Grenada’s Kirani James Puts Aside Disappointment, Focused on Olympics
Above: Trinidad and Tobago’s 4×400 Bronze medalists (Photo: M Bascombe)
By Michael Bascombe
World 400-metre champion Kirani James of Grenada has thrown the disappointment of his world indoor championship campaign behind him and is looking forward to the outdoor season culminating with the Olympic Games in London.
James, who lost a bid to add the world indoor title to his recent achievements, acknowledged his defeat but said he was ready to move forward.
“Things didn’t go as planned this weekend, but hats off to the competition though; they did a pretty good job themselves,” he said in a short message on social media.
“I always think God lets certain things happen for a reason — in this case, for me to reassess some things in my current life and prioritise.”
James said he appreciated the support and encouragement he has received since he failed to medal in the final on Saturday.
“It shows that I have a lot of genuine people who cares about my well-being,” he said.
James is now returning to his training base in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to rest, recover and refresh.
“Big up ‘greenz’ [Grenada] and everyone who truly cares,” the message ended.
Nery Brenes of Costa Rica won his first-ever medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in a new championship record of 45.11 seconds.
Bahamians Demetrius Pinder and Chris Brown took the silver and bronze respectively while James finished sixth.
Caribbean athletes picked up two medals on the final day of competition. Jamaican Veronica Campbell Brown successfully defended her 60m title in a world leading 7.01 seconds to take the gold medal. Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas was fifth with a season-best time of 7.19 and Aileen Bailey of Jamaica seventh in 7.24.
Trinidad and Tobago’s quartet of Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow, Jereem Richards and Jarrin Solomon copped the bronze medal in a new national record of 3:06.85. The United States and Great Britain took the gold and silver, respectively.
In other events, Trevor Barry of the Bahamas was eighth in the men’s high jump and his compatriot Bianca Stuart also finished eighth in the women’s long jump.
