WEIR HAS MY FULL SUPPORT!
RUGBY UNION HEAD BACKS ATHLETE’S DECISION TO MIGRATE
JAMAICA RUGBY Football Union (JRFU) chairman Jerry Benzwick has said that he supports 200m sprinter-turned-rugby player Warren Weir’s decision to migrate to Florida for track and field training.
It was reported earlier this week that Weir will be leaving the Racers Track Club to join Lance Brauman’s camp in the United States. Benzwick said that Weir’s migration to be a better sprinter will also help him to become a better rugby player and help to raise the sport’s profile, not just locally, but internationally.
“His decision to go to Florida and train is for track, but being there also allows him the opportunity to train for rugby,” Benzwick said. “The thing about Warren is that he created a major international buzz, even though he’s not 100 per cent rugby. He hasn’t played against all the giants or at the Hong Kong Sevens yet, but we hope to get him there. If we get him to play in the Hong Kong Sevens, it’s a big deal in general – not just for Jamaica Rugby, but it does well for the sport.”
POSITIVE ATTENTION
Benzwick said that Jamaican athletes have what he described as an “impeccable” integrity record as he said they are drug free and possess a winning mentality.
“I want to big up Warren Weir and say thanks to him for bringing so much positive attention to the JRFU,” he said. “He has created a major buzz in the rugby world, with all the top athletes and top officials in the sport asking for him. “He has become social media friends with the likes of Carlin Isles, the fastest man in rugby until Warren; all the South African team players; Fiji, et cetera. And we are looking forward to him playing again and hope he continues to blaze on the track.”
Benzwick said that World Rugby – the sport’s global governing body – has also been considering highlighting the London 2012 bronze medallist as an “Olympic crossover athlete”.