Timeless Collins targets records in Rio

Veteran sprinter Kim Collins is aiming to set records should he qualify to represent St Kitts at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer.

Should he make the team, it would be his sixth Olympic Games, but that is not the record he is aiming for.

Collins says he would be going to Rio to do something no other man his age has ever done.

The sprinter turns 40 years old in April, and has for the past few years defied time and convention by running faster as he has aged. In 2014 at age 38, Collins who is based in Jamaica, ran a personal best and age group record for men 35 and over, 9.96 seconds in London, almost a full tenth of a second faster than the 10.07 seconds he ran to win World Championship gold in Paris, France 13 years ago. In Rio, he wants to be faster.

"I think it would be an amazing achievement to just have been to six Olympics," said Collins. "First of all, I want to make the team, but for me personally I am looking to run under 10 at 40. That is my main goal and then whatever else happens, if I go out in the first round or whatever I would be happy with that because not everybody can hold up as a sprinter."

The 13-year-old age-group record for 40-year-old men is 10.29 seconds and is held by Troy Douglas of The Netherlands.

CUTTING BACK

To ensure that his body holds up this year, Collins, who is coached by his Jamaican wife, Paula plans to cut back on his indoor season.

"Last year, I had nine races. This year, we will have five including Dusseldorf, Berlin, Karlsruhe, Stockholm and Glasgow and then World Indoors," he said.

With the reduced schedule, Collins believes he will have enough left in the tank for that big push towards his goal for Rio.

"I think I have it in me, based on where I am now I think I can go," said Collins, who explained that he believed he could have achieved that goal in Beijing at the IAAF World Champions last August. "I got a little distracted after indoors last year and it threw everything off and I lost focus."

He concluded that at his age he is not trying to keep pace with the younger generation.

"I am not trying to keep up with them. I am trying to run wey lef' dem," he said with a laugh.