Alonso Edward on growing up, his coach and Usain Bolt

[Jangle]

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The world 200m final in Berlin may have all been about Usain Bolt, but spikesmag.com catches up with the silver medallist Alonso Edward. And guess what? We found a teenager with a very bright future…

Setting a South American 200m record of 19.81 and becoming the youngest ever men’s 200m medallist in World Championship history might normally have warranted a headline or two.

But a certain athlete called Usain Bolt, as we’re sure you can remember, ran a swift new world 200m record of 19.19 to hog most of the pre-race attention.

Understandable? Maybe. But, interestingly, Edward managed to better the previous quickest ever mark for a 19-year-old, which stood at 19.88 and was set by the big Jamaican, Usain Bolt, himself.

Comparisons with Bolt may not seem immediately apparent with the shy Edward. But he does have one clear connection with Bolt – a Jamaican mother.

And Edward believes his sprinting talent came from his mum, Margaret, who ran the 100m and 200m at school and at college.

Born and raised in Pedro Miguel, just two or three minutes walk from the iconic Panama Canal and only 20 minutes outside of the capital Panama City, he describes life growing up as ‘hard.’ But for Edwards, sport offered an outlet.

“I remember playing sport every day and for a person to reach the top from there (Pedro Miguel) is amazing,” he adds. “I played lots of sports: basketball, baseball and soccer, and it helped my track because it provided a base to be healthy.”

As a talented centre fielder at baseball he dreamed of one day winning a scholarship at a US college but decided aged ‘16 or 17’ to concentrate on athletics. And it proved an inspired choice.

In 2007 he landed the 100m gold at the South American Junior Championships, setting an area junior record of 10.28 in the process. Injury badly hampered his progression the following year but it was while attending a meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he was given the opportunity to move to Barton Community College in the USA. It’s there he linked up with a new coach, Matt Kane.

Edward joined an upwardly mobile training group in August last year, which also included Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados, the world 110m hurdles champion.

Edward – who celebrates his 20th birthday next month – says the competitive nature of the group has contributed to his success, but stresses Kane has been 'instrumental'.

“I think he is the best coach ever because we got two young athletes (the other being Brathwaite) who he has done a great job on.”

“My training changed a lot this year because now I'm training for professional competition, it's harder. We have worked a lot more on speed and strength. It’s really hard and quite painful.”

The tough training regime started to bear fruit during the indoor season. Edward set no less than five national indoor 200m records, whittling his PB down from 21.10 to 20.69, and outdoors the Panamanian records continued to tumble. He ran an eye-catching 20.00 personal best to defeat a top-quality field in Rethimno, Greece – a performance that marked him out as a potential medallist in Berlin.

Yet the advancement did not come as a great surprise to the laid-back South American.

“My coach told me I could run 19.8-19.7 and (at first) I didn’t believe it. But I suppose if my coach says I can do it then I can do it,” he explains. “Providing I work hard.”

He proved his coach’s theory true in Berlin. He ran 19.81 – a performance that elevated him to 14th on the all-time lists for the distance and his performance caught the attention of Usain Bolt.

Edward tells spikesmag.com that the pair had a chat ahead of the post-race press conference: “He (Bolt) was surprised because when he heard my age and said, ‘wow, you can be fast in the future, if you work hard.’”

Wisely, he would not be drawn on whether he can one day conquer Bolt. After all, the difference between the pair stands at a monster 0.62 for the 200m.

Yet as the fastest 19-year-old ever, you could argue he is the most gifted 200m sprinter since, well, Bolt.
“I cannot predict the future, but if I work hard, and run a PB, I’ll be very happy for myself.”

Too true, and the name “Edward” could be around for some time as his 15-year-old brother, Mateo, is also showing raw sprinting potential.

“I think he’ll be just like me or better than me in future,” says the older sibling – issuing a warning that the surname “Edward” is clearly one to watch out for in the future.

[Sir X]

2nd panamanian of Jamaican decent to cop an athlethic medal to my knowledge.

[Jangle]

who is the first?

