‘Heartbroken’
Mcleod lashes out at Jaaa; claims wasn’t given fair chance to defend olympic crown
Jamaica’s national record holder and former Olympic and World championships gold medallist Omar mcleod says he will be “running on emotions” at today’s Wanda Diamond League meeting in London as his exclusion from the Jamaican team to the Tokyo Olympics later this month has left him “heartbroken”.
Speaking at yesterday’s pre-meet press conference, an emotional Mcleod asserted: “Honestly, I am just running off emotions right now. I am just going out there to do the best that I can. Mentally, I am not in a good place. I am trying my hardest to just complete the season and just do the best that I can, but nothing [is] promised tomorrow and [I will] give my heart like I always do.”
Mcleod, who is one of nine Jamaicans down to compete at the Diamond League event today, alleged that he was “robbed” of the opportunity to defend his title, that he was not given the same privileges as others in his position, and that he was on pace to break the Jamaican national record and maybe the world record at the Jamaican Championships held last month.
Mcleod was denied the chance to defend his 110m hurdles title when he finished last in the final at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Senior Championships at the National Stadium last month after he hit the first hurdle and trailed the field, running 16.22 seconds (06m/s).
Ronald Levy, who won the title with 13.10 seconds, Damion Thomas, who was second with 13.11 seconds, and Hansle Parchment, who was third in 13.16 seconds, were named by the JAAA on the team with Phillip Lemonious, who was fourth, named as the alternate.
Garth Gayle, president of the JAAA, has hit back at the allegations and said they had to operate in the best interest of all athletes. “We are saddened that he has made the comments which he has made but it is his right to do, but we will continue to do our best to provide for all of our athletes.
“The conditions were the same for all competing athletes, nobody complained or voiced any concerns prior to the start of the competition and those who would have done well we applaud them; those who did not do well we would have wished the situation would have been good for them, but we have to go forward with those who have earned their places,” Gayle told the Jamaica Observer.
“Omar has always represented the country to the best of his abilities, the JAAA at all times seek the best for all athletes, and the conditions under which all athletes compete has to be the same.”
When asked whether he would be trying to prove today that he was the best in the world, Mcleod said, “I have proven that over and over throughout the season. I went into the championships as the world leader before Grant Holloway [who ran 12.81 seconds in semis at US Trials].”
The Florida-based Mcleod added: “I did not go to the Championships with the audacity that they had to pick me; I was competing well and every opportunity that I had or I got, I went out there and gave a great performance. I was going to treat the trials just the same and Coach and I were on par to run something really ridiculous at Trials, so I was robbed of running really fast... honestly, a potential Jamaican record or a world record as that was just the ridiculous shape we were in going into the Trials, so I have nothing else to prove. I don’t need to prove anything, I was ready, I am ready to go defend that title and to be denied that opportunity is really absurd.”
All three rounds of the men’s 110m hurdles at the Olympics will be run on separate days with the first round set for the afternoon session August 3. The semi-finals will be run in the morning session the next day with the final set for the morning session on the next day, August 5.
He said none of the other Jamaican athletes had reached out to him to offer any sympathies, “only Elaine (ThompsonHerah)... no one reached to show their sympathy, but no one is obligated to do that and I was not really expecting that anyways, but good luck to all of them go represent the country really well.
“I am very heartbroken, honestly. I just don’t think I was given or granted a fair opportunity to make the team with the most ridiculous schedule that I have never seen in my years of track and field.”
Mcleod, who has won every title available and holds the Jamaican national record, blamed the curfew at the time. “I have never seen a ridiculous schedule like that where you have the semi-finals late in the evening without recovery and the country was in complete lockdown, so we were unable to get back to the hotel and get food so my team and I we did the best we could, we went to a little lounge at the hotel and got some soup and a salad as that was all they had and trying to get back to the track at 5:00 o’clock the next morning for a final at 8:00 am. I mean, that is stupid.”
He said he was expecting to be treated better by the organisers. “I mean... for an event that has your reigning Olympic champion you don’t treat the event like that. Give me a fair opportunity like everybody else to come and make the team. I didn’t have the audacity not to show up at the Trials thinking I was obligated to make the team. I went there ready to compete and earn my spot the rightful way.”
He told the press conference he had suffered cramps prior to the race. “In the morning I had the most human moment where I had severe cramps before the race and in that moment I just did not know what to do and I thought my country would have had my back. We did a medical exemption hoping that... it has been done before [for] Usain Bolt and so many other athletes before, where they could not run in the finals or something happened and they filled out a medical exemption, but that was Usain Bolt. You can’t deny him from going to the championships and I thought I was in the same position knowing that I won my country all their major gold medals [and had] historic moments where I was the first Jamaican to win a gold medal in every championships and thought that I was going to be OK, but my name was not on the list and so I am pretty heartbroken.”
Mcleod said his team tried to appeal the decision but to no avail. “My team and I we did everything we possibly could. We sent them e-mails, we went and met with the JAAA selection [committee]. We did everything that we could. I put out a statement on social media just to tell what happened. I mean, we did everything possible but the decision was up to them,” he said.