Straight from the horses mouth

[Yuttie]

The VCB interview

http://iriefm.net/sports/sports.php?...ontent_id=2352


sidenote: damn, Omar is a lucky youth

[Hortical]

Why Ver did not run - 'I am loyal to my country'

Why Ver did not run - 'I am loyal to my country'

Published: Sunday | August 23, 2009


Veronica Campbell-Brown

Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer

BERLIN, Germany:

A hugely disappointed Veronica Campbell-Brown believes "unprofessional" conduct by Jamaica's team management deprived her a chance of winning a gold medal as part of the country's successful 4x100 metres relay team yesterday at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics (WCA) here.

Campbell-Brown said she withdrew from the relay team after she was given a choice to run either the first or third legs an hour and a half before the final.

She said she had practised to run only the anchor leg during the Jamaica's mandatory training camp in Nuremberg, Germany, before the WCA, which was designed to iron out the kinks of the relay team.

The switch, she said, took her off-guard and she was not prepared to make the adjustment without risking Jamaica's chances at gold.

But the situation started to brew uncomfortably earlier in the day, according to Campbell-Brown.

While attending a meeting of the team and coaches sometime around noon, the first meeting she said she was "aware of" regarding the relay in Berlin, Campbell-Brown said she was told by the team's technical leader, Donald Quarrie, he wanted to speak with her.

She said Quarrie, who has final word on team selection, told her to speak with coach Michael Clarke. It was at that time, she said, she was given the option between the two legs.

Start or third leg is available

"He said start or third leg is available," Campbell-Brown explained. "Those were the only available legs. Those were the words of Mr Clarke."

However, Campbell-Brown declined the choices, saying that she had only run the anchor leg in practice and was not prepared to run any other.

"I didn't do any relay training outside of the training camp," Campbell-Brown said.

Furthermore, she said a long-standing injury to her big toe, which the coaches were fully aware of since she had foregone getting treatment in Greece in order to "follow the rules" and be at the mandatory camp, prevented her from running an effective curve.

Running the curve is required on the first and third legs.

"Those were concerns," Campbell-Brown said.

Campbell-Brown said she was informed of the decision after Jamaica's first-round heat in the relay, which was run approximately 6:10 p.m. local time (11:10 a.m. Jamaican time) yesterday.

The final was set for nearly two hours later.

When it became clear that she would not be offered any other leg, meaning the straightaway backstretch second leg or anchor, Campbell-Brown said she decided to withdraw from the team.

That decision set off a huge controversy here, since the 2007 WCA 100 metres champion, who finished fourth in the event here and second in the 200 metres, was expected to run the final after being rested in the first round.

But Campbell-Brown said the management's decision left her with little choice.

"For me to get an hour-and-a-half notice was not enough time for me to divert from what I was training in," she said. "I would have been asked to go on the track to make magic happen.

"I think it could have been handled better," she added. "I told Mr Quarrie it would have been in the best interest of the country not to run.

"It was very unprofessional to come to me on the day of the relay" to make the change after she had practised something else, Campbell-Brown added.

Campbell-Brown said she was not sure if the relay team had practised after the mandatory training camp, as she was busy preparing for the 100 and 200 metres.

In the final, as in the first round, Simone Facey started the relay. She handed off to Shelly-Ann Fraser, the WCA 100 metres champion, who did not attend the camp.

Fraser passed to Aleen Bailey on the third leg. Kerron Stewart, who was second in the 100m, anchored Jamaica's gold medal run in 42.06 seconds ahead of The Bahamas (42.29) and Germany (42.87).

Campbell-Brown said the order for the relay, which was set at the camp, was for Bailey to hand off to her for the final leg.

"I did anchor training receiving from Aleen," she said.

On Monday, after she had won the 100 metres final, Fraser was asked if the women's 4x100 metres team had been training in Berlin. She did not answer.

Shortly after the final, Bailey was asked about Campbell-Brown's absence.

She said: "I haven't gotten anything on that yet. So hopefully later we'll know."

