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Beyond the congratulations due to the remarkable Kirani James, his success speaks to a need for Caricom to seize opportunities that these stunning outbursts of sheer talent in the region represent.
Published: Wed, 2011-08-31 01:16
When Kirani James lunged forward to take the tape in the 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships, he stunned observers who were expecting US favourite LaShawn Merrit to win. It was a win that left US sports media flabbergasted. Who was James? The headlines betrayed their shock: “Merrit earns silver.” “Merrit loses 400m gold.” Merrit was described as “outleaned” by James on USA Today’s blog report on the run, despite clear evidence in video footage that the young Grenadian runner was clearly ahead of the US sprinter by almost a body’s length. If the US is puzzled by the lean young Caribbean runner, who put down a personal best time of 44.60 for the distance, it’s only because they haven’t been paying attention to his meteoric rise as a sprinter.
A prodigy on the track from the start, Kirani James ran the fastest 400-metre times ever for his age at 14, earning a haul of gold medals at the Carifta Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games. In the 2007 World Youth Championships and the 2008 World Junior Championships, he made it clear that his success in regional meets was scalable to international competition as he took silver medals in the 400 metre at both events. At the 2009 World Youth Championships, he became the first athlete to run both the 200 metres and 400 metres and emerged the 2010 400 metres World Junior Champion. Interviewed about his performance at the 2010 games, a gold medal-winning run of 45.89 in Canada, James told the IAAF, “I don’t care about championships. I just care about running fast. The time was not pleasing to me or the fans.” He vowed to improve his performance, to run faster than his personal best and yesterday he did exactly that, shaving almost a second and a half off his 2010 run.
James’ performance is a remarkable achievement, not just because of his age but also because of his background. Grenada is not a nation renowned for its star athletes but the young sprinter is likely to change all that. Since 2007, James has collected an astonishing 13 gold medals and two silver at regional and international meets. The majority for his wins in the 400-metre sprint with a few for the 200 metre, his other speciality. He is likely to be the youngest and most medalled winner for his age in regional athletics and most of his work to date was done before he could apply for a driver’s permit. At 18, his career is likely to be all ascendant from here. He clearly has the talent to continue to improve and his coach attests to his drive to improve his performance. The parallels between Kirani James and Jamaican star sprinter Usain Bolt are inevitable but in many ways irrelevant. Bolt was the product of natural talent nurtured in a strong athletics system, James was the true shock, a startling talent with focused will who rose from school sports to regional competition to international success in what seems like a few muscular strides.
Beyond the congratulations due to this remarkable young man, his success speaks to a need for Caricom to seize opportunities that these stunning outbursts of sheer talent in the region represent. It’s tempting to think of Bolt and James as bright lightning striking out of a sunny Caribbean sky, but what if they are but the tip of an iceberg of potential waiting to be tapped and thawed? How many young athletes might be nurtured by a regional effort to promote sport as a real opportunity and not just as a diversion, with prime training facilities and spotters working throughout the region at the school level to find the next generation of sports wizards. What might such an effort do for athletics teams, regional football squads and cricket teams and how might Caribbean pride in our islands be lifted by the sight of more world-conquering sports heroes striding the tracks and fields of international competition? Kirani James and Usain Bolt have demonstrated what’s possible.
Published: Wed, 2011-08-31 01:16
When Kirani James lunged forward to take the tape in the 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships, he stunned observers who were expecting US favourite LaShawn Merrit to win. It was a win that left US sports media flabbergasted. Who was James? The headlines betrayed their shock: “Merrit earns silver.” “Merrit loses 400m gold.” Merrit was described as “outleaned” by James on USA Today’s blog report on the run, despite clear evidence in video footage that the young Grenadian runner was clearly ahead of the US sprinter by almost a body’s length. If the US is puzzled by the lean young Caribbean runner, who put down a personal best time of 44.60 for the distance, it’s only because they haven’t been paying attention to his meteoric rise as a sprinter.
A prodigy on the track from the start, Kirani James ran the fastest 400-metre times ever for his age at 14, earning a haul of gold medals at the Carifta Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games. In the 2007 World Youth Championships and the 2008 World Junior Championships, he made it clear that his success in regional meets was scalable to international competition as he took silver medals in the 400 metre at both events. At the 2009 World Youth Championships, he became the first athlete to run both the 200 metres and 400 metres and emerged the 2010 400 metres World Junior Champion. Interviewed about his performance at the 2010 games, a gold medal-winning run of 45.89 in Canada, James told the IAAF, “I don’t care about championships. I just care about running fast. The time was not pleasing to me or the fans.” He vowed to improve his performance, to run faster than his personal best and yesterday he did exactly that, shaving almost a second and a half off his 2010 run.
James’ performance is a remarkable achievement, not just because of his age but also because of his background. Grenada is not a nation renowned for its star athletes but the young sprinter is likely to change all that. Since 2007, James has collected an astonishing 13 gold medals and two silver at regional and international meets. The majority for his wins in the 400-metre sprint with a few for the 200 metre, his other speciality. He is likely to be the youngest and most medalled winner for his age in regional athletics and most of his work to date was done before he could apply for a driver’s permit. At 18, his career is likely to be all ascendant from here. He clearly has the talent to continue to improve and his coach attests to his drive to improve his performance. The parallels between Kirani James and Jamaican star sprinter Usain Bolt are inevitable but in many ways irrelevant. Bolt was the product of natural talent nurtured in a strong athletics system, James was the true shock, a startling talent with focused will who rose from school sports to regional competition to international success in what seems like a few muscular strides.
Beyond the congratulations due to this remarkable young man, his success speaks to a need for Caricom to seize opportunities that these stunning outbursts of sheer talent in the region represent. It’s tempting to think of Bolt and James as bright lightning striking out of a sunny Caribbean sky, but what if they are but the tip of an iceberg of potential waiting to be tapped and thawed? How many young athletes might be nurtured by a regional effort to promote sport as a real opportunity and not just as a diversion, with prime training facilities and spotters working throughout the region at the school level to find the next generation of sports wizards. What might such an effort do for athletics teams, regional football squads and cricket teams and how might Caribbean pride in our islands be lifted by the sight of more world-conquering sports heroes striding the tracks and fields of international competition? Kirani James and Usain Bolt have demonstrated what’s possible.
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