T&T will commence its medal quest today when the men's 100 metres event shoots off at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany. Although medals eluded T&T in Osaka, Japan in 2007, Dexter Voisin, manager of the 19-member national team, is very confident about his charges medal chances and believes this team will produce the results to end the drought from two years ago. With double Olympic silver medallist Richard Thomspon, the national 100 metres champion, and the likes of teammates Marc Burns, Rennie Quow and Kelly Ann-Baptiste, much is expected.
Burns will be the first to face the starter today in heat six of the men's 100m, which is scheduled to start at 11 am T&T time. Emmanuel Callender, the 2009 CAC 100m champion, is expected to compete in heat eighth with Thompson following in heat ten. Jehue Gordon, a two-time silver medallist at the recently concluded Pan Am Junior Championship will take part in the men's 400m hurdles at 2.20 pm.
Despite the pressure which is being placed on the athletes, Voisin said, they are experienced enough to cope with the challenge. "Most of our athletes have been very consist for most of this season. All they have to do is remain focused and concentrate on what we are here for," Voisin told the T&T Guardian, yesterday.
He also stated that he was very pleased with the level of commitment showed by the athletes, who have been involved in a two week camp in Erfurt, Germany, which has helped them to prepare for the competition. "We have been doing a lot of work with the athletes in order to ensure they are ready for the competition," he said. "After watching them this past week at the Lausitzer International Games and seeing their performance, I think we stand a good chance of bringing home medals." While critics have dismissed chances of Thompson to claim an individual medal at the Championships identifying the 100 metres final as a straight fight between Jamaica's Usain Bolt and America's Tyson Gay, Voisin was optimistic of Thompson's chances.
He said, "When you are competing at this level there will always be critics. What you have to do as an athlete is prepare for your race and little mind to them. Richard was not looked at by any one as a threat at the Olympics, last year but look at what happen in the final". Thompson's best run this season is his 10.01 seconds performance, when claiming the national title in the men's 100m in June, well below last year's efforts when he took top honours in the NCAA indoors 60-metres, in a personal best time of 6.51 and the outdoor 100m title in 9.93. Apart from Bolt and Gay, four other sprinters with sub-10 times this season, are Antigua's Daniel Bailey (9.91), Churandy Martina (9.97) of the Netherland Antilles, USA 100m champion Mike Rodgers (9.94) and Asafa Powell (9.88) of Jamaica.
