man who is misunderstood, according to longtime friend and club president Bruce James.
Stephen Francis, head coach of the MVP track & field club, in Beijing, China. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
"I think he (Francis) stands up for the rights of athletes and though some people may not necessarily like his form, the substance of what he brings to the table has a lot of value," James told the Observer yesterday after club member Shericka Williams stunned the field by claiming a silver medal in the Women's 400m at the Beijing Olympics.
"Everything Stephen does and says is in an effort to protect the athletes and allow them to do their very best," he stressed.
Francis appears to court controversy and has in the past been at loggerheads with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) hierarchy.
At the recent World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the style of the former Wolmer's Boys' coach was openly criticised by members of the foreign press in the presence of this reporter.
Prior to the start of the Olympics, Francis was again at the centre of a controversy which nearly drove a wedge in the Jamaica training camp in Tianjin, China.
The IAAF Level One certified coach was quoted as saying that the official coaching staff in Beijing were "a bunch of high school coaches" and some members of MVP group opted out of relay training in the first few days of the camp.
That group included former world record-holder Asafa Powell, who finished fifth in the Men's 100m final won by Usain Bolt in a world record 9.69 seconds last Saturday.
James told the Observer that MVP athletes empathised with a very disappointed Powell, who was expected to finish no worse than second.
They subsequently rallied around the athlete and have dedicated their future performances to him.
"Shelly-Ann Fraser confirmed in her interview immediately after the 100m that she did that race for Asafa," James said.
Meanwhile, Francis has intimated that MVP's worst fears being realised by Powell's finish in the 100m final was an indirect result of the Jamaican management's lack of understanding.
"... We were trying to get the JAAAs to understand Asafa's situation and let them give some special privilege in terms of how quickly he should have arrived in Beijing to remove some of the pressure off him, but they didn't understand," he told the Observer.
James, a former high school 400m hurdler, suggested that the club feels vindicated by subsequent results so far at the 29th Olympiad.
MVP members have so far won four medals. In addition to Fraser's gold and Williams' silver, Sherone Simpson claimed silver in the Women's 100m, while Jamaica-born high jumper Germaine Mason won silver competing for Great Britain.
"The MVP track & field club is having a tremendous Olympics," James said. "They are very, very well prepared... the coaches communicated to me that they expect all our athletes to get medals and to set personal records and everything they have said so far has come true," he said.
He noted that Francis pays little attention to the harsh criticism he receives. "Anyone who is anti-Stephen Francis or anti-MVP is also anti-Jamaica because Stephen has sacrificed so much for Jamaica and for those athletes... everything we do is for Jamaica... if MVP athletes do well, Jamaica does well," he declared.
James predicted another seven medals for MVP athletes, including relay medals for Fraser, Simpson, Williams, Nesta Carter, Powell and Michael Frater, as well as gold medals for Melanie Walker and Simpson in the 400m hurdles and 200m, respectively.
Meanwhile, reports out of Beijing are that Francis could be censured by the JAAAs when the Jamaicans return to the island next week after the Olympics, which end Saturday local time.
BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter bogled@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
STEPHEN Francis, head coach of MVP Track & Field Club, is a man who is misunderstood, according to longtime friend and club president Bruce James.
Stephen Francis, head coach of the MVP track & field club, in Beijing, China. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
"I think he (Francis) stands up for the rights of athletes and though some people may not necessarily like his form, the substance of what he brings to the table has a lot of value," James told the Observer yesterday after club member Shericka Williams stunned the field by claiming a silver medal in the Women's 400m at the Beijing Olympics.
"Everything Stephen does and says is in an effort to protect the athletes and allow them to do their very best," he stressed.
Francis appears to court controversy and has in the past been at loggerheads with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) hierarchy.
At the recent World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the style of the former Wolmer's Boys' coach was openly criticised by members of the foreign press in the presence of this reporter.
Prior to the start of the Olympics, Francis was again at the centre of a controversy which nearly drove a wedge in the Jamaica training camp in Tianjin, China.
The IAAF Level One certified coach was quoted as saying that the official coaching staff in Beijing were "a bunch of high school coaches" and some members of MVP group opted out of relay training in the first few days of the camp.
That group included former world record-holder Asafa Powell, who finished fifth in the Men's 100m final won by Usain Bolt in a world record 9.69 seconds last Saturday.
James told the Observer that MVP athletes empathised with a very disappointed Powell, who was expected to finish no worse than second.
They subsequently rallied around the athlete and have dedicated their future performances to him.
"Shelly-Ann Fraser confirmed in her interview immediately after the 100m that she did that race for Asafa," James said.
Meanwhile, Francis has intimated that MVP's worst fears being realised by Powell's finish in the 100m final was an indirect result of the Jamaican management's lack of understanding.
"... We were trying to get the JAAAs to understand Asafa's situation and let them give some special privilege in terms of how quickly he should have arrived in Beijing to remove some of the pressure off him, but they didn't understand," he told the Observer.
James, a former high school 400m hurdler, suggested that the club feels vindicated by subsequent results so far at the 29th Olympiad.
MVP members have so far won four medals. In addition to Fraser's gold and Williams' silver, Sherone Simpson claimed silver in the Women's 100m, while Jamaica-born high jumper Germaine Mason won silver competing for Great Britain.
"The MVP track & field club is having a tremendous Olympics," James said. "They are very, very well prepared... the coaches communicated to me that they expect all our athletes to get medals and to set personal records and everything they have said so far has come true," he said.
He noted that Francis pays little attention to the harsh criticism he receives. "Anyone who is anti-Stephen Francis or anti-MVP is also anti-Jamaica because Stephen has sacrificed so much for Jamaica and for those athletes... everything we do is for Jamaica... if MVP athletes do well, Jamaica does well," he declared.
James predicted another seven medals for MVP athletes, including relay medals for Fraser, Simpson, Williams, Nesta Carter, Powell and Michael Frater, as well as gold medals for Melanie Walker and Simpson in the 400m hurdles and 200m, respectively.
Meanwhile, reports out of Beijing are that Francis could be censured by the JAAAs when the Jamaicans return to the island next week after the Olympics, which end Saturday local time.