T&T sprint star to double at Olympics
Richard "Torpedo" Thompson is switching camps.
The Trinidad and Tobago track star has decided to leave Louisiana State University (LSU) coach Dennis Shaver and move to Los Angeles, California, where he will be under the guidance of John Smith, the man who steered Ato Boldon to four Olympic sprint medals and the 1997 200 metres world title.
"It was a very tough decision for me to make this switch," Thompson told the Sunday Express. "Louisiana, for the last seven years, is where I called home. I have a house there, a lot of close friends and I've grown to love the place. However, sometimes in life you have to make sacrifices and step out of your comfort zone to accomplish your goals."
Shaver guided Thompson to 100m silver at the 2008 Olympic Games, in Beijing, China. The Cascade sprinter also earned silver in the 4x100m relay, anchoring T&T to second spot, behind Jamaica.
"I am extremely grateful to Coach Shaver and the entire LSU programme for all they have done for me, but I felt it was in my best interest to move on next year. My performances for the last two years have been sub-par, and I felt like I owed more to my family, friends, fans worldwide and especially the country. After my Olympic medals in 2008, the entire country expected so much from me and I have not delivered.
"I think the switch in environment will be great for me. I am accustomed to going to practice and having all the LSU kids looking up to me and feeling like 'the man'. In California, I'm going into practice with people just as fast as me and faster, so I think the environment will be really competitive."
Smith is one of the best track and field coaches in the world. Apart from Boldon, his charges have included 2000 Olympic Games 100m champion Maurice Greene and triple OIympic gold medallist Marie-Jose Perec. Newly-crowned world champion in the women's 100m, Carmelita Jeter, is currently part of the John Smith camp.
"Smith has been really successful as a professional coach," said Thompson, "having world record-holders, world and Olympic champions. I think his knowledge and expertise at this level and his pro-specific programme will allow me to adapt to my professional career a lot better.
"I've seen the improvements made by so many athletes around me that I consider myself better than, and I felt like I've lost my respect as the Olympic silver medallist. It's time to regain some respect. I know the country is behind me, and even when people say bad things, it's because they expect more from me, so I completely understand and I am making the changes required to live up to the expectations of T&T."
Smith and Thompson's manager, Emanuel Hudson, are a team at sports management company HSI (Hudson Smith International). But though Hudson has represented Thompson since 2008, the T&T sprinter chose to stay with Shaver rather than join Smith's stable of athletes.
"I have known John Smith for a few years as he always expressed his interest in me and gave advice through his association with my manager, but the time was not right as yet. I felt like I had room for improvement still where I was.
"I expect to have a much better year next season and beyond. I've talked to John about some of the workouts I'll be doing and it's actually a bit scary," said a laughing Thompson, "but it is the necessary work if I want to medal again."
Competing under the HSI banner, training partners Greene and Boldon made a huge impact on the global sprint scene in the 1990s and 2000s.
Similarly, reigning triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt and his fellow-Jamaican, World Championship 100m gold medallist Yohan Blake, are currently the best sprinters on the planet. They are training partners at Jamaican club, Racers.
When Thompson begins his off-season preparations in LA early next month, the 26-year-old athlete will be training alongside American Walter Dix, the man he beat into third spot in the 2008 Olympic 100m final.
"We saw the benefits of having strong groups like the old HSI— Maurice, Ato, JD (Jon Drummond)—and we're seeing it again with Racers club. I think we will see major improvements from having a similar environment."
Following the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Korea, Thompson and Dix discussed their goals.
"Dix and I never had the best relationship as we were rivals since college, but we sat down after Daegu and had a long conversation about what we wanted to accomplish in the future. We both were the best coming out of college in the 100 and 200 and we both still live in the US.
"I'm looking forward to intense sessions with Walter Dix and (Norwegian sprinter) Jaysuma Ndure. It works out really well for me with both of them being great 200-metre runners, as I will take the 200 seriously for the first time in my career next year and make an attempt to do the double at the Olympics."
Another T&T sprinter, 2008 Olympic Games sprint relay silver medallist Emmanuel Callender, also trains in LA under the guidance of Smith.
"Callender is my good friend," said Thompson, "and he has a lot of potential. Having faster athletes around him will only benefit him. He has a lot of room for improvement, and I know he will be really good with the right mindset."
Late last month, Thompson and Greene teamed up for an NP-sponsored coaching clinic in Morvant, as well as motivational talks at secondary schools in east Port of Spain and Morvant/ Laventille.
"The clinic was a success. The kids had fun and learned a lot in the process. The secondary school visits also went well. We were able to connect with them and share some of our experiences to let them know that we came from similar situations to get where we are now. I think a lot of kids were inspired.
"Maurice, being the greatest of his era," Thompson ended, "had a great impact on the kids with his life story."
-Kwame Laurence
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com