The Jamaica 2019 World Discus Silver Medalist, Fedrick Dacres has sound a note of warning about Jamaica’s brewing strength in field events yesterday in a GleanerInstagram Live interview.
Dacres believes that including his discipline, Jamaica has the best range of field-event athletes it has had in years, and he said that the country has the capability for greater success.
“We have a deep [crop of athletes] in terms of field events. We are doing very well, and we do have the potential to be great for years,” he said.
Last year’s World Championships in Doha saw the country amassing four medals in the field events, the most that the country has ever won at the event. The success was highlighted by Tajay Gayle’s unprecedented victory in the men’s long jump in a new national record of 8.69m, the 10th longest jump in history. In addition to his and Dacres’ medals, Shanieka Ricketts and Danniel Thomas-Dodd won silver medals in the women’s triple jump and shot put, respectively.
“We have a great crop of athletes. We have really talented kids coming up. When I retire, I’m pretty sure that Jamaican throws will be OK,” he said
It is because of this potential that he feels a responsibility to excel when he competes to open the minds of aspiring athletes to see the possibilities in the discipline.
“I do think that I need to get athletes in the mindset that it can be done. I think I have been doing well in terms of that. It is a responsibility because I am leading a new path in terms of the discus,” he said. “It’s more of ‘you have to see it to believe it’.”
Dacres holds the national discus record of 70.78m that he set last year at the Diamond League meet in Rabat, Morocco.
