ROAD TO CHAMPS | #CHAMPS22 ‘Franklyn Tayloe is special’

A decade ago, everyone in the purple of Foga Road High School cheered 800 metres standout Kevon Robinson at the top of their voices. The smooth-running Robinson used their support to win two gold medals at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), both at 800 metres. It has taken some time but now Foga Road have a new 800 metres hero. His name is Franklyn Tayloe.

Robinson raced to victory in the Class Three 800 metres in 2009 and matched that gold medal performance in the 2011 Class Two final. Now it’s Tayloe’s turn. He finished sixth in last year’s Class Two 800m final and enters next week’s renewal of Champs as one of the favourites.

His headmaster Orrett Wallace is a former 200m-400m man himself and when he first saw Tayloe, he fancied the youngster would do well in the 400m as well.

“Franklyn is a special kid,” Wallace said at the recent Carifta Trials. “And when I went there, I saw Franklyn as a 200m runner but when I got Mr Surgeon, he started with a 400m and saw that he had the ability to run the 800m. So I am not that technical person in terms of training athletes, so I don’t push it to the coaches saying you need to run that guy 400m. He knows and he has tried and proven that Franklyn is a good 800m runner but he will run 400m one day, I told Mr Surgeon.”

POWERFUL PERFORMER

‘Mr Surgeon’ is Foga Road’s coach Milton Surgeon and he has guided Tayloe to pole position. The new Foga Road hero ran a personal best of one minute 55.04 seconds at the Carifta Trials and gold at the Central Championships, in 1.58.04, a few days later.

The young six-footer doesn’t have Robinson’s smooth travelling style but his power and determination have put him in the fast lane.

His top competition in Class Two could come from Ainsley Brown of Port Antonio High School, the winner at Eastern Championships. Brown won the Carifta Trials Under-17 final in one minute 57.76 seconds.

Despite his love for the 400m, Wallace isn’t forcing his preference on either the coach or the athlete.

“I am not the one to push it on my coaches to say he has to run it, this is the best race for him,” he reiterated. “They are the technical persons so they should know and decide what the athletes do. Of course, with my experience, I will give suggestions so that the athlete can benefit and also the institution,” he added.

The institution, Foga Road High, and the town of May Pen will jump for joy if its new hero, Franklyn Tayloe, turns purple into gold at Champs.