Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sport

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Track and field manager Lincoln Eatmon has vigorously defended the decision not to field a men's sprint relay team at the XV Pan American Games, which ended last night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jamaica's contingent left the Games with nine medals, seven of which came in track and field. The other two medals were a first-ever silver in football and bronze in boxing.

At the Games, Jamaica contested three relays and won a gold in the women's 4x100m. The women's 4x400m and men's 4x400m finished out of the medals.

At the 2003 Games in Santo Domingo, the island picked up medals in all four relays - gold in men's 4x400m, silver in women's 4x400m and bronze medals in the two sprint relays.

The withdrawal, before the Games, of several sprinters from the 23-member track and field male team left officials here with almost a bare sprint cupboard. Xavier Brown was promoted from the reserves to run the 100m and 200m, while Jason Livermore came in as a replacement.

Clement Campbell and Steve Mullings, second and fourth respectively in the 100m at the National Championships, dropped out along with Omar Brown, sixth in the 200m at the National Championships. Former national sprint champion Dwight Thomas also withdrew from the Games.

The withdrawals left the squad with only one top sprinter in Marvin Anderson, who won a silver in the 200m.

Eatmon said they had to 'look at the facts' when the relay was being considered.

"Do you risk Marvin's (Anderson) medal to run him in a relay when you have an under strength team which doesn't really have much of a chance at medalling?"

The track and field manager felt Jamaica did well in track and field when 'you take into account that we were not at full strength'.

"Three gold and four silver medals is a good performance," he said.

Eatmon added that scheduling problems prevented athletes from filling in for those who did not arrive here.

"Allodin Fothergill, who wanted to run both relays, would have had to run back to back races. Under those conditions it would be asking too much for these people."

The former first vice president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) also revealed that some last minute change of schedules affected the performance of the team.

"The 400m was changed on the Friday before track and field started (July 20). Up to Friday there were no heats of the 400m. It would have been semi-finals on Tuesday. They put together some heats on Monday and that was what messed us up with Edino Steele. If there were no heats he would have had a day to recover."

Steele, who flew into Rio de Janeiro from Michigan via Houston, Texas, arrived at the Games in the wee hours of Monday, July 23. He tried to put in an effort in the heats of the 400m but the lack of sleep took its toll in the final 100m and he failed to advance to the semi-finals.

Members of the track and field team, including the managers and coaches, left Rio de Janeiro for home last night. Those based in Jamaica should land in the island this afternoon.