Our version of King James

Jul 26, 2011 Sports

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By Edison Jefford

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” critics asked sarcastically, in a deliberate attempt to flout the fact that Jesus was perfect and lived an exemplary life in his time on Earth; the question was also meant to berate the geographical space of Jesus’ existence.
But the perpetual truth is that sometimes the best comes from the worst. It may be too soon to be making pronouncements such as this, but Stephan James may be Guyana’s best junior athlete to have emerged in over two decades. Make no mistake about that fact.
The context of Jesus and Nazareth was used earlier as James’s performance at the Pan American Junior Championships in Florida last weekend was exemplary for an athlete who had only ran on a rubberised track once before and who does not exist in the best economic situation for athletics and national athletes in Guyana.
Just before he departed for Florida last week, James was scampering for financial support, which could have broken him down mentally before the meet. It was a too familiar situation for athletes going to represent this country. He was faced with some harsh realities.
Yet he proved that with all his challenges, personal and otherwise, he was able to accomplish the commendable feat of reaching the 400m final and coming away with a sixth-place ranking in Pan America, which places him right up there with the region’s best athletes.
For the record, James dropped one of the fastest electronic times from a junior athlete living and training in Guyana in recent history. His semi-final 47.27 seconds time was the fourth fastest out of the last qualifying round. He placed sixth in the final with 48.37 seconds.
Can anything good come out of Guyana in track and field? The answer is a deafening yes! James has proven that Guyana, like Jamaica, can produce superstars right at home if the systems are put in place for such international success. Investors should be encouraged!
One of the good things that is happening is the move toward the development of a synthetic track at Leonora. But Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony was right when he said that the track would not automatically churn out star athletes.
The support systems from school to clubs need to be firm. James’ success (and I have no qualms referring to his performance in the 400m final a success because of the context of his preparation and participation) should serve as a litmus test for such support systems.
Serious preparation of athletes from serious, qualified and informed coaches will yield results no matter what surface they prepare and compete on. As a matter of fact, it should be noted that the world’s best sprinter at the moment, Usain Bolt, uses grass surfaces to prepare.
That is not to say that the synthetic surface is not necessary for certain phases of pre-competition training and competition, but the point is, coaches have to know what results they expect from an athlete and athletes have to be seriously committed to training.
While James’ excellent performance in the semi-final is noteworthy, there is no question that he was not prepared to run two fast times in a day. The 400m semi-final was in the morning, and the final was later in the evening at the Ansin Sports Complex in Florida.
Comparatively, the winner of the 400m race, United States of America’s Ronell Mance ran 47.13 seconds in Heat II to qualify for the final. He then returned later in the evening to blister the field in 46.14 seconds, running two fast times in one day.
Trinidad and Tobago’s, Deon Lendore, placed second in the final with 46.50, after winning Heat II in 46.86 seconds. James defeated the eventual bronze medallist, Brazil’s, Anderson Henriques in his semi. Henriques had 47.35 seconds in the semi. However, the Brazilian was able to turn up the heat for the final, placing third in 46.69 seconds.
The brief analysis was to indicate that the leading five athletes in the final had fast times heading into the final, but went faster in the final. James was ill-prepared to run two fast times in one day. It is an oversight that coaches need to start addressing seriously.
James had also reached the final at the CARIFTA Games earlier in the year where he turned in a previous personal best 48.18 seconds, unable to leave with a medal. The trend must be worrying for his coaches because it speaks directly to his level of endurance.
At the international level, athletes qualify for the final through several gruelling rounds. It means therefore that athletes have to be physically prepared and conditioned for such norms. James was at his best, but tired in the final. He cannot be blamed for that at all.
I am tempted to talk about the lack of an enabling environment for athletes, who without funding find themselves in a situation where they have to work professionally, train and then compete. It is a Herculean task to optimally perform at best under such conditions.
However, James is still a schoolboy, but that time will soon end, and the question of what is next for the promising athlete will soon engage his management. It behoves all stakeholders in the life of James to ensure that this very special athletic talent is not lost.

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