WHY VCB LEFT

Word came last week that Veronica Campbell Brown and her long-time coach Lance Brauman were going their separate ways bringing to an end a partnership that has yielded three Olympic gold medals, two of them individual and a World title.

The Jamaican sprint queen and her coach have been together since their days at Barton Community College, through their times at the University of Arkansas and onto the professional circuit. They have been together through thick and thin, all the while remaining loyal.

When Brauman was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison back in October 2006 on charges of embezzlement from student assistance program funds, one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds and three counts of mail fraud, it meant that Campbell Brown as well as Tyson Gay would go into the 11th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Osaka, Japan without Brauman’s direct input into their training routines. He wrote them manuals outlining their training programmes. Campbell Brown won gold in the women’s 100 metres while Gay won gold medals in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and the 4 x100-metre relay. It would be understated to say that the union resulted in great success.

But, if there was so much success to be had why did Campbell Brown leave?

Surely she has not forgotten the abundance of success that Brauman has helped her achieve including the fastest time in 10 years – 21.74s – that she ran while defending her Olympic 200-metre title in Beijing in 20008.

Here is why I think VCB has decided to move on. VCB is a fierce competitor. She ruled the world of female sprinting in 2007 but a year later she was only fourth best in her own country. Imagine how she must have felt when as defending world champion she was unable to represent Jamaica at the Olympics in the 100 metres. The three women who beat her also showed that it was no fluke taking all three medals in Beijing.

As defending world 100 metre champion VCB earned an automatic berth in the event for Berlin so she did not have to qualify. It made no difference. A persistent toe injury and a hamstring strain two weeks or so before the world championships rendered VCB little more than a spectator in the women’s 100 metres and she was handily beaten in her pet event, the 200 metres, by her American rival Alyson Felix.

But even if she was healthy going into the world championships, in all likelihood VCB would have been beaten in Berlin. The times recorded by Shelly Ann Fraser and Kerron Stewart 10.73s and 10.75s respectively, far exceed VCB’s best times over the short sprint. She has even lamented that the world record time set by the late Florence Griffith Joyner 10.49s is out of her reach. Fraser, Stewart and Carmelita Jeter have all shown VCB that it is very possible for other women to approach the time set under controversial circumstances at the American national trials 21 years ago.

It’s a simple case of what have you done for me lately. It would seem as if the former Vere Tech alum has lost faith in the ability of her coach to give her the attention necessary to get her to run faster than she ever has before. In the world of track and field VCB is a queen. Not being on top is not something she will find acceptable. She has to be able to compete and that means extra attention from her coach, who also has another major star in Tyson Gay to attend to.

It could also be that VCB believes that Brauman is incapable of getting more out of her. Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt and it happens in all sports. No matter how good a coach is, there comes a time when his athletes stop listening. When that happens it’s time to move on.

Anthony Carpenter is the man on the hot seat now. Let’s see how far he can take VCB.

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