With a focus of promoting Caribbean athletics globally, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is spearheading a 'Day in the Life' Series, featuring some of the best athletes in the region. The first stop on the regional tour is the island nation of Jamaica. Our man Sheldon Longley is with the IAAF team, and will be bringing daily updates here in the Sports section of The Nassau Guardian.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - One of Jamaica's most legendary athletes, Donald Quarrie, said the country is experiencing its best era in track and field, and for that to continue, they must not get complacent.
In an exclusive interview with the IAAF 'Day in the Life' Team, Quarrie said that it is incumbent among former athletes such as himself, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), the coaches in Jamaica, and sports enthusiasts in general, to continue to hold the sport to a high standard. They must continue to move forward in their ideology and training techniques and programs, said Quarrie.
To this day, almost 30 years after ending his career, Quarrie remains passionate about the sport that has taken him around the world. He is a five-time Olympian, finishing his Olympic career with a gold, two silvers and a bronze, and has won nine gold medals between the Pan American and Commonwealth Games combined. For his exploits on the track, Quarrie has a high school named in his honor in east Kingston, and statue in front of the national stadium. He held the Jamaican national record in the men's 200 meters (m) for 36 years before Usain Bolt finally broke it in 2007, and he owns the 1976 Olympic gold medal over that distance. Quarrie's personal best time in the 200m was 19.86 seconds. Other than Bolt, the only Jamaicans who have ran faster over that distance are Yohan Blake, Warren Weir and Nickel Ashmeade.
Quarrie likes where they are now, and is hopeful for continued progression.
"I think we always had good sprinters. We didn't win a lot of medals, but we were in a lot of finals," said Quarrie. "What is happening now, is something that could have happened before, but nothing happens before its time. At this point, we're setting a standard for others to follow. The competition among ourselves has produced top level athletes. We're at the top now, but the world is continually spinning. One day, we might not be at the top. For anyone to pass us now, they have to be prepared to take the leadership role. When you look at the rest of the Caribbean, they are coming. We can't take anything for granted. We have to continue our progression as well.
"I was very happy when Bolt broke my national record because it shows that we are progressing. He carried it to what it should be. If you look at our high school system, we are producing a lot of athletes, but it is mostly just sprinters. Hopefully, for the most part, our junior athletes could have a successful transition to the senior level."
Even today, Quarrie at 63, still runs on a regular basis. He said that he enjoys running, and will continue to do so to maintain a level of fitness. He said that Jamaicans, on the whole, have a culture of running.
"If you look at our daily activities, there is something that involves running," he said. "I was fortunate in that my father was a policeman, and when they had their police sports meets, there was a race for children and I got into running. In every area of our society, you find kids running, and they do it for fun. They develop fundamentals at a very early age, and it helps them in their athletic careers.
"When our young athletes look at what is happening today, they want to be the next Usain Bolt. They know now that it is achievable, and then when they go to CARIFTA, and the world juniors and excel there, they get that confidence that they could continue. The junior program is very successful, and it is benefitting us so much."
Even though Jamaican athletes have achieved great success by training at home over the past 10 years, Quarrie is a huge proponent of them going to the American colleges to further their education.
"We have been pretty successful with athletes staying at home, but they should embrace the opportunity to go to the states if it is presented to them, to further develop themselves both academically and athletically, because not everyone could be that super athlete," said Quarrie. "The U.S. system has helped a lot of our athletes, not just track-wise, but also to be what they normally wouldn't have become had they stayed in Jamaica. If they want to come back after their degrees, by all means do so, but you should utilize the opportunities that are presented to you."
Just last week, the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) wrapped up one of its most productive Boys and Girls Athletics Championships, commonly known as 'Champs', in recent memory. Over 20 records were broken at the five-day high school meet. Quarrie said that there is no doubt that the juniors are excelling, but added that the next challenge for them is to nurture that talent in preparation for the senior level.
"One of the issues that we have in Jamaica is glorifying our high school athletes, but once you leave school, you get into a system where you are no longer the person," he said. "You have to be able to mix it up with others and sometimes it is a matter of how you adjust that will tell how you would fare on the senior level. It has a lot to do with the program that you are in, how you are coached and the discipline that you have instilled in you from your parents, your school and your coach. That tells if you are going to make it or not.
"In the sprints, it comes down to the dedication and the desire of the athlete to become number one. It's one thing to be running fast, but it is certainly another to be able to maintain a certain level of performance. When you are at the top, there are going to be 10 guys coming after you every day - you don't get to the top and relax. You have to be aware that there is always someone wanting to knock you off. In the other areas, it's going to come down to the coaching expertise and the amount of facilities that we have."
Quarrie is one of the meet directors for the Jamaican International Invitational, set for Saturday May 3 at the national stadium in Jamaica. Already, a number of world-class athletes have confirmed participation. Scheduled to compete are Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Allyson Felix, LaShawn Merritt, Felix Sanchez and Justin Gatlin, just to name few.
"We're going to have some outstanding athletes here," assured Quarrie. "A number of top athletes are already confirmed, and a lot of people are looking forward to it."
As far as the world relays and the Commonwealth Games are concerned, Quarrie said that he is excited about both events.
"When you look at the Commonwealth Games, I got my start there so that holds a special place in my heart. Some of the top Jamaican athletes have shown an interest in competing there, so we should be able to field a strong team. With the world relays, I think that it is good that they are having it. It should be different from the regular competitions. This event has the potential for a world record. I'm looking forward to it."
The inaugural International Association of Athletic Federations' (IAAF) World Relay Championships is set for May 24-25, at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, in The Bahamas, and the 20th Commonwealth Games will be held July 23 to August 3, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Quarrie also spent some time in Beijing, China, coaching some of its young sprinters prior to the 2008 Olympic Games, and then moved on to Thailand in 2010. One of the Chinese sprinters even credited Quarrie with his sudden progression in the sprints.
"Coaching is a lot of fun. Maintaining discipline is important," said Quarrie. "I never push an athlete to the point where I think they can't make it. As an athlete, you have to have the mental ability to deal with the pressure. That will take you a step further. You have to stick to your pattern, and prepare yourself consistently and get to a certain level.
"In Beijing, before the Olympics, I was working and advising their sprinters and coaches. If you can spread the knowledge it only helps to improve the sport worldwide. It is a lot of fun as a coach seeing an athlete performing well. The IAAF encourages it."
Quarrie first qualified at the Olympic level as a 17-year-old sprinter. He eventually developed to point where he was widely considered the best half-lapper in the world, tying the world record in 1975. He also tied the 100m record with a hand-timed mark of 9.90 seconds in 1976 at the California Relays at Modesto Junior College, thereby becoming one of only a few athletes to have held these records simultaneously.

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