Mills, McFarlane call for greater JAAA input in development of next generation
Published:Monday | August 16, 2021 | 12:48 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer -
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Racers Track club coach, Glen Mills says the criticism Jamaica's male sprinters received for their performance at the Tokyo Olympics is unfair and unwarranted. He said there were no great expectations for the team that travelled to Japan and that...
Racers Track club coach, Glen Mills says the criticism Jamaica's male sprinters received for their performance at the Tokyo Olympics is unfair and unwarranted.
He said there were no great expectations for the team that travelled to Japan and that the men are being judged on what they did at the last three Games.
"The team we sent, overall, performed above expectation," Mills said. "Collectively, they were not at the level of the group of that went to the Olympics with Usain Bolt."
Mills says improvement is needed to better assist young athletes make the transition from high school to professional athletics, as too much talent fail to realise their promise.
He said the Jamaica Administrative Athletic Association (JAAA) should put a committee in place to do research and make recommendations on how to help young athletes become world beaters.
"If you made the finals in the Olympics, it is not something to trample and undermine because you are in the top eight in the world," he said. "I am confident the men will bounce back to the kind of glory we have seen the last three Olympics, but it takes time.
"If we don't put in some kind of sustained programme to assist their development then we are going to end up on the wrong side of history. Right now everything depends on Glen Mills and Racers, and Stephen Francis and MVP, and recently Gregory Little at Titans.
"But what is there in terms of a structured support towards development? It takes a lot of money for athletes who don't have contracts and do not have the support to prepare to compete against the world's best.
"It is by no means a small venture and we have to start from early."
Olympic 400m hurdles silver medallist Danny McFarlane agrees with Mills, but says Francis should be a key member of that committee.
He said that of all the national coaches at the Olympics recently, only Francis has a track record of success and that his input is vital.
"If you look at the females' success, the common denominator is Stephen Francis," McFarlane said. "The bulk of the medals have come since Stephen Francis came about.
"He has a system going on, he has figured out something and he has a plan. This is not just coaching. This is about a science, it not just about putting a programme together.
"If you look at the coaching staff, which successful person is in that group? No disrespect to the coaches, but the JAAA needs to know what makes some people a success, because success doesn't come that easy.
"So when you find those individuals, you need to capitalise on them and have the system around the athletes that they are going to look up to, the system to direct athletes on what to do and what not to do."
McFarlane says local athletes should rely less on coaches from the rest of the Caribbean and also in the United States, whom he does not think have their best interest at heart for international competitions.
However, regarding the criticism the men have to face, McFarlane said athletes should give and take, but must still show love to the fans.
"A lot of the fans don't understand and the athletes need to understand that the position comes with pressure," he said.
"They want us to do good because we make them proud. So athletes must still show love and lead by example. And we call on fans to show more love, as it is not an easy road."