Tia-Adana Belle has vaulted to No. 2 in the world in the Under-18 girls’ 400 metres hurdles, but with restrictions in place governing the new track at the National Stadium, her coach is very concerned about her preparation going forward.
Belle clocked 59.55 seconds in the intermediate hurdles on Sunday at the Barbados Olympians Classic to achieve the world ranking and qualify for the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, from July 10 to 14.
Coach Michael “Fatman” Linton said he understood the concern about the track but said the new regulations had implications for some track athletes.
“Athletes who have already qualified and are showing signs of winning medals need to put in the work,”?Linton said.
“The one [track] they had before, I believe there was too much traffic and you had to be dodging people who were walking.”?he added. “I don’t believe an athlete should be on the track every day, but hurdles and race model training need to be done on a track.
