FRANCIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COACH OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Usain Bolt and Sanya Richards for being named the IAAF Male and Female Athletes of 2009, respectively. Bolt was always going to win. Who else would even be close to challenging him?

Perhaps, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who has been as dominant in the 5000 and 10,000 metres as Bolt has been in the sprints, but who has been dominant even longer than Bolt has been. Bekele is perhaps the greatest distance runner of the modern era, but the truth is whether people will openly admit it or not the sprints are the glamour events, not the distance runs.

Bolt was truly dominant this past season, 11 finals unbeaten with two world records. His name was on that crystal trophy since August.

It must have been a closer vote on the women’s side. Sanya Richards was dominant, yes, but so was Croation high jumper Blanca Vlasic, who had the second highest jump in history 2.08 metres in Croatia on August 31, a week after she had secured her second World Championship title in Berlin.

Either way, I am not too perturbed by the final choices. What bothers me though is that Clyde Hart was chosen as coach of the year. Hart trains Richards, the Female Athlete of the Year and former world number one in the 400 metres Jeremy Wariner, who has been displaced by LeShawn Merritt as the best 400 metre runner in the world. Merritt is also now World and Olympic champion.

Richards is the only current champion Hart coaches so it boggles my mind that he would be the choice for Coach of the Year. That title, I believe, deserves to be in Papine sitting in a display case or on a desk inside the Dr. Alfred Sangster Auditorium. That trophy should have been won hands down by MVP head coach Stephen Francis and here’s why.

At the 12th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Berlin, Francis’ athletes won three individual gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal. His athletes were also responsible for one individual national record and one championship record that was also the second fastest time in history. MVP athletes were also members of two gold-medal winning relay teams, one of which set a championship record that is the second fastest time in history.

In my book that is a no-contest.

As much as he has the personality Attila the Hun, Francis is a great coach, the best in the world today and perhaps for the last 10 years.

Hart has done great things and is easily the best 400 metre coach of this generation and perhaps of all time, having coached Michael Johnson, Sanya Richards, and Jeremy Wariner. But, Francis has coached Shelly Ann Fraser Olympic and World 100-metre champion; Melaine Walker, Olympic and World 400-metre hurdles champion and the second fastest woman of all time over the distance; Brigette Foster Hylton, World 100-metre hurdles champion, Kaliese Spencer, World Junior 400-metre hurdles champion; and Asafa Powell, four-time world record holder and a man who has run faster than 10 seconds 60 times; 29 times faster than 9.90. Powell also won a bronze medal in the 100 metres in Berlin.

Maybe Francis’ actions leading up to the world championships this past August had something to do with the decision. It shouldn’t because that was nothing about his coaching and more to do with his personality, but as I said before even though we don’t care to admit it, a person’s popularity does affect the way we treat them.

If that is indeed the case then Francis’ behaviour may have cost him a title he truly deserved.