JAMAICAN COACH Trevor Graham, who has produced several Olympic and world champions, has expressed his willingness to help Jamaica’s track and field programme.
Although he has never being invited to help out, Graham, who was the Nike USA Track & Field (USATF) coach of the year in 2002, expressed his desire to assist the country he represented at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
“I am always available to help,” said Graham, who has produced more than 20 Olympic athletes who, between them, have accumulated 19 medals: 13 gold, two silver and four bronze.
AVAILABLE
“I am available especially for the kids, I am always available to help them (Jamaicans),” said Graham.
Graham, who guided Marion Jones to three Olympic gold medals in Sydney and Tim Montgomery to the 100-metre world record, said: "I am willing to come down to do lectures whenever they (the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association) would like me to.
“I will come down and teach them how to develop a professional programme for the athletes,” the former Papine High School student said.
“My thing is maybe they look at me as an American, maybe they just don’t accept me as a Jamaican,” said Graham, who attended high school and college in the US.
JAAA general secretary Garth Gayle said persons wishing to help the association needed to inform the body.
“Jamaican or not … any individual who has the competency or any offerings which they can make available to the association (JAAA) can do so by going through the process of notifying the association. The best form of notification is something in writing because that can stand to test of scrutiny,” Gayle said.
THE MAN
Meanwhile, Graham believes fellow coach Stephen Francis is the man that can take Jamaican track and field to the next level.
“By far the greatest coach down in Jamaica now is ‘Frano’ (Francis). From my perspective, and I am just looking at things from the outside, I don’t think the country is backing him as it should,” Graham said.
"Francis has in his camp one of the fastest human beings in the world. This guy (Asafa Powell) is now the fastest-ever Jamaican.
“Just support him. He should get whatever he wants, so he can develop a high powered programme so Jamaica can have more Olympic champions,” explained Graham.