Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Sanjay Ayre ... starting to think like a champion.

Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

AFTER A decade in the sport, Sanjay Ayre believes he is just starting to make strides in track and field circles.

"I have been around long before (former national champion) Michael Blackwood on the senior circuit, but I have been just overlooked ... I don't even know the word to use," Ayre said recently of his career.

Despite his exploits as a junior, the 400m star said it took him too long to win at the senior trials.It took me eight years to win," he said while pointing out that he finished seventh in 1999, fifth in 2000, third in 2001, second in 2002, fourth in 2003, seventh in 2004, fourth in 2005 and third in 2006.

"Basically, I finished every place other than first," he explained. "This year I was just knocking on the door and came through," a happy Ayre told Sunday Chat.

My race to win

While many believe he upset Ricardo Chambers in the final, Ayre said: "I was the one to beat ... my coach said it was my race to win.

"Chambers is a great competitor but Iknew once I was in good shape, I would be the one to win," said Ayre, who has begged corporate Jamaica to come on board and support him.

The race at trials was an easy one for me because I ran for the victory not for the time," said Ayre who was born off Molynes Road in St. Andrew.

He said he was determined not to lose this year and after last year's defeat he sought advice from the world's best at the event.

"After last year I spoke to Jeremy Wariner (the American Olympic and world champion), and he said, 'man (Sanjay) those Jamaicans can't beat you ... when I look at your training ethics and everything, you should be number one'.

"'You can compete against anybody in the world'," he repeated the words uttered to him by Wariner.

"With those words coming from the world and Olympic champion, it meant a lot to me, and I said to myself, wow this guy has a lot of faith in me."

It was with those words ringing in his ears and the fact that he wanted to be the national champion that Ayre decided to take another approach to his career.

Emphasis on career

"I just decided that I was going to put all my emphasis on my career and see how much I could accomplish," he said.

He also looked around with the intention of copying strategies from successful athletes and the one which caught his eyes was Jamaican-born training partner Sanya Richards.

"I noticed the support system that Sanya Richards has. Her father who is like her biggest motivator, her mom who is her agent, and who is always by her side, so I decided to go out and get that kind of support system to help me," he explained.

"In doing so, I thought about people who were special to me on the track circuit," he continued.

First up was Gregory Haughton."I recruited him as my motivator and my financial advisor and the person to advise me regarding my race."

Then Raymond Stewart.

"He knows a lot about nutrition and also training."

And finally Glaston Notice out of Miami.

"For massage therapy … so those are the three people I had on my team for my support system," said Ayre.

"Those people have played an important role in my career this year," continued the American resident.

Influence of world's best

Ayre also told Sunday Chat about the influence that Wariner and Richards, the world's best athletes at the one-lap event, have had on his career.

"They motivate me because training with champions gives you a different mindset ... how they carry themselves to practice, how they handle the workouts ... being in an environment where you are around champions, you have no choice but to want to be a champion too," he said.

"I have emulated Jeremy and Sanya over the past two years and now I am starting to see the success. I remember when I came here in January of 2006, coach Clyde Heart said to me, 'Sanjay you are not going to reap the benefits of the programme in the first year, because it takes two years for the programme really to kick in'.

"Now I am seeing where the improvement is kicking in. With what coach Heart has done, I am much stronger, much faster. He has taught me how to run the race," added Ayre, who is now being supervised by Michael Ford, assistant to Heart.

After attending Calabar for three years and spending another at Excelsior, Ayre left Jamaica to attend Dewitt Clinton High in New York.

According to Ayre, the highlight of his junior career came in 1999.

"My career really blew up in 1999 as a junior because I was the US high school athlete of the year … I won both the indoor and outdoor national titles in the States," he said.

Made senior team

So impressive was Ayre, he also made the Jamaica senior team.

"I was a member of the 4x400m World Indoor team to Japan … and we broke the national record; we ran 3:04," he remembered.

"When I look back now, I have been through two generations of Jamaican quarter milers - I have been through the Roxbert Martin, Gregory Haughton, Davian Clarke and Lenval Lade and those guys, and now, the new school generation with Ricardo Chambers and those guys, and I am still 26 years old … I am still young, but I have experienced a whole lot.

"If you look back at my career, I have an Olympic bronze from the relays, World Indoor gold from the relays, World Championships 4x400m bronze, so I have accomplished a lot in the 10 years.

"Now it is time to win individual gold medals because I have all the accolades you can think of where the relays are concerned.

"I also hope I make some money so I can take care of my family," he concluded.

anthony.foster@gleanerjm.com