Delano Williams helps to nurture TCI athletes for stardom
Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) first Olympian and World Junior champion, Delano Williams, is back home using his experience of living and training in Jamaica to help nurture TCI youth to become world-class athletes.
The sprinter, who is now at the TCI Sports Commission, where he is a sports performance apprentice coach and is transitioning into the sports performance coach by the end of June, said he wants to play a part in making sure that TCI athletes also get to the top of the sport.
“I decided to join the TCI Sports Commission because I wanted to give back to my country in the capacity of helping athletes get to their full potential in various sports fields,” he said. “My objective is strength and conditioning athletes to a point where they can be world-ranked athletes regionally and internationally,” Williams said.
The former Munro College ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) star, under the guidance of his Jamaican coach Neil Harrison, while also being a part of clubs such as Racers and MVP Track clubs, was able to achieve several international successes while living and training in Jamaica.
These include becoming the World Junior champion over 200 metres in 2012 and being a part of Great Britain’s 4x400 metres World Championships bronze medal team in Beijing, China, in 2015.
Williams said he does not want these successes to be limited to him and his generation, but it is a challenge that will take some work for others living in TCI to develop into world-class athletes, as the track and field resources and culture are not as strong as Jamaica.
“It has been great (working for the TCI Sports Commission), and I am learning from the different athletes as we don’t have resources, but we do have true talent here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. I am trying to nurture the talent to where they become podium athletes.
“Some of the kids here do not understand the magnitude of where sports or track and field can get them in the world. I am trying to break that bridge where they can go beyond high school and Carifta games, so I’ll be motivating the athletes to believe in their athletic ability,” Williams said.
Williams believes that if these athletes put God first and continue to be disciplined, dedicated and determined, the near future for TCI will have many Olympic champions.