Ready to impress - Coach pleased with Williams' CWG preparation
Published:Friday | March 16, 2018 | 12:00 AMMarc Stamp/Gleaner Writer
The Jamaica Cycling Federation's (JCF) national coach, Carlton Simmonds, is optimistic about the chances of the nation's lone representative in the sport, Oshane Williams, making the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next month.
A Montego Bay resident, Williams relocated to Kingston earlier this year in order to prepare for the April 4-15 championships set for the Gold Coast, Australia.
Simmonds believes that Williams' time training in Kingston has been well spent and is confident that he will impress in Australia.
"The preparation is going very well. His application is excellent, speed endurance is improving, strength is improving, and he is looking good at the moment," Simmonds told The Gleaner yesterday.
"I am satisfied with what he is doing in training and where he is at. It has made a big difference since he moved to Kingston and has been training here. He is more focused on what he needs to do and what I want him to do in terms of the programme. It is about development and preparation for the Games," he added.
The team will leave on April 1, with Williams expected to race a week later. He will be doing three events: scratch, track, and road race.
"He is motivated and has the desire. I am expecting nothing less that the best. The focus is for him to do his best, so if a medal comes, it comes. I am optimistic," Simmonds pointed out.
Williams, 23, is hoping to gain as many points as possible on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
"The focus is not so much on the Commonwealth Games. It is on the 2020 Olympic Games. This is just the beginning. There is a pathway. It is threefold as the Commonwealth Games is a qualifier for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, which is a qualifier for the World Championships, and then the Olympic Games," he shared.