LocalAthletes for World Class Cuban Training
Cayman athletes, Omar Wright and MatthewThompson, are now in Cuba as a part of an advanced party scheduledfor a three-week training programme.
They will go through their paces under thesupervision of top Cuban coaches who have shaped careers of worldclass competitors such as high jump record-holder Javier Sotomayor.
The two local athletes, who are expectedto be joined this week by a number of other Caymans, will be trainedat the Cuban High Performance Sports Institute (CEAR). Facilitiesfor the world-recognised institute include track and field; sportsmedicine and physiotherapy; courts for volleyball, baseball, andbasketball; a water polo pool and a boxing ring.
The institute incorporates a high schoolwith boarding facilities for top Cuban athletes. This will enablethe local group to train with the Cuban National under-20 trackand field team.
Among the two Cayman athletes in the advanceparty, Omar specialises in high jump. He won a silver medal atthe CAC in Guatemala, and bronze medals at the CARIFTA Games andthe recent Island Games (Isle of Man), with a PR (personal best)of 1.95 metres.
Matthew Thompson competed in the 2001 CARIFTAGames and the prestigious Penn State Relays, with a PR of 11.1in the 100 metre and 23.25 in the 200-metre.
The special training has been organisedby the Cayman Islands Amateur Athletic Association (CIAAA) toassist in preparing top local athletes for competition in theWorld Junior Championship, considered the junior "Olympics,"to be hosted by Jamaica in July, and the Pan Am Junior Games inArgentina next year.
Explaining how this complements local training,National Coach Kenrick Williams said that there are five areasof specialisation in athletics: sprints and hurdles; middle distance;throws; jumps; and long distance. The Cuban training affords locallyunavailable diagnostic testing in all five areas to identify strengthsand prescribe a training programme specific to needs.
On return to Cayman, the programme willcontinue under instruction of the National Coach.
Mr. Williams said that a number of otherregional athletic champions have had the opportunity of similartraining at the CEAR Institute in Cuba.
Those of whom he was aware included a numberof champions at the 2001 CAC (Central American and Caribbean)Games in Guatemala: winner of high jump (Barbados); second intriple jump (Jamaica); and winner in hurdles (Jamaica).
World class Cuban athletes also trainingat the institute include Ivan Pederoso (long jump) and AnafideliaQuiroz (1,500 metres), under top-flight Cuban coaches Jose Quirozand Leandro Sivil, respectively. World high jump star Sotomayortrained with Quillermo de la Torres.
These coaches, who will serve as advisorsto the local contingent, are now returning from the World Championshipsin Edmonton, Alberta.