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The curtain has been drawn on what must be the year when Jamaica’s athletes, male and female, in tandem, rose to the highest pinnacle of achievement ever, the entire fraternity, warming to and swollen by, some truly classy performances. With a plethora of positives, the country looks, this summer, in eager and salivating anticipation to the Japanese city of Osaka. There, come August, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) will stage its 11th edition of the World Championships, the sports most prestigious undiluted stage. This thought,, predicated on the fact that the occasion, contrary to what will entail at the Beijing Olympics, the following year, will not have to compete for attention, with the other ‘’Games that People Play’’.

Asafa Powell, the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, 2006 and Sherone Simpson, runner-up to the female title, provided both the champagne and the caviar to massage the palates of the nation’s sporting aficionados, pocketing, in the process, wads of cash, at the same time, recruiting the few non-believers and giving ‘’flesh’ to the idiom, ‘’Sports is big business’’. The fact that they were marginal, at best, as juniors, perceptively, plucked from positions of plain promise to patent prominence, all this by the hand of an insightful coach, made the taste of success, that more pleasant.

With all that brilliance, coming from athletes and coach alike, the prospects of 2007 loom large. There are unattained heights to reach for and set up tenancy. There have been charges leveled at Asafa that the rigours of rounds have been and, with some justification, his ‘’Achilles heel’’ in the past. He is not a championship performer, professional circuit, with pre-ordained finals, yes, count on him, with world record performances, assured, once the track is right. But, when advance is built on proper lane draw, who is your ‘’in-race’’ rival, who can play the more effective ‘’ mind games’’, he falters.
 

As for Sherone, her compatriot, Veronica Campbell was absent injured, almost all season, a lame charge, given that the May 6 meet and the Commonwealth Games seem to have been conveniently, back-seated. The 200m Olympic Champion, Alyson Felix was not at her best and ‘’Queen’’ Marion was being stalked by the drug use detectives. All these arguments, used to soften the blows that the former Manchester High School lady—she is that plus- inflicted on the minds of her would-be sprint titles challengers.

The next three years will settle so much with World Champs, Olympics and World Champs again, back to back. So-called joint world 100m record holder, Justin Gatlin, the man with all the titles (wonder for how long) has spoilt the men’s party, oh what a pity?. Hopefully, Asafa and Sherone, inspired by the teachings of the coaching maestro, Stephen Francis and his MVP crew plus their own desire to ‘’halt the idle chatter’’, will settle the issue. All considered, such glory, honour and respect cannot, easily, be attained by nicer people, excellent ambassadors for sport and country, bless them, just as they bless us.

Laurie Foster is a veteran sports writer, cricket, being his first foray into sports journalism, but, recently, ‘’addicted’’ to track and field, where he has covered, both for radio and the written press, several IAAF World Series events, starting from the World Juniors in Sudbury, Canada, 1988.