Someone needs to help Kevona Davis

Foster’s Fairplay, not for the first time, is calling out for some assistance for Kevona Davis, that super talent from head coach Michael Dyke’s programme at the Edwin Allen High School, situated in the hilly terrain of Frankfield in Clarendon.

Despite the excellence she has displayed for her school at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls‘ Athletics Championships, this academically stable athlete has been injured for the last three years when the occasion has arisen for her to showcase her obvious talent for the benefit of her country.

First, at the now-defunct World Under-18 Championships held in 2017 in the Kenyan city of Nairobi, she ran the 100m and was hurt at the end of the race, copping a bronze medal but taking no further part in the event. In both 2018 when she was set to take part in the World Under-20 Championships and this year during the actual trials for the Junior Pan Am Championships, injuries halted her progress.

Future at stake

Considering all that has been mentioned, together with the awesome talent she has shown, it is full time for someone or some group to notice that another gifted athlete could be lost, unless the requisite corrective action is taken.

This gives rise to a wider view of the system.

Davis’ case presents just one example of the measure of talent that exists in the sport. There are several who attend schools throughout the country who toil in anticipation of the type of support that it will take for the to make it to wherever their ultimate destination lies. Stories abound as to the assistance that comes from coaches and parents, guardians and other groups of supporters. They deserve commendation. However, this is far from being enough.

This call is for the governing body of the sport, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), to come to the fore in an effort to provide a much-needed shoulder of support on which young athletes who are in need can lean whenever the relevant situation arises. The JAAA should take the initiative to identify these athletes who are struggling to maintain the condition that it is necessary for them to sustain their efforts.

This is not to say that the JAAA is unaware of the problems faced by these athletes and those who are employed to guide them. There are programmes already in place to address some of the issues, but the Kevona Davis case illustrates that what is being done needs to be buttressed by additional action where required.

Come on, JAAA. This is not meant to detract from the work that is being done in support of the nation’s young athletes. It is simply a call for extra energy to be expended to make the present success somewhat better.

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