Rose
BACOLET, Tobago:
WORLD JUNIOR Champion-ships 100-metre bronze medallist Remaldo Rose says he wasn't disappointed at not winning a medal in the 100 metres final at the XXXIV Carifta Games because he's injured.
"I am not disappointed because right now I am unfit. I'm not at 100 per cent so I didn't expect anything," the Boys' Champs Class One champion told The Gleaner following his fourth place finish in Saturday night's final at the Dwight Yorke Stadium.
He added that he would have liked to have won a medal but the "hamstring injury was a setback from the heats".
He said he picked up the injury when he was warming up for the heats. He finished second in his semi-final, but advanced as one of the fastest losers with his 10.66 seconds clocking.
Rose also complained about the track, a newly-laid Mondo surface.
SHIN SPLINTS
"The first time I ran on it (track) I got shin splints," he said.
A silver medallist at last year's Carifta Games in Bermuda, Rose clocked 10.58 seconds, again beaten by last year's champion Daniel Bailey of Antigua & Barbuda (10.36).
Trinidad & Tobago's Marcus Duncan (10.53) and Andon Mitchell of Grenada (10.54) finished ahead of Rose, who looked far from his best on a rainy and windy night.
Rose, Jamaica's best schoolboy sprinter, was expected to repeat at least his silver medal performance, but he explained.
"The night before the race I had cramps so that was a setback, I didn't want to pressure the leg because I wanted to run the relay (4x100m)."
However, that dream vanished as Jamaica dropped the baton and failed to advance.
This is the first time in 20 years and the second time in the history of the Carifta Games that Jamaica have not won a medal in the boys' Under-20 100m.
Jamaica last won a gold medal in the marquee event in 1999 when Dwight Thomas ran 10.47 to win gold.
The Camperdown athlete said he is about 60 per cent fit and it was obvious in his performance. The other Jamaican who participated in the boys' Under-20 100m was his teammate in the 100m final Holmwood Technical's Omar Brown, who dropped out in the semi-final round. He ran 10.88 seconds for second in semi-final three, but only the winners advanced.
- Anthony Foster
