Ottey (Left) and McDonald (Right)
MERLENE Ottey's participation in the 100 metres at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, was cast in doubt yesterday.
Raymond Stewart, coach of Beverly McDonald, speaking from his home on Fort Worth, Texas, said his charge would not skip the 100m.
"She will compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, so all the people who are spreading the rumours that Beverly will run only the 200m to allow Ottey to compete in 100m will be disappointed," said Stewart.
Ottey, 40, qualified to run the 4x100m in Sydney after finishing fourth (11.27 seconds) in the 100m at the National Senior Championships Trials last weekend. The event was won by Peta-Gaye Dowdie in 11.19 with McDonald second (11.20) and Tayna Lawrence third in 11.21.
Usually the first three at the Trials compete in the individual event with the top six forming a relay squad.
However, soon after the Trials, president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), Adrian Wallace, said there was a possibility McDonald would opt for the 200m in Sydney, clearing the way for Ottey to compete in the 100m.
Last year, McDonald finished second in the 100m at the Trials and won the 200m, however, she competed only in the 200m at the World Championships in Seville, Spain, where she mined silver.
"If anything happens later down the road, basically that would be a different scenario, but at this point I am scheduling her for both events, the 100 and 200m," Stewart said, adding McDonald was upset about the rumours.
According to Stewart, word had already spread to Europe as he had received a call from an athletics meet manager who said the promoter of a meet in Zurich told him she read in a German newspaper McDonald "gave up her lane in the 100m for Ottey to compete".
"I don't know who is spreading all those rumours," said an upset Stewart.
McDonald, 30, refused to comment on the issue. "She is upset based on what they are saying," Stewart pointed out.
"I think they should get the facts straight, try to contact the actual persons and find out what's going on and stop saying things that don't go that way. It will not look good on their side," he said.
Stewart said McDonald can compete in both races based on the schedule of the Sydney Olympics.
The 100m will be completed on the first two days of track and field, September 22 and 23. There will be a three-day break before the 200m first round begins on September 27.
"It gives her more time to rest, that's the big difference between the World Championships and the Olympics," said Stewart.
"We are not looking at Ottey's last Olympics, we are looking at our schedule and motives because I guarantee that if Beverly (McDonald) had wanted to run the 100m and she finished fourth at the Trials nobody would want to give their space for her to run the 100m. Right now she is going to run in both events," he said.
Meanwhile, Ottey's coach, Slovenian Srdjan Djordjevic, is preparing her to compete in the 100m. He said she is likely to compete in four races leading up to the Olympics including the Zurich Grand Prix next month.
Ottey had predicted she would bring her times down to the '10.70s' if she remained fit and healthy. She ran a season-best 11.09 in the heats of the 100m at the National Trials, which was her second meet after her nandrolone case was cleared by the IAAF on July 3.
By Merrick Andrews,
Staff Reporter
