Beckford determined to follow through on Olympic dream
Published:Wednesday | December 9, 2020 | 12:15 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
In a year that has seen him being recognised for excellence in his sport, national surfer Elishama Beckford says that he is focused on achieving the historic feat of qualification to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Beckford was shortlisted on Monday among the seven nominees for the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in Sport, which will be awarded this Sunday in a virtual ceremony. The list of nominees in the category is headlined by world champion long jumper and national record holder Tajay Gayle.
Surfing, which was recently added to the Olympic catalogue, will be introduced at next year’s rescheduled Tokyo Games, which were postponed in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, the virus caused the postponement of the final Olympic qualifying event, which is now scheduled for next May. While the sport has not escaped the challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Beckford says that his training has not suffered, as he has been able to continue preparing for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers.
BEST TRAINING
“In terms of staying active, I’m fortunate enough to live right by the beach so I’m able to train almost every single day. There are ways available,” Beckford told The Gleaner.
By virtue of winning the national surfing series, he secured his spot on the team for next year’s qualifying tournament, which, according to the International Surfing Association will be the World Surfing Games in El Salvador. Beckford says that continued practice and staying healthy will be critical to his chances of qualifying.
“Now it’s just about fine-tuning certain things, staying fit, staying healthy, eating properly and surfing every day. The best training for surfing is surfing itself, being in the ocean and just learning more and more and staying on top of everything and staying sharp,” he said.
Although he recognises the difficult road ahead to get to Tokyo, he believes the local team has every chance of making history for themselves and for the sport nationally.
“We are going up against the top surfers in the world but this is something that we have done before. We have competed alongside them and now we are slightly of the same calibre. So it’s all about putting in the work, staying fit and strong mentally,” Beckford said. “But if that time comes and we can execute, that would be a life-changing experience for sure.”