Three the gold way

... regional jefe picks Trinidadian phenom for Olympic gold in Athens

By Kwame Laurence

Thursday, March 4th 2004

Darrel Brown is just 19. His on-track persona, though, bears no resemblance to the immaturity often associated with the teen years.

Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation (CACAC) president Victor Lopez agrees.

"Darrel competes very well. He's young, but very mature in the way he handles himself at the top level".

Lopez is convinced that Trinidad and Tobago's World Championship men's 100 metres silver medallist has what it takes to claim the top spot at the August 13-29 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

"I saw Darrel indoors. He looked very easy and beat everybody. If he stays healthy, I would pick him to win in Athens. He has the trademark of a champion."

Andrea Blackett

Brown, the 100m world junior record holder at 10.01 seconds, Mexican quarter-miler Ana Guevara and 400m hurdler Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic are, according to Lopez, the CAC region's best prospects for Olympic gold.

"I would also bet on Guevara and Sanchez. They're both undefeated for the last two years."

The CACAC president is anticipating a rich CAC harvest in Athens.

"In all honesty, I'm expecting the best track and field results in the region's history ... if not the best, one of the best. There are several reasons."

One of them, Lopez says, is the likelihood of a cleaner-than-usual Games. Fewer drug cheats, he explains, ought to translate into more medals for CAC athletes.

"Athletes in the Caribbean are, for the most part, clean. So, a cleaner Olympics means greater opportunities.

"Also," Lopez continues, "a lot of our associations are doing good in promoting athletics. More and more athletes from our region are excelling. At the Worlds last year, we got first and second in the 100 with Kim Collins and Darrel. Like Darrel, Kim is a good competitor. Add a healthy Ato Boldon and a healthy Obadele Thompson, as well as Asafa Powell, and ..."

Twenty-one-year-old Powell is not the only Jamaican Lopez is expecting great things from in Athens.

"There are no less than 10 to 12 from Jamaica who could place or medal or be in the final. Also, the women from the Bahamas--Savatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Debbie Ferguson--and Kareem Streete-Thompson from the Cayman Islands. And then there's the contingent from Cuba--Anier Garcia, Yipsi Moreno, Ivan Pedroso ..."

The CAC region will certainly be a force to be reckoned with at the 2004 Olympics.

"As president, I'm very excited!"

Lopez is confident that Brown will become a sub-10 seconds sprinter this year.

"I would put money on Darrel running under 10."

Another young T&T sprinter has caught the president's eye.

"If everything goes well, Marc Burns could be in the 100 final in Athens. He'll probably run 10.10 this year, or maybe he'll go below 10. And who knows, he might be in the 200 final as well. At his height, he could develop into a great 200 runner."

Last weekend, Burns snapped up silver in the men's 60m dash at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships in Kentucky. The Auburn University student clocked 6.64 seconds, three-hundredths of a second outside his personal best. In mid-March, Burns will bid for honours at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The outdoor season, though, is the 21-year-old sprinter's main focus this year. Medalling at the NCAA Outdoor Championships will be among his goals, but the primary objective for Burns is undoubtedly Olympic success.

Candice Scott is another T&T athlete with an Athens agenda. The University of Florida student also competed at the SEC Championships. She captured gold in the women's 20-pound weight throw and silver in the shot put. Scott is tipped for top honours in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

And when the NCAA Outdoor Championships are staged, the 23-year-old field athlete will be the favourite in the women's hammer throw. Scott won that title last year with a personal best 69.79 metres throw. She went on to finish third in the hammer throw at the Pan Am Games and ninth in the same event at the World Championships.

"Candice is great," Lopez tells Express Sports. "I can see her getting to the final at the Olympics. And once she's throwing in the 70-metre region, she could be in the hunt for a medal.

"I'm so delighted," the CACAC president continues, "that one of the other islands, besides Cuba, has a world class hammer thrower. We have the talent to develop athletes in all the events. We just need to develop programmes to get young athletes involved in those events."

Lopez is not only a track and field administrator. The Puerto Rican is also a coach. In fact, he is head coach at Rice University, in Texas. Among his charges is T&T high jumper Danille Prime.

"She is possibly a future Olympian. She had a little injury in December, but is almost over that injury and is coming back. Danille is a high jumper, but she can run a good 400 as well. I think she's a better 400 prospect."

Three of the best women's 400m hurdlers in the world are coached by Lopez, in Texas. The Rice coach is hoping that all three-Barbadian Andrea Blackett, Jamaica's Allison Beckford and Puerto Rican Yvonne Harrison-qualify for the final at the Athens Games.

Of the three, Blackett is the best. The 28-year-old athlete has a personal best of 53.36 seconds, clocked at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain. However, in recent times, she has been plagued by injury. Last year, though, Blackett came on strong late in the season, finishing sixth at the World Championships, in 54.79. A fortnight later, she produced a season best run of 53.71 seconds.

"After taking two years to overcome injuries," Lopez explains, "she finished the season very, very well. She's very healthy now, and is a great competitor. Andrea has a great chance in Athens."

A great chance to contribute to what promises to be the greatest CAC showing in Olympic history.