ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda’s new Sporting Ambassador Daniel Bailey is promising his country a medal at his next global track and field assignment.
On his return home from Europe Sunday to a heroes’ welcome, Bailey was honoured for his historic fourth place finish in the 100 metres at last month’s IAAF World Championship in Germany, where he became his country’s first ever finalist at the World Championship.
He has listed his next major assignment as the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championship next March in Qatar and has confidently pledged to make the top three.
“I am looking forward to that. I can guarantee you that Antigua is going to get their first world medal at the World Indoor games in March,” Bailey told reporters.
After a rigorous season that saw him lower the Antigua and Barbuda national 100-metre record to 9.91 seconds, Bailey is expected to take several weeks off for resting before starting background training for the 2010 season.
“I am going to start getting ready for that (World Indoors) in November,” said Bailey, who trains in Jamaica.
For his achievement at the Berlin World Championship, Bailey was named a Sporting Ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda and awarded half an acre of land by the government.
In the historic World Championship 100-metre final on August 16, Bailey clocked 9.93 seconds for fourth as he came in behind champion Bolt, who ran a world record 9.58 seconds, American Tyson Gay and Jamaica’s former world record holder Asafa Powell.
A member of the Racers Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica, Bailey has Bolt as a training partner and attributed his improvement in the past year to his extensive programme there.
“In Jamaica, I am training like six days a week and doing gym-work training two days a week, so doing that help me to improve in all aspects of my life in track and field,” he said.
With his season’s best and national record 9.91 seconds when he was runner-up to Bolt at the Paris Golden League meeting in July, Bailey is the world’s fourth fastest man so far this year.
Only Bolt, Gay (9.71) and Powell (9.84) have been faster this year.
