Tweet
... with laughter.
BOLT BEWARE!
T&T sprinters sound warning for Olympic champ
Kern De Freitas
Wednesday, September 10th 2008
SHOWING 'EM HOW IT'S DONE: Hasely Crawford, centre, Trinidad and Tobago's only Olympic gold medallist, gives some sprinting tips to members of T&T's 4x100-metre relay team after they received their Chaconia (Gold) medals in recognition of finishing second in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. From left are: Marc Burns, Richard "Torpedo" Thompson, Aaron Armstrong and Keston Bledman. Standing behind Armstrong is Emmanuel Callender. -Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANKIf triple Olympic champion and double world record-holder Usain Bolt has any chinks in his armour, Trinidad and Tobago's sprint team are bent on trying to exploit them in the 2009 international season.
"One year you could be at your highest pinnacle and the next you could be flat. I hope Usain Bolt is prepared for what comes with that (being Olympic champion)," experienced T&T sprinter Marc Burns pointed out during yesterday's official press conference for the 2008 Olympic 4x100-metre relay silver medallists at Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, hosted by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
"The (T&T) guys and everyone else in the world will be gunning for him."
Double Olympic silver medallist Richard "Torpedo" Thompson, who finished second to Bolt in the 100m final and also runner-up along with the T&T relay team to Bolt's Jamaica quartet, shared the view that the lanky world record-holder is not invincible.
"At the moment I don't think anyone can beat him for 2008. But 2009, who knows what could happen?" Thompson reasoned, adding that Asafa Powell was only recently Olympic favourite, as well as US speedster Tyson Gay earlier this year, before Bolt began to dominate.
Despite the cash incentives the athletes received for stellar performances at the Olympics, Thompson explained that the most rewarding thing for him was representing T&T in Beijing.
"We're a small island on the world stage," he said. "There's always an opportunity when you go to big meets like that to put your little island on the map, and I think all of us represented very well while we were out there."
Burns explained that the relay squad were determined to show they could get a medal even after the loss of teammate Darrel Brown, who pulled up during the quarter-finals in the 100m event.
He described Brown as "instrumental" to the team's performance because of his moral support despite being unable to compete.
The two newest faces on the T&T relay team, Emmanuel Callender and Keston Bledman, who replaced Brown and injured Aaron Armstrong for the final, revealed they did not feel heavily pressured when called upon to perform.
"No pressure, because I train with Bolt, and I'm accustomed to running him down," Callender said with a laugh. "So I know we couldn't catch him, but I still did my best."
Bledman added: "...wasn't really no pressure, because this is what I train for. My coach just told me go out there and execute."
Burns revealed that the friendly rivalry between T&T and Jamaica, as well as the United States, was borne out in the call room before the race, with the teams engaging in friendly banter.
"Richard jumped in saying: 'pilling, pilling...that's not steelpan. That's music to my ears.' They (the Americans) were like, 'what you talking about?' He say 'stick is going to drop'," Burns related, to which Thompson chimed in: "The US told me after (they dropped the baton in the semi-final) I put a spell on them."
When asked by quadruple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon what advice he gave the team before the final as the most experienced among them, Burns replied: "I just told the guys 'this can change your life. I don't want to put pressure on you to go out and perform. But it can change your life literally'."
Burns also paid tribute to Boldon for his role in helping the athletes prepare for the Olympic Games.
"I learned from the best...that's you," he told Boldon.
Burns will wrap up his season by competing in the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletic final on Saturday in Stuttgart, Germany.
Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Gary Hunt, who was also at the head table at yesterday's press conference, assured the athletes that the support they received in the build-up to the Olympics will be extended to take into account development for the 2012 and 2016 Games.
BOLT BEWARE!
T&T sprinters sound warning for Olympic champ
Kern De Freitas
Wednesday, September 10th 2008
SHOWING 'EM HOW IT'S DONE: Hasely Crawford, centre, Trinidad and Tobago's only Olympic gold medallist, gives some sprinting tips to members of T&T's 4x100-metre relay team after they received their Chaconia (Gold) medals in recognition of finishing second in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. From left are: Marc Burns, Richard "Torpedo" Thompson, Aaron Armstrong and Keston Bledman. Standing behind Armstrong is Emmanuel Callender. -Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANKIf triple Olympic champion and double world record-holder Usain Bolt has any chinks in his armour, Trinidad and Tobago's sprint team are bent on trying to exploit them in the 2009 international season. "One year you could be at your highest pinnacle and the next you could be flat. I hope Usain Bolt is prepared for what comes with that (being Olympic champion)," experienced T&T sprinter Marc Burns pointed out during yesterday's official press conference for the 2008 Olympic 4x100-metre relay silver medallists at Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, hosted by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
"The (T&T) guys and everyone else in the world will be gunning for him."
Double Olympic silver medallist Richard "Torpedo" Thompson, who finished second to Bolt in the 100m final and also runner-up along with the T&T relay team to Bolt's Jamaica quartet, shared the view that the lanky world record-holder is not invincible.
"At the moment I don't think anyone can beat him for 2008. But 2009, who knows what could happen?" Thompson reasoned, adding that Asafa Powell was only recently Olympic favourite, as well as US speedster Tyson Gay earlier this year, before Bolt began to dominate.
Despite the cash incentives the athletes received for stellar performances at the Olympics, Thompson explained that the most rewarding thing for him was representing T&T in Beijing.
"We're a small island on the world stage," he said. "There's always an opportunity when you go to big meets like that to put your little island on the map, and I think all of us represented very well while we were out there."
Burns explained that the relay squad were determined to show they could get a medal even after the loss of teammate Darrel Brown, who pulled up during the quarter-finals in the 100m event.
He described Brown as "instrumental" to the team's performance because of his moral support despite being unable to compete.
The two newest faces on the T&T relay team, Emmanuel Callender and Keston Bledman, who replaced Brown and injured Aaron Armstrong for the final, revealed they did not feel heavily pressured when called upon to perform.
"No pressure, because I train with Bolt, and I'm accustomed to running him down," Callender said with a laugh. "So I know we couldn't catch him, but I still did my best."
Bledman added: "...wasn't really no pressure, because this is what I train for. My coach just told me go out there and execute."
Burns revealed that the friendly rivalry between T&T and Jamaica, as well as the United States, was borne out in the call room before the race, with the teams engaging in friendly banter.
"Richard jumped in saying: 'pilling, pilling...that's not steelpan. That's music to my ears.' They (the Americans) were like, 'what you talking about?' He say 'stick is going to drop'," Burns related, to which Thompson chimed in: "The US told me after (they dropped the baton in the semi-final) I put a spell on them."
When asked by quadruple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon what advice he gave the team before the final as the most experienced among them, Burns replied: "I just told the guys 'this can change your life. I don't want to put pressure on you to go out and perform. But it can change your life literally'."
Burns also paid tribute to Boldon for his role in helping the athletes prepare for the Olympic Games.
"I learned from the best...that's you," he told Boldon.
Burns will wrap up his season by competing in the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletic final on Saturday in Stuttgart, Germany.
Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Gary Hunt, who was also at the head table at yesterday's press conference, assured the athletes that the support they received in the build-up to the Olympics will be extended to take into account development for the 2012 and 2016 Games.
Comment