Source: www.trinidadexpress.com by Kwame Laurence
The third, Darrel Brown, has a 2008 best of 10.02 seconds - produced in May at the Doha Super Grand Prix, in Qatar. And while that clocking puts the 23-year-old sprinter in 19th spot on this year's IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) performance list, he is optimistic of occupying one of the eight lanes in Saturday's Beijing 2008 century final. Shortly after checking into the Olympic Village, yesterday, Brown listed his Beijing goals. "To reach the final," he told the Express, "that's the main goal; try to medal; and in the 4x1, to try to go for the gold." Brown's compatriots, Richard Thompson (9.93) and Marc Burns (9.97), are sixth and tenth, respectively, on the 2008 IAAF performance list. Brown believes all three T&T sprinters are capable of getting among the medals in the 100m. Add a top-three finish in the 4x100m relay, and the Jamaica-based track star's Beijing 2008 precious metal wish list reads: "Two for me, two for Richard, two for Marc."
Brown is quite aware, though, that while the 100m is indeed for the swift, the sprinters who mount the podium at major global meets are the ones who are able to endure to the end - the end of four energy-sapping rounds. He knows this from personal experience. As an 18-year-old, the Brown Blur captured 100m silver at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France. However, at the 2005 Worlds in Helsinki, Finland, he bowed out in the semi-final round, after winning his quarter-final heat with an effortless 10.10 seconds run, into a chilly headwind. In his last pre-Olympic outing, in Monaco late last month, Brown was fifth in 10.06. He knows he will need to go much faster to be in contention for precious metal here in Beijing. "To be in the mix? Below 9.9 or 9.9 - once you're in that range. "Once the Games start," he continued, "and I'm going through the rounds, I'll be down to everyone's speed. Once I'm in the final, anything can happen." Before his arrival in Beijing, the 2008 CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Championship 100m gold medallist was first in Hong Kong and then in the Chinese city of Tianjin, training with his MVP Track Club teammates. "Preparations are going good so far - just trying to fine-tune everything," Brown ended. "Everything has been going according to plan."
Of the three Trinidad and Tobago sprinters expected to face the starter in the men's 100 metres dash at the 2008 Olympic Games here in Beijing, China, two have dived under ten seconds this season.