Dear Editor,
I have had the opportunity to watch live on TV and several YouTube replays of the recent World Athletics held in Eugene, Oregon, USA as well as the Commonwealth and European Games held in Edinburgh and Munich respectively and have been frankly amazed at the showing of some of the so called lesser nations and less known athletes at the various disciplines.
The emergence of hitherto unknown talent of men and women previously considered as lacking the requisite attributes and environment to successfully compete against the known established types has confounded several myths.
When the Trinidadian Keshorn Walcott came virtually from nowhere to win the Olympic javelin event followed by the Kenyan Julius Yego at the 2015 World games in Beijing, with the Indian Neeraj Chopra winning gold at the last Olympics, it prompted new theories to explain their successes. There is some hope for forgotten countries like Guyana when it was found out that the Yego first developed his technique and skill by instructions from a YouTube video shown in his home country. When a few years ago I penned my first letter to the press on this topic I advocated that as a start Guyana should be focusing on disciplines that can substantively be developed on home soil from relentless extended practice and a disciplined repetitive work regime, eschewing those sports that require consistent high level overseas competition exposure. My suggestions then were archery, canoeing and beach volleyball. (Stabroek News of February 5th 2017). To these one could now add athletic field events like the javelin and the shot putt which do not thrive on time and contact competition but are based on distance throwing achievement. In the past the javelin in particular was the preserve of the Europeans but in the last couple years we have seen third world athletes such as Walcott from Trinidad, Yego from Kenya, Chopra from India, and lately Anderson Peters from Grenada at the World Games in Oregon, and Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh all strike gold in the javelin.
These field events and to which one may add weight-lifting, apart from requiring basic strength and stamina are primarily based on technique, hand/limb speed and coordination. Technique can only be best acquired by proper coaching allied with state-of-the-art training facilities. Whereas in the past the lack of the fore-mentioned requisites stifled development of our athletes, the now adequate availability of funds from oil and gas should not be a limitation on the opportunity for Guyana to foster immense national pride from our athletes winning gold on the world stage. Indeed it is known that the former world javelin record holder, the German Uwe Hohn has been coaching a number of the current crop of javelin third world leaders.
I was also impressed by the showing of the Commonwealth weight lifters from India, Fiji and South East Asia, particularly the women, whom popular belief would not have rated highly, who held their own and not only in the lower body weight category. A young slightly built female from India became her country’s celebrity by winning gold in the lightest weight division, belying the impression that muscle and bulk are always superior attributes to lifting speed and coordinated technique.
To conclude I would forthrightly advocate for Guyana the following model:
Establish with the appropriate sport bodies a cadre of would-be professional athletes in selected disciplines with the potential to benefit from full time training, which must be closely conducted in the respective disciplines and monitored over a period by established world class coaches hired by the State. The evidence is abundantly clear that an athlete’s natural ability must be properly honed by good technique which can only be provided by knowledgeable coaching. The composition of athletes from the selected disciplines, must necessarily be dynamic as new talent or attrition emerges. Some examples of relevant disciplines are previously mentioned and must all be amenable to linear or weight measurement of athletes’ improving performance at comparable world class level. Simultaneously, the authorities must establish state-of-the-art training facilities and sports stadia in the respective disciplines as a basis for creating sustained public interest and awareness of national goals. The blueprints for the structure of such facilities are available from many countries previously hosting similar sporting events.
There should be no excuse now for failure to access the required funding directed towards the high stakes of national pride.
Yours faithfully,
Fritz McLean
Hon Life Vice President,
Guyana Tennis Association
Former Lawn Tennis Rep. on
Guyana Olympic Committee
