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Brathwaite’s Coach: Ryan was born a champion!
9/17/2009
From the time National athletics coach Alwyn Babb laid eyes on a young Ryan Brathwaite some seven years ago, he predicted he was looking at a future World Champion. Then, on August 20 his prediction was confirmed when Brathwaite made history and crossed the line in 13.14 seconds to win gold in the 110-metre hurdles at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. It was Barbados’ first Gold medal on an international stage.
Babb, who is head coach of Ryan’s local club Rising Stars, was the coach of the Barbados team at the recent World Championships in Germany. He was present during Brathwaite’s stunning run and he took some time out to speak to the Barbados Advocate ahead of Ryan’s return to the island today.
The national coach said he had always believed in Brathwaite and he knew it was just a matter of time before the rest of the world believed as well. “After watching him at Inter-School sports some years back, I realised he was ahead of his competitors in terms of his technique, not necessarily his speed, but the way in which he attacked the hurdles. I knew at that point in time he had the capability of going on much further as we would all eventually realise,” he said.
Speaking with the utmost pride, Babb continued, “I have watched Ryan move from an ordinary boy who did not like training to the professional he is today. He is now approaching his career as a business, but he realises he still has to train and he still has to get stronger. He has now moved from the thinking of a young school boy to the professional athlete that we see today.”
Brathwaite ran his historic race in a time of 13.14 seconds. Though a new national record for Barbados, Babb, as is usually the case, believes he can still go faster. “I believe Ryan can defend his World Championship crown in 2011 and go on to become the Olympic champion in 2012. Based on what we have been seeing, I believe he can run sub 13 seconds. I do think a world record may be on the cards for him in the not too distant future. He still has a long way to go and I still feel he can run much faster,” he asserted.
A straight forward and no-nonsense coach who tirelessly supports his athletes, Babb disclosed to this newspaper that going into the World Championships Brathwaite had some small issues with the starting and finishing of his race. After those niggling problems had been solved, it was time to set their sights on the gold medal. “When Ryan came back home just before the World Championships, he expressed some concerns that he was having about the way he approached the first hurdle and how he was finishing the race. We then did some remedial work at The Lester Vaughn School (Brathwaite’s Alma Mater) and at the National Stadium to correct his problems at the start and finish,” he revealed.
Continuing to chronicle Brathwaite’s journey to Gold, Babb continued, “I was more nervous about him finishing the race at the semi-final stage. When he won the semi-final I felt a bit relieved because we all knew, based on his performances leading up to the world Championships, that if he made the final, he could medal.”
Babb said that though Brathwaite’s current success was the most recent example of a shinning star, many young athletes in Barbados were capable but needed the support to chase their dreams.
“Based on what we saw, we now have a guy who showed he can compete with world. He showed he can control and dominate a race from start to end. Ryan Brathwiate is only one of many other people in Barbados with this potential who needs the support to make their dream a reality. I am just glad Ryan got the opportunity to show the world his perseverance,” he noted. (AH)
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