Source: www.trinidadexpress.com
By Kwame Laurence kwame.laurence@trinidadexpress.com
T&T sprint star in Quantum 100
Almost two years after he last graced a local track, 2003 World Championship 100 metres silver medallist Darrel Brown will be on show on Saturday, at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, in Marabella.
Sidelined by a strained left hip flexor for all of 2010, Brown competed for the first time in 20 months at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, in Florida, USA, on April 16.
The 26-year-old athlete finished fourth in the 100m dash in a wind-assisted 10.34 seconds, and teamed up with Richard Thompson, Keston Bledman and Rondel Sorrillo for gold in the sprint relay in 39.04.
On May 6, Brown captured the 100m title at the Brigido Iriarte Memorial meet, in Caracas, Venezuela. He clocked 10.34 seconds to secure a comfortable victory.
On Saturday, Brown will face the starter at the Quantum Invitational Track Classic, his first meet on home soil since the 2009 National Championships, held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium 23 months ago. At that meet, he finished fourth in the 100m final in 10.05 seconds, and was part of the T&T 4x100m relay team that won in 38.78.
At the Quantum Invitational, Brown will do battle in the men's 100m dash.
"Just taking it like another race, leading up to the [National] Championships," the La Horquetta sprinter told the Express, during a training session at the Crawford Stadium warm-up track, on Monday. "I'm going in, trying to work out the kinks. I'm trying to get in as much races as possible before the national trials."
Brown said he has no specific time goal, ahead of Saturday's Quantum Invitational, at the Ramjohn Stadium.
"I'd like to run as fast as possible…would like to finish injury free and hopefully have a season best."
In October, 2006, Brown joined the MVP camp in Jamaica. But one year ago, he parted company with the Stephen Francis-coached training group.
"Around May, I made the decision to leave MVP. I was hurt. The same hip flexor was giving trouble, and I was telling them I was hurt, I was hurt, and they weren't really taking me on, so I just packed up all my stuff and came home."
While in the MVP camp, Brown trained alongside former 100m world record holder, Jamaican Asafa Powell.
"I take everything as a learning experience, but that's three years down the drain. I know how to start better, I got extremely strong, but the injuries kept holding me back. Last year I just got fed up and came home."
Brown is now based in T&T and is coached by Trevor Hewitt and Ashwin Creed.
"They hooked me up with a guy out of Florida named Vern Gambetta."
An internationally renowned coach and Functional Training specialist, Gambetta has played a key role in Brown's rehabilitation.
"I've been working together with everyone to clear out the injuries and try to get back my form. The strained left hip flexor had been bugging me since February (2010) and it wasn't getting better, so we just decided to try and get everything correct for this season."
So far, so good. Brown is confident his injury woes are behind him, and he's comfortable with his new coaching arrangement.
"I'm back home," said the smiling sprinter, "so everything is good."
Brown is the 100m world junior record holder. He established the 10.01 seconds standard in the quarter-final round at the 2003 World Championships, in Paris, France.
In 2005, Brown ran a personal best 9.99 seconds in finishing second to Marc Burns (9.96) at the National Championships. Six years later, that 9.99 run is still his lone legal sub-10 clocking.
Brown hopes to set that right this season.
"My goals are to make the final at the World Championships (in Daegu, Korea), of course try and medal, and run a PB (personal best) again. I haven't run a PB since 2005."
Brown is confident he can challenge the Big Three of global sprinting—Jamaica's double Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt, American Tyson Gay and Powell.
"Anything could happen. Once I'm in tip, top shape, I could be up there with the top three, actually the top five guys, because you have (Jamaicans) Yohann Blake and Nesta Carter now.
"I'm thinking more medium to long term," the 2002 100m world junior champion continued, "but if it happens at the World Championships, I'll take that."
Brown's biggest career goal, however, is earning an individual Olympic medal.
"No matter what colour."