Beres Hammond wrote about ‘what one dance can do’ but for this purpose, I would write ‘what one 4x400 metre anchor leg can do for a
country’s psyche’.
Jevon ‘Donkeyman’ Francis (second right)-if not anything else-proved to me
what sheer determination, will power, and critical thinking can achieve. Here
is a high school athlete who ignored the obvious (him running against some of
the best athletes in the world) and moved the country from 5th place
to a silver medal on the final leg of the 4x400 relay at a World Championship.
I believe in empirical evidence and I reviewed the personal
best times (PB’s) of all the athletes on the final leg of the race and they
were:
Leshawn Merritt 43.74 (USA)
Jevon Francis
45.24 (JAMAICA)
V Krasnov
45.12 (RUSSIA)
N Levine
45.11 (BRITAIN)
W Oyowe
45.88 (BELGIUM)
J Solomon
45.19 (TRINIDAD)
H De Sousa
45.31 (BRAZIL)
Tristan Thomas 45.86
(AUSTRALIA)
Do you see what I see?
At the final changeover, the positions were USA, RUSSIA,
BELGIUM, BRITAIN, and then JAMAICA. All the runners with the exception of Oyowe
of Belgium have PB’s that are better than that of Jevon Francis; and he got the
baton a clear 2-3 metres behind these runners; this is clearly reminiscent of
the great DAVIAN CLARKE.
Based on the results, the first three places seemed hungrier
for medals than everyone else. USA did a World Leading time, JAMAICA did a
Season’s Best, and RUSSIA also did a Season’s Best. Australia also did a
Season’s Best, however, they placed 8th.
The only word I can use to describe what Jevon did was
INCREDIBLE. He was able to overhaul athletes with better PB’s than he, and convincingly
as well. I love empirical evidence, but there are times when BELIEF weighs more
than anything else. Many variables were at play for Jevon, and he was able to
make them all work in his favour and for the country.
What I take this to mean for JAMAICA is that no matter the
deficit, no matter the obstacle, no matter the history, no matter what others
may think……if we truly believe we can move this country forward, it can be
done.
Thanks Rusheen McDonald, Edino Steele, Omar Johnson and
Jevon Francis for allowing me to continue believing; and strengthening my
resolve.
© 2013 Antonio Bell. All rights
reserved
Website: www.antoniobell.com
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Disclaimer
All the commentary posted in this publication
are my personal view(s) and do not reflect the view(s) of any Association,
Federation or Governing Body.
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