Twenty-five year old police officer Winston George is literally counting the days to the moment when he will be able to realize the dream of nearly every track and field athlete; that is competing at the Olympics Games.
George recently completed a five-month training stint at the High Performance Centre in Kingston Jamaica, along with Guyana Defence Force sprinters Rupert Perry and Quinse Clarke. On his way back, George stopped to compete at the Trinidad Senior National Championships and placed second in the International Invitational 400m clocking 46.51 seconds.
After arriving in Guyana on Monday night, George has been hitting the Police Sports Club ground Eve Leary, the ground where he honed his talent, every afternoon going through the paces as he prepares for the biggest track event in the world. His journey to the Olympics began almost a year ago when George was denied a visa to attend the Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico.
George rebounded from that disappointment and made the team for the ALBA Games in Venezuela where he jumped out of his shoes and clocked a blistering career-best time of 45.86 in the 400m.
The IOC later reviewed the qualifying standards for a few of its events including the 400m and George’s ALBA Games time was within range of the B qualifying standard. George then got the green light to attend the High Altitude Training Centre in Jamaica in February, an experience which he was very grateful for.
There, George got to rub shoulders with some of the world’s fastest men and women at the Racers Track Club where he trained along with Clarke and Perry. Some of George’s club mates at the Racers track clock included 100m and 200m record holder and Olympic champion Usain Bolt and 2011 100m World Champion Yohan Blake.
“The experience was great and I gained a lot of knowledge about athletics so now that I am back home I could put it into practice,” George told Stabroek Sport in an exclusive interview.
George said that the track and field arena in Jamaica was totally different in terms of commitment of athletes to their training as well as support from the relevant bodies. The 25-year old quarter miler said that the Jamaican athletes were especially helpful and gave him advice to improve on some of the various aspects of his technique.
“So many things I learnt there, In terms of starting, coming out of the blocks and general technique and all of that…,”
“Sometimes you would be there doing your workout and Usain or Yohan or somebody would just say bredren ah na sa it ah go, and correct you and to me I find that was very helpful because a lot of them things we don’t know down here.”
Apart from technique, George said that he also gained a wealth of knowledge on nutrition of elite athletes, as well injury prevention practices which he found to be of paramount importance.
Another area which George said Guyanese athletes neglect is the importance of dietary supplements and builders which he learnt should be a staple in the diet of elite athletes.
But George’s Jamaica training experience was not all Ackee and Saltfish as his road to improvement was marred my several injuries along the way. His local coach Lyndon Wilson explained that although he did not have first-hand knowledge as to the cause of the injuries, he figured that the injuries resulted from George’s rash transition from his regular training programme locally to the elite athlete’s workout at the High Performance. George battled a variety of injuries including injuries to his groin, back and hamstring while in Jamaica.
Nevertheless, George fought his way through therapy and managed to compete at several meets in Jamaica including the Utech Classic and four of the six editions of the Jamaica All Commers Track Meets.
He admitted that his highest placing was third and he his times were consistently around the 47 second mark.
What was somewhat fulfilling for the soon to be hometown Olympian was his second place finish in 46.51 at the Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Champion-ships last weekend. George said that therapy has been good and since the injuries seemed to have subsided, he was able to give a fluid performance.
“I think it brings me back to where I’m supposed to be, it was hard but it felt good,” George said. His departure for the London Olympic Games is less than a month away, but George is exploring the prospects of competing around the region to squeeze in a few more competitive 400m races before the he runs the biggest race of his life.
Nevertheless, George will continue to train at the Police Sports Club ground Police where he plans to boost up the intensity in training, focusing on his speed work. When asked about his goals at Olympics, George said… “I at least got to make the finals. The former impact patrol rank that realized how tough it will be competing among the World’s best but said: “I have no fear at all, I’m confident in myself that I will do well.”
