August 8th, 2019 -- St. Kitts and Nevis athletes are acclimatizing to the cold climate in Lima, Peru and should do well, according to Coach of the national Lonzo Wilkinson. Speaking from the athletes’ village, Coach Wilkinson said the athletes have been training well and are acclimatizing to the cold temperature. “We got here early for the opening ceremony/flag raising. We started training. In fact we were one of the first track team that started training. Training has been going good so far, the athletes have been doing well. The only other thing is the weather. The cold weather is the issue but we are acclimatizing to it and the athletes are doing well,” Wilkinson said.
He noted that coming early and getting accustomed to the cold weather was a good move. “I think that is one of the big plusses for us as a team; coming early and getting accustomed to the cold weather and actually training hard in it will at least help them to adjust when competition time comes,” Wilkinson added.
Coach Wilkinson believes Jason Rogers the most experienced athlete from St. Kitts and Nevis in the Pan Am Games is ready and raring to compete. Rogers is competing in his third Pan Am Games but is just coming off an injury and has not yet competed in a major event prior to coming to Peru. But Coach Wilkinson believes Jason is ready to earn a medal. “He’s looking sharp. He is really ready. He is at his best right now. When you talk to Jason he is focused. He really can’t wait for the competition…he is kind of concerned that he did not get a chance to compete, but I think based on the training times and what he is doing right now, he is ready for any kind of competition and he is looking to medal. Not just compete in the 100m, but to medal and bring home a medal for the country,” the coach said.
Another athlete Coach Wilkinson spoke highly of is high jumper Jermaine Francis. “He is a phenom. He is ready to jump, he is young and need some experience but he too will medal at this meet,” he added.
Coach Wilkinson also spoke about the two female athletes from St. Kitts and Nevis in these games—Shenel Crooke for the 100m and Reanda Richards for the 400m hurdles. “Shenel has some experience based on the Commonwealth but I think she has some ways to go. She is a little more experienced of the two females and I think that she is looking at least to better her personal best and get into the finals,” Coach Wilkinson said. “Reanda wants to do her best. She wants to improve her personal best and she felt that by improving her personal best she might get to the semis or the finals,” she said.
Meanwhile, Wilkinson disclosed that despite the cold weather, the team camaraderie is great thanks in large part to the congeniality of high jumper Jermaine Francis. “Having a person like Jermaine around—there is energy and vibes in the team. There is no dull moment. Everybody is energized off him. We are waiting for the competition to start and we are eager to go. Just can’t wait,” Wilkinson said.
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