media_artricles :: 2013

Ex TT Olympian wants focus at schools

ONE OF Trinidad and Tobago’s first-ever Olympic Men’s 4x400m Relay medallists, Kent Bernard, has called on the national track and field fraternity to direct more emphasis towards the enhancement of young athletes through the school system.

The 1964 Tokyo, Japan, Summer Games bronze medallist made the plea at the Ministry of Sport’s inaugural Relay Carnival launch which was held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on Friday. Bernard, along with his former Olympic team-mates Wendell Mottley, Edwin Roberts, Edwin Skinner and Clifton Bertrand, will also be honoured for their contributions to TT sport at the March 9-10 Carnival Relays event.

However, the ex-national sprinter called on the authorities that be to implement more athletic programmes at schools.

“One thing that I’d like to see incorporated is for track and field to be a part of every high school programme. I would like to see a defined track season established like football and cricket, where schools can engage in dual meets and leagues against each other. A very legitimate programme such as this would surely do a lot more for development,” he explained.

While the veteran athlete was pleased with the overall development taking place, he reiterated the importance of such workshops in schools. With regional neighbours Jamaica billed as one of the top producers of young track athletes, Bernard questioned why TT was not mirroring the actions and training methods of such a talent-rich Caribbean nation.

He added, “That is the reason why Jamaica is so far ahead of all the other Caribbean islands. It’s because high school track and field is very important for them. And it hasn’t been like this in Trinidad and Tobago. One tends to question why?”

Meanwhile, the former University of Michigan athletics coach took time out to acknowledge the rising talents in TT and their performances. Bernard who knows about the progress of the athletes, particularly quarter milers, praised them for their achievements. He explained the achievements at the 400 metres was a goal set by his team back in 1964.

The sprint and hurdles instructor admitted that he was lucky enough to witness TT’s Men’s 4x400m bronze medal performance in London last year. He was pleased to reveal however, that TT’s track athletes have been significantly improving.

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