But Bailey admitted she was surprised Campbell-Brown was not on the team. Asked when she knew her training partner would not run the relay, she responded: "I think when we were coming out (to warm up)."

Following yesterday's victory, the winning team also declined to address Campbell-Brown's decision.

No comment

"We can't comment on that question," Fraser said when asked at a post-race press conference why Campbell-Brown did not run. "I think the best person to comment on that is Veronica herself or the management staff of the team."

Efforts to discuss the issue with Quarrie last night were unsuccessful.

Team media liaison Cathy Rattray, when contacted around 12:15 p.m. local time (5:15 p.m. Jamaica) by the media, said team management members were unavailable and would discuss the issue today.

Campbell-Brown, meanwhile, commended Jamaica's winning effort, but added that the relay disruption possibly prevented a better performance, with or without her in the team.

"A good team was sent," Campbell-Brown said. "But with more unity, we could have run close to the world record (of 41.37 held set by East Germany in 1985)."

She also said the latest incident will not dampen her enthusiasm to represent her country.

"I don't see that this will affect me running for Jamaica again," Campbell-Brown said.

"I have always enjoyed competing for Jamaica. Running for Jamaica is not a problem. I am loyal to my country."

[Yuttie]

Worst piece of PR job in history! whe yo think bout the situation Historian. Why would she hand over a job like this to the shovel of a newspaper, and especially to the incredulous Kayon Raynor?

Her agent out in full swing!

Her Blaming both JAAA and MVP? Did Saf run both the anchor and 2nd leg? Betta shi did pick a side. Look how Kerron and Saf deflected it when asked by the reporters...

have har Goddaddy(also a member of the JAAA) a vent fi har?

Even the headline give this story more attention than it needs, her withrawing his a non-story(NUTTIN NUH WRONG WID DAT), the JAAA handling SHOULD be the story.Now she's made it into a BIGGER story. Look at the difference in how the Gleaner gently glided over it compared to the Observer and TrackAlerts sensationalize it.

My favourite part of the article:

In the final, as in the first round, Simone Facey started the relay. She handed off to Shelly-Ann Fraser, the WCA 100 metres champion, who did not attend the camp.

[Hortical]

The management of the JAAA is truly dysfunctional. What a bunch of jokers!

[Yuttie]

this a walk in the park compared to previous years

[Sickko]

Have you read the Gleaner piece or the piece in the Jamaica Herald or heard the other stories carried on all the media...how do they differ ffrom this one genious?

[Yuttie]

Figure it out genious!


Sprint relay sweep - Despite controversy, Jamaica claim world titles with emphatic runs in 4x100 metres

Published: Sunday | August 23, 2009


AP
Jamaica's Usain Bolt (second left), makes the baton change to Asafa Powell on their way to winning gold in the 4x100m relay during the World Athletics Championships in Berlin yesterday.

Elton Tucker

Berlin, Germany

Simmering discontent in the Jamaica camp at the 12th IAAF World Championships here in Berlin boiled over on yesterday's penultimate day of the meet.

Veronica Campbell-Brown, a consistent member of Jamaica's senior relay teams, did not take to the track as expected for the women's 4x100 metres at 8:15 (Berlin time) last night.

A cloud has been over the team before the meet started.

The Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) had threatened to expel six members of the MVP Track and Field Club from the championships after they failed to show for a pre-meet camp in Nuremberg, Germany.

Disciplinary action may be taken against the six later this year after reports from the team managers here are in.

Absence

The absence of Campbell-Brown from the sprint relay overshadowed another very good day for Jamaica at the meet as the country won two more gold medals to join the United States on seven.

The Americans, however, have a total of 17 medals - seven gold, five silver and five bronze.

Jamaica have seven gold, three silver and two bronze.

The absence of arch-rivals, the United States, in the women's sprint relay left Jamaica with the fairly easy task of mining gold in a relatively slow 42.06 seconds.

The Americans had failed to finish semi-final heat three in early evening after third-leg runner Muna Lee pitched and fell shortly after receiving the baton. She was later seen on television with her right hamstring tightly strapped and walking on crutches.

Like they did in Beijing last year, the men won the 4x100m to complete another awesome three-gold haul for Usain Bolt.

