Ryan Brathwaite has some tough decisions to make – including whether he should defend his title at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, next month.
Up one day and down the next, Brathwaite is a shadow of himself, physically and performance-wise as he shoulders the pressure of defending his world 110m hurdles title at the August 27 to September 4 event.
Alwyn Babb, his local coach, is as baffled as anyone else.
“I have registered my concerns and I am trying to ascertain what is going on with the training part,” Babb told SUNSPORT, finally breaking his silence after weeks of prodding.
“I have not had any physical contact since the end of Nationals and I am trying to understand what is going on.”
Babb has been in contact via the Internet, but is not satisfied with the answers he has received after each performance. He has also been unable to assess the intensity of the workouts and Brathwaite’s overall programme leading to Daegu.
When Brathwaite arrived home in June for the National Championships, he was significantly larger than he has ever been and Babb diplomatically referred to him as “bulky”, noting that the weight had been reducing as a result of a change in diet. He also stated at the time that Brathwaite should be able to defend his title, provided he continued in the same vein.
However, he left the island soon after his 13.75 seconds performance here, but there has been little to show in the ensuing weeks.
This year’s performances are in stark contrast to the same period two years ago, heading into Berlin where Brathwaite lowered the national record three times, then broke it again in the semi-finals (13.18) and finals (13.14).
Last year, along with his coach Matt Cain, some tinkering was done with the drills and technique. Brathwaite said they hadn’t worked out and he was going back to the “old school way”.
He won silver at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Under-23 Championships and a gold medal in the Central American and Caribbean Games. He was scheduled to compete at the CAC Senior Championships this year, but was unavailable.
The best time this season has been 13.54 seconds, nowhere near his best. All of the other top hurdlers like Dayron Robles, David Oliver, Dwight Thomas, Liu Xiang, Aries Merritt and others have been in very good form.
Brathwaite has also fallen in several outings this season and his smooth, almost effortless action between the hurdles has disappeared.
He reached another low last Friday when he was fifth in the heats at the DN Galan meet in Stockholm, Sweden in 14.08 seconds, and failed to reach the final.
Babb is not sure if the 23-year-old is in good enough shape to adequately defend his title.
“I want him to investigate whether he has enough time to defend his title in a respectable way and what is contributing to his run of poor performances. If there are injuries or fitness concerns, he needs to make other decisions.”
Esther Maynard, president of the Amateur Athletic Association remains hopeful.
“We have one month to go, don’t let’s write them off. He may be training hard at the moment – but I am not saying that he is – and that could also count for the dip before he comes back up. His handlers would have to know what the progress is where he is concerned, so it is a wait and see situation,” she said.
Brathwaite is one of five Barbadians who have qualified for the World Championships. The others are hurdlers Shane Brathwaite and Kierre Beckles, as well as Andrew Hinds and Ramon Gittens in the 100 metres.
Other athletes still have until August 15 to qualify and Maynard said they would be sending a small team to the Trinidad and Tobago National Championships next month, and that would also be the final selection meet for the Pan Am Games in October.
