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Tracey Makes Switch From MVP To Racers
Published: Saturday | September 24, 2011
Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer
FORMER Edwin Allen High School outstanding intermediate hurdler, Ristananna Tracey, is no longer a member of the MVP Track Club as she cut her ties in less than three months to join neigbouring Racers Track Club.
Tracey, the country fastest-ever junior athlete in the 400 metres hurdles with a time of 54.58 seconds, which was done at the senior National Championships last June, and who is the second-fastest junior female ever in the event, made her move in midweek.
Only Xing Wang of China, who clocked a world record 54.40 seconds on October 21, 2005 in Nanjina, China, has gone faster than Tracey as a junior.
After an outstanding high school career at Edwin Allen, especially the past year when she registered her personal best in three events - 400 metres, 400 metres hurdles and 800 metres - Tracey joined MVP Track Club three weeks before the National Senior Championships.
Change of heart
At the time, Tracey stated that she had made the best move, unlike most athletes out of high school who moved on to overseas shores. The plan then was for the 19-year-old Tracey to attend the University of Technology (UTech), where she would team up with two of the world's top 400 metres hurdlers - Melaine Walker and Kaliese Spencer - as training partners, to make it the deadliest intermediate hurdling trio in the world.
Tracey, who was very excited at the time, stated then that it was the best thing she had done.
"Melaine and Kaliese are my role models and for me it is a dream come true by joining up with the two," she said at the time.
However, things have taken a dramatic turn since then as Tracey, who went to Europe as a member of the MVP training group, has had a change of heart and, according to reliable sources, things have not gone well with her at MVP and she has decided to cut her stay and move on to Racers, where she will join the likes of top 100 and 200 metres runners Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, along with the vastly improved Schillone Calvert, Rosemarie Whyte and Davita Prendagast. All were members of the Jamaica team to the Daegu World Championships.
"Ristananna is a member of the Racers Track Club, as she moved in midweek, and we are happy to have her in the group as she is an outstanding athlete and we are looking forward to working with her," said a senior member of Racers Track Club, who requested anonymity.
When contacted, the president of MVP, Bruce James, said: "Based on my discussion with Ristananna, at this moment I am not willing to go public with any statement concerning her."
Tracey's former coach at Edwin Allen High, Michael Dyke, was also contacted, and while he did not deny the move, he declined to comment on the matter.
Tracey Makes Switch From MVP To Racers
Published: Saturday | September 24, 2011
Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer
FORMER Edwin Allen High School outstanding intermediate hurdler, Ristananna Tracey, is no longer a member of the MVP Track Club as she cut her ties in less than three months to join neigbouring Racers Track Club.
Tracey, the country fastest-ever junior athlete in the 400 metres hurdles with a time of 54.58 seconds, which was done at the senior National Championships last June, and who is the second-fastest junior female ever in the event, made her move in midweek.
Only Xing Wang of China, who clocked a world record 54.40 seconds on October 21, 2005 in Nanjina, China, has gone faster than Tracey as a junior.
After an outstanding high school career at Edwin Allen, especially the past year when she registered her personal best in three events - 400 metres, 400 metres hurdles and 800 metres - Tracey joined MVP Track Club three weeks before the National Senior Championships.
Change of heart
At the time, Tracey stated that she had made the best move, unlike most athletes out of high school who moved on to overseas shores. The plan then was for the 19-year-old Tracey to attend the University of Technology (UTech), where she would team up with two of the world's top 400 metres hurdlers - Melaine Walker and Kaliese Spencer - as training partners, to make it the deadliest intermediate hurdling trio in the world.
Tracey, who was very excited at the time, stated then that it was the best thing she had done.
"Melaine and Kaliese are my role models and for me it is a dream come true by joining up with the two," she said at the time.
However, things have taken a dramatic turn since then as Tracey, who went to Europe as a member of the MVP training group, has had a change of heart and, according to reliable sources, things have not gone well with her at MVP and she has decided to cut her stay and move on to Racers, where she will join the likes of top 100 and 200 metres runners Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, along with the vastly improved Schillone Calvert, Rosemarie Whyte and Davita Prendagast. All were members of the Jamaica team to the Daegu World Championships.
"Ristananna is a member of the Racers Track Club, as she moved in midweek, and we are happy to have her in the group as she is an outstanding athlete and we are looking forward to working with her," said a senior member of Racers Track Club, who requested anonymity.
When contacted, the president of MVP, Bruce James, said: "Based on my discussion with Ristananna, at this moment I am not willing to go public with any statement concerning her."
Tracey's former coach at Edwin Allen High, Michael Dyke, was also contacted, and while he did not deny the move, he declined to comment on the matter.
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