Dacres staying put for 2020
Published:Monday | August 17, 2020 | 12:20 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Having competed in his first meet in months, World Championships discus throw silver medallist Fedrick Dacres says that he will continue competing in local events for the rest of the 2020 season.
Dacres took victory recently at the Velocity Fest Track Meet ahead of training partner Chad Wright and Under-20 world champion Kai Chang. The meet, which took place between August 8 and 9, was the first event to be staged at the National Stadium since the restart of local athletics in June. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus caused a four-month shutdown of events on the athletic calendar, and resulted in the delay of the 2020 Wanda Diamond League season and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to next July. While the European circuit has resumed, Dacres says that he would rather remain in the island.
“I got a list of meets that I could go to, but the thing is that I don’t want to be trapped in Europe,” he said. “I don’t want to be on my way home and then I hear that the borders are closed and I can’t travel and all of that. So for me, I’ll probably try and stay safe in Jamaica.”
After the first two 2020 Diamond League events were done virtually, the first in-person meet was staged in Monaco on Friday. Double sprint Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was booked initially to participate but ultimately did not compete. Dacres says that while there are now opportunities for local athletes to return to the circuit, they must make a choice that is best for them.
“I’d rather travel in Jamaica than in Europe, but I think others have the options and have the choice whether or not they want to go, and I think it is up to them,” he said.
MVP Track Club President Bruce James says that he is still being cautious about allowing his athletes to compete in Europe.
“Our priority is the health and safety of our athletes,” James said. “We are literally just waiting for the process and procedures that facilitate safe international travel.
“We are not going to travel until it is safe to do so.”
Dacres, who won at Velocity Fest with a distance of 64.45m, described his performance as ‘rusty’, but says that he was happy just to compete again after the four-month hiatus.
“I think it released the restraints, because for me, I didn’t know I would compete again for the season, “ he said. “It’s a sigh of relief that I can go out there, go back in the ring and compete.”