[Sir X]

I will try and find the article

[Sir X]

An Olympic Athlete History Almost Forgot

August 22, 2008 by Omar Upegui R.

Photograph of Lloyd Barrington LaBeach (1922-1999) winner of two bronze Olympic medals at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London, England.

On August 18, 2008, Irving Jahir Saladino Aranda made history by winning the first Olympic gold medal for Panama after jumping 8.34 meters in Beijing, China. Later on during the day, Panama went wild. It was the first time this small Central American country had received a gold medal.
Most Panamanian citizens have forgotten that Irving J. Saladino is not the only winner of an Olympic medal for Panama. In 1948, Lloyd Barrington LaBeach won two bronze Olympic medals at the Summer Olympic Games held in London England, the first Olympic medals for Panama. He finished third in the 100 and 200 meter sprints. LaBeach timed 10.4 seconds on the 100 meter dash and 21.2 seconds en the 200 meter dash. History almost forgot that in 1948, LaBeach was the third fastest man in the world.
Who is this distinguished track and field athlete who is almost a stranger in his own country? Let’s see. Lloyd Barrington LaBeach was born in Panama City, Panama on June 28, 1922. His parents, Samuel and Julia LaBeach, were Jamaican immigrants who came to Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal.
After the Panama Canal was completed, his father decided to stay in Panama where he organized a small taxicab business. The taxi business was so successful, that the LaBeach family decided to return to Jamaica to start a similar business. It was in Jamaica where young Lloyd demonstrated his athletic skills while attending the Kingston Gaindstead Tutorial College, where he established several personal track and field records.
In 1946 he received a scholarship from the University of Wisconsin, but he didn’t liked the cold weather, so he switched to the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was coached by Elvin C. (Ducky) Drake during his preparations for the London’s Summer Olympic Games. He graduated in 1948.

“In 1948, he set the world record in the 200 meters dash on a cinder track in Compton, California. After the race, he was described in Time Magazine as “Panama’s one-man Olympic hope.”Just a few weeks before, La Beach had been involved in a world record setting 100-yard dash in which he barely lost at the finish line tape to Melvin Patton.These 1948 performances made him one of the expected medal contenders against Melvin Patton and Barney Ewell in the London’s Olympics.” [Wikipedia Encyclopedia]

In May 1948, Lloyd LaBeach traveled to London, England to participate in the Summer Olympic Games of that year. He was accompanied by his UCLA coach, Elvin (Ducky) Drake. In a spectacular manner he won bronze medals in the 100 and 200 meter sprint. What was really spectacular, is that he tied second place with Norwood (Barney) Ewell from the U.S. in the 100 meter sprint, both finishing the race in 10.4 seconds. After tossing a coin, Lloyd lost and was awarded the bronze instead of the silver medal.
Photograph of Lloyd LaBeach (left) of Panama won the bronze, Norwood H. (Barney) Ewell (right) won the silver, and Harrison Dillard (center) won the gold at the 100 meter dash of the 1948 London Summer Olympic Games. (Credit: Encylopaedia Britannica, Inc.)

He was received in Panama like a hero. Huge parades and caravans took place to celebrate his Olympic medals. The Panama Government awarded him the most prestigious medal the country has to honor its heroes; the Order of Vazco Nuñez de Balboa.
Lloyd LaBeach retired from athletics in 1957. Together with his wife and children, he relocated to Lagos, Nigeria in Africa where he established an import-export agriculture product business. He died on February 17, 1999 in a New York City hospital. His remains are currently kept at the Santuario Nacional Church in Panama City, Panama.
This post is to give credit where credit is due; to one of the most outstanding athletes Panama has ever had. Lloyd Barrington LaBeach has earned his place in History. Let us not forget our heroes.

[Sir X]

Panama might have forgotten him , but a Jamaican will never, the blood run deep.We have every right to cliam him , K.T especially.

[Sir X]

Ask Carl Lewis if he ever heard of him ?..lol ..(jamaicans coming out of no - where )...lol

[Gamma]

son of la beach!! look at that eh?