Tara Sue Bennett produces NJR to qualify World Junior Champs

CLARENDON, Jamaica - Tara Sue Barnett of Edwin Allen is the new Jamaica junior discus record holder. The 17-year-old student became the first Jamaican school girl to throw the discus over 50 metres.

She threw 50.93 metres in the Class 1 girls section at last Saturday's Ben Francis Invitational, held at Vere Technical High in Clarendon.

The previous junior mark of 48.71m was set by former St Hugh's High student Candecia Bernard two years ago.

Bennett, who in the process, qualified for July's IAAF World Junior Championships to be held in Barcelona, Spain, beat her teammates Daniel Thomas (49.64m) and Sasha-Gay Marston (45.66m) - both also getting personal best marks.

The "untold stories" behind Jamaican athletes' success

Track & Field is a wonderful sport, but I wish those individuals in a position of power and influence to make a difference in the athletes' personal and financial development, get it right this time.

Before an athlete can do, they need to be taught how to be – before they can do.

As a former professional athlete, I believe more effort should be placed on helping athletes develop their psychological aptitude. Too many of our athletes are leaving the sport without achieving their highest financial potential – this is psychologically depressing.

When the Jamaican public watches Jamaican athletes competing and leaving everything on the track, they need to know who should be credited for the athletes' success. The public need to know that many athletic federations continue to take the credit for the athletes' success, while in truth, their contribution to the overall athletes' physical and psychological development is minimal.

When some of the Jamaican athletes look back at their personal and psychological development throughout their career, those who are honest are not afraid to acknowledge altruists such as "the Dr Arthur Williams", "the Larry Fosters", "the Hugh Scotts, and the other high school alumni who took the time to help them achieve their athletic potential. Such individuals took on the burden that many athletic federations continue to avoid.

Without these altruists' willingness to invest their own hard earn monies, time, and effort into the development of Jamaican athletes, many Jamaica track and field programs, world championship and Olympic or other performances would have been uninspiring and disappointing for spectators and fans. Such individuals and groups are the key contributing factors to many of the athletes' success. Still, they are never appreciated nor acknowledged for the significant role they played in the development of Jamaican athletes.

For that reason, I would like to take the time to acknowledge such altruists and elders like Larry Foster, Dr Williams, Hugh Scotts and many more elders who invested and continue to invest their efforts to athletes' development. Without such persons, many Jamaican athletes such as Greg Haughton, Inez Turner, Merlene Frazer, Catherine Scott, Asafa Powell, Bridgette Foster, Veronica Campbell, Juliet Campbell, Revoli Campbell, Usain Bolts, Sandy Richards, and Germaine Gonzalez etc would have been relegated to spectators rather than champions.

I pray athletes will realize and learn how to spot the wolves in sheep clothing.

*Gregory Haughton is a former Jamaica top athlete. Haughton was crowned 2004 World Indoor Champion, 1998 Commonwealth Champion, 1999 Pan American Games champion, Goodwill Games Champion in 2001. He won three Olympic bronze medals in 2000 (400m, 4x400m) and 1996 (4x400m), as well as three silver and three bronze (twice individual 400m) medals at the World Championships.