Walcotts face training challenges
Triple jumper Elton Walcott is hoping to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the 2012 Olympic Games, in London, England. To be considered for selection, the Toco athlete must attain the 16.85 metres "B" qualifying standard.
Walcott told the Express that while he is confident in his ability to attain the Olympic standard, the Road to London is a tough one, and he will need support.
"It's all about the financial issue."
Walcott, a past student of Toco Secondary, has been working since leaving school in July 2010.
"I don't have the facilities of the school. Right now it's off-season--I have gym in Sangre Grande and I'm running on the road. I had use of the facilities at the school up to the middle of the 2011 season, but I had an incident with my aunt, whose a teacher at the school, and I was stopped from using the facilities.
"I'm working construction about 1 1/2 months, and it's more strenuous on me to go to training after. But I have to work to pay gym fees and transportation. Before, I used to do yards with a weed whacker."
Walcott was a standout for T&T at the last four editions of the Junior Carifta Games. He captured the boys' under-17 triple jump title on his Carifta debut, in 2008, and went on to record a hat-trick of victories in the under-20 category, striking gold in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Walcott followed up on his 2011 Carifta success with the Pan American Junior Championship title, in Florida, USA, in July. His best jump at Pan Am Juniors was a wind-assisted 16.51 metres. The best legal effort produced by the T&T jumper at that meet, 16.43m, is the current national junior (under-20) record.
Walcott turns 20 in February, and will compete as a full-fledged senior next season.
"My goal is the Olympic standard. But I need to have a foundation, and preparation is a must. I don't feel preparation is going where it should be going. Because of the financial issue, I only recently started my off-season."
Elton's younger brother, Keshorn, is also a standout national athlete. Eighteen-year-old Keshorn has three Carifta Games javelin titles to his name, and will be bidding for number four in Bermuda next year.
Keshorn underlined his class at the Pan American Games, in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October. Competing against mostly senior throwers, the Toco athlete held his own, finishing seventh with a personal best 75.77m throw--a new Central American and Caribbean (CAC) junior record.
Elton said that though Keshorn is still a student at Toco Secondary, he has financial challenges as well.
"Keshorn has the facilities--use of the school gym. But he has to pay transportation to go and throw in Port of Spain, because there aren't throwing facilities in Toco. And right now, he has pain in his foot--a foot injury.
"Last year," the elder Walcott continued, "I had hamstring and ankle injuries, because of training with no facilities for massages and therapy. Before last season even started, I had injuries."
Elton said that efforts to get funding to facilitate training have so far borne no fruit.
"In June, me and my brother applied for financial help from the government, but there's been no response yet."
By Kwame Laurence
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com