Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Emmanuel Callender finished second in the men's 200 metres event at the Velocity Fest 6 meet inÊKingston, Jamaica, on Saturday.
Callender completed the half-lap race in 21.81 seconds to finish behind Jamaican Rusheen McDonald, the winner in 21.21.
Callender was also on show in the 100m dash. He clocked 10.57 seconds to finish first in section two and fourth overall. Section three winner Yohan Blake was golden, getting to the line in 10.15 for a huge cushion on fellow Jamaicans Ramone Barnswell (10.46) and Nigel Ellis (10.51).
"I am not satisfied," Callender told the Express, "because I am not prepared to be fully competitive. I train in Jamaica because I am one of the best and need a high level of competition to be on top of my game."
Athletes at the Velocity 6 meet ran in alternate lanes as a Covid-19 social distancing measure.
"It is difficult," Callender explained, "to gauge how fast you need to accelerate in a race when sprinters are lanes apart. This margin for error is slim as you may finish races with gas in the tank, but the time is not reflective of strong execution.
"These meets organised in Jamaica," the 2008 Olympic sprint relay gold medallist continued, "are beneficial to many athletes who seek qualification. Trinidad and Tobago athletes who are not competing at this time would definitely be left at a disadvantage. They might take too long to adjust race strategies with vacant lanes for social distancing."
Callender said that training effectively during Covid-19 has been challenging.
"I cannot say what I need to improve on because race conditions are different with new protocols. Periodisation is difficult because meets are not on a specific schedule. Meets occur when the all-clear is given to have one."
Callender competed in New Mexico, USA during the 2020 indoor season, and was on show on February 22 and 29 and again on March 11 at outdoor meets in Jamaica before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted his campaign.
Four months later, Callender was back on track. Between July 11 and August 22, he competed in all six Velocity Fest meets, in Jamaica. The 36-year-old sprinter said there is little likelihood he will see any action outside of Jamaica before the end of the season.
"It is a challenge to attract sponsorship and gather resources to attend a meet. Planning one's affairs is nightmarish. If given the opportunity, I will do Trinidad and Tobago proud as I usually do," Callender ended, "with my best foot forward at an international meet."
