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Coach Robinson hails Ja’s discus progress

Renews call for more support for throwers

Published:Tuesday | May 30, 2023 | 1:20 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
Coach Julian Robinson
Coach Julian Robinson

With Traves Smikle, Fedrick Dacres, and Rojé Stona all in the top ten on the 2023 world performance list, Jamaica is a bona fide world power in the men’s discus. Julian Robinson, coach of Smikle and Dacres, is delighted and has renewed a call for...

With Traves Smikle, Fedrick Dacres, and Rojé Stona all in the top ten on the 2023 world performance list, Jamaica is a bona fide world power in the men’s discus. Julian Robinson, coach of Smikle and Dacres, is delighted and has renewed a call for more support for throwers.

“I’m really happy for the country. One could say Jamaica is getting an excellent return on investment, excellent,” Robinson remarked cheerfully on May 20. Then he explained that Christopher Young and his former Edwin Allen training partner Trevor Gunzell and ex-Clarendon College thrower Brandon Lloyd are on the horizon as well.

“Look at Young, look at Gunzell, they are doing very well, and recently, Brandon Lloyd, you know, so we are very blessed, and I have to use the opportunity to say that if more resources were put into the development of the throws, Jamaica could get a lot more medals,” he said.

Lloyd recently won the United States Junior College title with a distance of 65.32 metres. He is now number 17 on the 2023 world list with Stona at number 6, Dacres at number 7, and Smikle at number 8 with yearly bests of 68,64m, 68.57m and 68.14m, respectively.

Gunzell and Young have thrown 61.23m and 59.68m, respectively.

“We are blessed,” he underlined, “but as I have said, after the collegiate period has ended or after the youngsters leave college, they need support, and this is where we need people to come and support.”

Then he added, “Often, you’re not going to get a world beater coming out of college.”

“But I’m happy for Jamaica. We’re doing well in the throws. It’s a good look. We have come a far way,” he celebrated.

Robinson can see more discus throwers on the way, including Racquil Broderick, the ISSA-GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) Class One winner for Jamaica College.

“I think he will do well for us in the future. It’s funny, you know. I don’t know if people realise but we actually have a nursery in the throws because, look, a few years ago, Stona was a little boy to Dacres. Now he’s a big man,” Robinson said with genuine admiration for Stona, who is now at the University of Arkansas.

“On the women’s side, when you look at Cedricka and Abigail, excellent, man, 57m,” said Robinson in reference to Champs Class One queen Cedricka Williams of Holmwood Technical and St Jago High School’s Carifta Games champion Abigail Martin.

Williams shone at Champs with a Jamaican under-20 record throw of 57.84m.

“The future looks good. I’m happy for us, and I just hope we can harness, we can maximise, the output,” he concluded.