‘I thought we did pretty well’

OLYMPIC DOUBLE double champion Elaine Thompson Herah stepped into a new era when she walked away from the MVP Track Club in 2021 to be coached by her husband Derron Herah.

By establishing the New Era Track Club, the husband-and-wife duo set out to extend Thompson Herah’s 2021 dominance over the sprints; however, Derron Herah said their expectations for 2022 were affected by a number of circumstances.

“(The year was) successful in the sense that we made it through our first season (but) based on our goals and expectations we fell short. Given the situation we were in, based on injuries and a lot of discomforts and so on, we had to basically improvise as we went along. I thought we did pretty well,” Herah said.

“It’s a lot to build on and it was a learning experience because I believe in continuing improvement.”

Thompson Herah, who became the fastest woman alive after clocking 10.54 seconds in the 100 metres to also set a national record, could only manage to claim a bronze medal in the 100m at the World Championships in Oregon with a time of 10.81.

At the Championships, she was also unable to claim a medal in the 200m, finishing seventh in a time of 22. 39 seconds, well off her 21.53 personal best.

However, she went on to redeem herself at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, by claiming the sprint double. She won the 100 in 10.95 and completed the double by winning the 200 in a games’ record 22.02.

Her husband and coach said he is looking forward to adding more medals and titles to the club’s resume.

“We definitely will (win more medals and titles). We see all the potential; we see things that nobody else is privy to see. I really expect a lot more in the future,” he said.

He said the set-up of the track club was to help Thompson Herah achieve these personal goals.

“Based on the situation I took on the role of my wife’s coach and we just started that since she wanted a personalised set-up we just entered and registered the track club, and it is only fitting, ‘Herah-era’, so we just said New Era Track Club,” he said.

He said although the track club assists other athletes to develop they are not really looking to expand because the main focus is his wife.

“It wouldn’t make sense to add too much, she’s coming from a situation where, if you want to put it as ‘ kind of like a manufacturing line’ in a sense. It is nothing that is custom towards a particular athlete and their goals and aspirations. If I were to be committed to other athletes then it wouldn’t be fair to them that when she’s ready to leave then I am just up and gone,” Herah said.

However, many track and field enthusiasts have been questioning Herah’s qualification to even be coaching Thompson Herah.

“I have been involved in track and field since about age five, but maybe because of the situation now with Elaine it is being highlighted,” Herah said.

“I’ve worked with the Racers Track Club set-up, initially alongside Bert Cameron, then I worked with Cameron Blazers Track Club, then The Mico University (and) St Jago (High School) and this is dating back from 2012,” the former St Jago High hurdler said.

Herah was also a student-athlete at Texas Tech University where he achieved a double bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance, before he went on to Davenport University where he attained a master’s degrees in healthcare management and finance.

He said the critics do not bother him and he is working with his wife to bring more accolades.