His name made headlines internationally. At age 21, Ryan Brathwaite gave Barbados its first gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany, when he won the 110-metre hurdles.
But since this memorable triumph, nagging injuries have plagued Brathwaite and left behind a lot of unanswered questions about his future on the track.
In an exclusive telephone interview with NATION Associate Managing Editor Tim Slinger, from what he said was a secret location in Florida, the United States, Brathwaite breaks his silence after almost a year and talks about his setbacks. He also predicts that he will bring home a medal for Barbados at the upcoming London Olympics.
How is Ryan Brathwaite and what can we expect from him in the London Olympics?
Brathwaite: Everything is good health-wise and I am training very hard. I am making each day a good day and my aim is to keep striving hard.
I am looking forward to the Olympics. We haven’t done much with regards to my times so far, ’cause I am concentrating on getting back into the techniques and speed. But I am feeling good and I will tell you that I will be on the medal stand.
You speak with a level of confidence despite your setbacks with injuries. What triggers your expectations?
Brathwaite: You can’t predict anything [and] anything could happen. Right now I’m back to my top training level and I am very active and feeling good. I have confidence that I will be on the medal stand at the London Olympics.
I am not feeling pressured but I want people to know that I am just one human being who is willing to work hard and keep striving. That’s my aim – to keep working hard and try to accomplish what I want to accomplish.
Some commentators feel your setback on the track was as a result of your gaining additional weight.
Brathwaite: Yes, I was a bit bulky and I gained a couple pounds, but now it is different. I have lost the weight and I am definitely in better shape. It’s a hard year and it’s going to be rough with rapid training.
I am not sure how many competitive events I will compete in before the Olympics but my goal is to win a medal in London. I have faith in myself and this year will be a good year – a comeback year for me.
I am not worried about the qualifying time. I will make that easily. I am not sure about when I am going to be in active competition. My coach hasn’t worked out my schedule yet, but, surely, I will be qualifying easily and getting in some good performances.
Are you satisfied your injuries are now behind you?
Brathwaite: My injuries have now healed and things are much better. I got a serious groin injury that kept me out of competition for about a year but the recovery and treatment have been successful.
I had changed my diet and then I had the weight problem and then the injuries happened. When the injuries came up, my whole diet had to be changed and I had to get a lot of treatment. But when I returned to my training schedule that is when the injuries kept recurring and I couldn’t really push like
I wanted to. It was a very serious injury but now I am recovered and I know what mistakes I made and I have learnt from it.
I injured a groin muscle and it was hard to recover and get back on the track real fast. The injury just wasn’t healing.
I needed to keep off the leg but I kept trying to return to the track but it wasn’t working for me. I realized that if you have an injury, you need to rest, instead of running through, ’cause it makes the whole thing worse.
All I am now aiming for and my goals are just to run a fast time and get the world record time. Each day I train, I think about it and I know the feeling is there that I am going to accomplish what I want to accomplish.
I can’t predict what happens in a race but I know for sure that this year has been a good year and, with my training, there are going to be some surprises. I think I am better than the other top competitors. All I have to do is work on my mistakes that I have done in the past and just fix them and I would be the best hurdler ever.
You keep referring to your mistakes. What were your mistakes?
Brathwaite: I am talking about technique-wise, stuff that I need to fix to get faster than them [other competitors] and I need to react while I am in the race against the other competitors. But that’s behind me now and I’m feeling good and ready for the world again.
Because of your failures since your 2009 gold medal, there have been some negative comments about your ability to stay on the world stage. How do you respond?
Brathwaite: I know Barbadians want me to do well and some may feel that I am not doing my best. But this has not really affected me in any way. It hasn’t played on me ’cause people have to understand that I am just one person and you can’t win everything, but you can work very hard.
I know for sure that my country still supports me. My close friends and family, they all support me, and all
I do is to try hard and work hard. My aim is to keep accomplishing what I want to do. I am not trying to let down anyone but I am working really hard and it is working out good.
My family support is tremendous, especially my mum and my dad and my best friends – they help motivate me.
I’ve learnt from some mistakes I made in the past. For example, I wasn’t as aggressive as I was supposed to be on the track, for it’s an event that calls for aggression, and you have to work on your technique as well.
Do you consider yourself to be a big threat at the London Olympics?
Brathwaite: Oh yes, I watch and review races of the top competitors and it’s just some little things I have to fix up and beat them in the race. I know I am just as good [as] or better than the other competitors.
What’s a day like for Ryan Brathwaite and his training?
Brathwaite: I train at least four hours per day. My routine is to train in the morning and go to the gym afterwards. After that I get massaged and stretched. Then I go home and return in the evening to do it all over again. Seven days a week, I don’t miss a day. I have a hectic period ahead and I have to get involved in a number of races to prepare for the Olympics.
You have been named officially as an ambassador for Barbados. What has that prestigious accolade meant to you?
Brathwaite: I am happy and very proud to be given that title. Wherever I go I let people know about Barbados and let them know everything about us. I always talk about my birthplace wherever in the world I go. I am proud to be a Barbadian.
