‘Local sprinters better than English’

"A the moment this country has a lot more depth in the sprints that England," Findlay said yesterday. He pointed out that he cannot remember the last time where there has been so many top class athletes in this country at the same time and said that for the Sagicor National Senior Championship this weekend almost all the top sprinters are currently running ten seconds and under. Findlay, who only recently came off a two-year suspension for using banned substances has credited the progress in local athletics to the foundation laid by the National Amateur Athletics Association (NAAA).

He revealed that in Britain he only ran three races for the year due to the structure of the athletic programme which he says begins in May.

In addition he says that athletes back in England also have less competitive games to compete in. He expressed the view that if he qualifies for the Trinidad and Tobago national team, he will then have to consider obtaining a local coach to oversee his training for future competitions.

Findlay told Newsday that his ultimate goal is to run at the Olympics, as is the goal of every athlete. He made it clear that should he qualify for the team he will remain in Trinidad and continue using a programme that his coach Tony Hadly has set for Him. He noted that it will be easier for him than if he goes back home and the has to return. The Sagicor Senior Championship promises to be exciting this weekend as a list of this country’s top athletes are expected to be back to take part.

Heading the list will be the World Junior Champion Darrel Brown and his close friend and former schoolmate Marc Burns.

Both men have been back home and preparing for the games at the newly certified Hasely Crawford Stadium track, along with Jacey Harper and a number of top athletes.

Findlay stated that he was approached by Great Britain to represent them for the 2005 season but had already pledged his allegience to Trinidad and Tobago. He was least bit concerned about Brown and Burns— saying that there were many other athletes that he has to concentrate on for the 100 metres showdown.

He added that he can easily name seven other equally dangerous athletes who can win the race over the weekend.

He noted that once you make it to the finals, it means that you are good enough to win the race, but it will depend on who clicks on the day.

Findlay has also been working out at the stadium for a race that he thinks will produce a new personal best record for any of the athletes that will be in the final. He also pointed out that the race can even produce a world record.

He described the race as one of the most competitive 100 metre races in the history of the National Championships at the stadium. He says that the track at the stadium will also serve for good performances, as it looks as though it was built for speed.

With a personal best time of 10.02, Findlay has said that both Brown and Burns will have better chances than him as his situation back in England is much different to what he has experienced in TT.

Most importantly he said that Brown, Burns and the other TT athletes based in the United States have got a lot more practice at competitive games than he did with the structure of the programme in Great Britain, as oppose to regular competitive games at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

However he admited that qualifying for the team will be no easy task for him. He said that with the top three places qualifying for the team he is confident of doing well.