Darrel Brown

BEIJING, China (CMC):

While most Caribbean track and field pundits have made bold predictions that the contest for the 4x100 metres relay gold medal should be between the US and Jamaica, not much attention and respect is given to the crack relay quartet from Trinidad and Tobago.

There is no doubt that the many early predictions are based on the current form and performances of the leading male sprinters.

Using that analysis, Jamaica - with Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter and Michael Frater - remain early favourites.

But to paraphrase an old saying, 'the race is not necessarily for the swift', as in the case of relays it takes much more than speed to lead.

This lesson ought to have been well digested and assimilated by the Jamaicans by now given the several relay misfortunes at previous Games, the most recent of which was at the 2007 Osaka World Championship when bad baton passing almost left this Caribbean team out of the medal frame.

The Jamaicans were lucky then to medal due in large part to Powell's finishing speed.

It seemed then that Bolt especially had had little or no previous practice with the team hence the exchanges involving him on the first and second legs were horrendous, leaving Powell with the Herculean task of moving from almost at the rear of the pack to clinch the silver.

In its most recent prediction on this event Track and Field News, the self-proclaimed 'Bible of the sport', recalls Powell's feat in this way: "It's not all about speed: WR holder Powell ran one of the greatest anchors ever seen last year, but it was not enough for Jamaica to catch the unheralded Dixon."

Post event comments by Bolt and Powell were interesting.

According to Bolt: "It was a good race, but with one bad change. Oh, we messed that really bad. I am not satisfied, but, ah, it is still the silver medal."

Mistakes made

And from Powell: "We made mistakes, we messed an exchange and it cost us that world record. I guess the guys got very excited. But next time around, we will do better. We ran very fast. But we could have done a lot better. With more practice and more training for the relay, we would have been far better. Next year comes the Olympics."

Both top sprinters seemed then to have learned the "P' word and with it the message that speed is good but practice is essential.

In 2008, one year later, not much has changed and the Jamaican team is woefully short on practice.