The world record eluded them but Jamaica still won in 37.31 seconds, the second-fastest time ever. It has only been beaten by the 37.10 world record the Jamaican quartet clocked in Beijing last year.

Trinidad and Tobago were second in a national-record 37.62, while Great Britain were third in a season-best 38.02.

The women who ran the 4x100m were mostly mum on the Campbell-Brown affair.

"I will not comment on that situation, you will have to speak to her ... " said anchor-leg runner and 100m silver medallist Kerron Stewart.

The 100m gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser, who complained of having problems when taking the curve since her appendectomy in April, said: "You definitely have to talk to Veronica (Campbell-Brown) on why she did not run ... but I don't know."

The Bahamas were second in the women's sprint relay in 42.29, while hosts Germany grabbed third from Russia in 42.87.

The men won the gold despite the fact that Bolt complained of being tired and the team ran out of an unfavourable lane seven.

Bolt said his performance here and that of the relay team showed that last year in Beijing was not a joke.

"I came out there and did almost everything that I did in Beijing. I just want to party now I have got to go out tonight as I have not celebrated all week."

Bolt, who ran his usual third leg, congratulated the rest of the quartet which included Steve Mullings on the opening leg and winning his first senior world-level gold medal, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell on the anchor.

" ... These guys ran very well, especially Asafa (Powell)," Bolt said.

Powell had been suffering from a groin injury since last week end and he was unsure about competing until one hour before the event.

"It was great that Asafa came out and ran. I was worried so I asked him if he was okay ... he said he felt good and he would come out there to try his best and he did that. The main aim was just to make sure we won. But it's over now."

Weakened

The women's 4x400 metres quartet are in today's final but a makeshift men's team, weakened by the absence of the runners-up and third-place finishers from the National Championships, finished fifth in their heat and was eliminated.

The quartet of Leford Green, Ricardo Chambers, Isa Phillips and Jermaine Gonzalez finished sixth but were later promoted to fifth after first past the post, The Bahamas, were disqualified.

Jamaica clocked 3:04.45.

The women were second in semi-final two of their event in 3:24.72 behind Russia, who won in 3:23.80.

The Jamaican quartet in running order was Kaliese Spencer, Shereefa Lloyd, Rosemarie Whyte and Novlene Williams-Mills.

The 400m silver medallist, Shericka Williams, is expected to replace either Shereefa Lloyd or Rosemarie Whyte in today's final.

The United States won the opening heat in 3:29.31 ahead Nigeria 3:29.60.

Medals Table

BERLIN (AP): Medals table from the World Athletics Championships:

(After 39 of 47 events)

Nation G S B Total

United States 7 5 5 17Jamaica 7 3 2 12Kenya 4 4 2 10Russia 4 2 5 11Poland 2 4 2 8Germany 2 3 4 9Britain 2 0 2 4Australia 2 0 1 3Cuba 1 3 1 5Ethiopia 1 2 3 6South Africa 1 1 0 2Spain 1 0 1 2Bahrain 1 0 0 1Barbados 1 0 0 1Croatia 1 0 0 1New Zealand 1 0 0 1Slovenia 1 0 0 1China 0 1 2 3France 0 1 2 3Trinidad 0 1 2 3Bahamas 0 1 1 2Canada 0 1 0 1Cyprus 0 1 0 1Czech Republic 0 1 0 1Eritrea 0 1 0 1Ireland 0 1 0 1Norway 0 1 0 1Panama 0 1 0 1Portugal 0 1 0 1Puerto Rico 0 1 0 1Estonia 0 0 1 1Mexico 0 0 1 1Romania 0 0 1 1Slovakia 0 0 1 1

[Sickko]

????????????

[Sickko]

Ha ha ha, what did Franno say about high school coaches....LOL,,mpoor Clarkie he will have some 'splaining to do..good thing they did not put him incharge of the men's 4x100m as he might have brought in McKenzie..

[Peter R]

For both you "genuii" or "geniuses" it's "G-E-N-I-U-S"... no "O".
now back to the argument....