Published 20 July 2017
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News
Eight medals a result of Champs-only focus – Riley
HIGH school track and field coach David Riley said Jamaica’s eight-medal haul at the recent IAAF World Under-18 Championships in Kenya was a result of athletes being trained to peak at the annual Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships, not international meets that follow, so the country should be satisfied and “tek what we get”, as stated on his Facebook post.
“Jamaican juniors and youth athletes are rarely prepared specifically for international competitions. Instead, they are prepared for ISSA Boys and Girls Champs held in March or April each year.
“The athletes are attached to high schools, who hire and pay coaches up to March and April (for the lucky few). In a work environment where the coach is regarded as the tail of a dog, and tails don’t wag dogs, then who can ask the coach to go beyond the period that he or she is being paid in order to continue the preparation of the athlete? The athletes competed based on how they were prepared and we have to tek what we get,” Riley posted.
