The Stadium Tracks

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JAMAICA'S track athletes, including triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, could soon be training and competing locally on improved surfaces as Independence Park Limited (IPL) moves to refurbish both the Mondo tracks at the National Stadium Complex.

The tracks are in need of repair, but the one at Stadium East is in an especially deplorable condition.

General manager of IPL, Major Desmon Brown, yesterday told the Observer that he is awaiting an estimate from Mondo America Incorporated as to how much it will cost to refurbish the tracks, which were laid in 2002 ahead of the Ninth IAAF World Junior Championships.

"We have contacted them and sent pictures (of the tracks) to them and they are preparing a costing to send back to us for us to agree some form of a contract," Brown said.

It is particularly the Stadium East track, which as you know is used by our national athletes and especially in the starting areas for 100, 200 and 400 metres and the inside lanes, those areas are well worn and we have asked them (Mondo) to come and look at it and give us a costing," he added.
Major Brown indicated that contact with Mondo's Area Manager Michael Tovar was made by Neville McCook, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), shortly after the Beijing Olympics last year.

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"I have been talking with Mr McCook and when he went to the IAAF Gala in November he made contact with them (Mondo), but their offices were closed during the Christmas season and reopened on the 6th of January," the IPL boss said. "I got an email from them yesterday (Monday), saying that they have passed it on and hopefully by the end of
this week and I should get
an update."

When the Observer visited the stadium facilities yesterday, holes were seen in a number of lanes at the 100 metres start at Stadium East, revealing the asphalt below the Mondo track.

Quizzed as to how soon work could begin, Major Brown replied: "Well, it depends on the cost and where the money is going to come from, but I'm hoping by the end of February we will get something done."

However, work on the Stadium East track may need to go ahead even sooner than February with five Development meets slated to be staged there between this Saturday and February 24.

The 2008 NACAC and JAAA's coach of the year, Glen Mills, who is among the many coaches who use the Stadium East track to condition their athletes, believes the current surface threatens injury to the nation's athletes.

"Its current state is not safe for 100-metre running because the blocks may not hold and the athletes could make bad steps into what looks to be holes and definitely in need of repair, especially since we have a very hectic athletics season coming up," said Mills, who coached Bolt to gold medals in the 100m and 200m at last summer's Beijing Olympics in world record times of 9.69 and 19.30 seconds, respectively. Bolt also shared in the 4x100m gold and word record of 37.10secs, along with Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Nesta Carter.

"Several meets are slated to take place there and it's no longer the dependency of high schools athletes (alone), we have athletes of world-class level who are depending on these meets also as part of their preparation leading to the World Championships (in Berlin this summer)," Mills reasoned.

The meets set for the Stadium East track are: Douglas Forrest Invitational (January 17), the Queen's/Grace Jackson Track Meet (January 31), the Camperdown Classic (February 14), Hurdles Fest (February 20) and Eastern Championships (February 23-24).

"If I'm not mistaken the stadium track itself also needs repair, because I've seen some marks on the backstretch, so the inside track is also damaged," Mills posited. He indicated that costs associated with using the main stadium track for meets may be prohibitive to organisers.

Courtesy: The Jamaica Observer.