Mikel Thomas is one of two national sprint hurdles to qualify to represent T&T at the London Olympics. The 24-year-old qualified for his second straight Olympic after his 13.48 personal best run at the Texas Relays in Austin Texas, USA on 31 March, missing the then national record of 13.43 by Steve Brown. He then sealed his Olympic spot with a 13.51 run at the Star Athletics Invite in Florida last month getting under the 13.52 Olympic A standard for the second time. The University of Kentucky graduate was named in the 31-member squad announced by the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) on Friday. The Kansas based athlete joins Wayne Davis as the other 110m competitor following Davis’ national record run of 13.37 at the Big 12 Championships in May. Thomas was a quarterfinalist in at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he was sixth in a then personal best of 13.62 but he says his goal in London is to make it into the medal round.

“My goal is to make the finals especially as this is my second Olympics having made it to the quarterfinals four years ago. I will then give it all that I have,” he said. As part of his preparations the Maloney-born hurdler moved to Kansas where he said he was able to learn more on his event. Thomas said: “I am from New York but I am based in Kansas where I also coach and because I coach I have become more a student of the sport and that is probably one of the main reasons for the big improvement his year.”
He describes his decision as a risk as he was now on his own. “New York is nice but it is distracting,” he said. “I’d rather be in Kansas where I can focus on what I need to do. Unfortunately I am by myself but I have taken the time to become more educated in my event.  It is a technical event and because I am by myself I had to make sure I do everything to the best of my ability.” The Exercise Science graduate was third in the national championships clocking in 13.99 behind Davis (13.61) and Durrell Busby (13.81). The heats of the 100m hurdles are set for August 7 with the semifinals and finals carded for August 8. Thomas won the 2008 National and the 2010 Penn Relays Olympic Development 110m hurdles titles and has personal best in the 400m hurdles and the indoor 60m hurdles of 51.40 and 7.73 respectively. He is the son of Hayden Thomas and Gail Barton.

-Clayton Clarke

Source: www.guardian.co.tt