BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-BRIJESH ‘BJ’ LAWRENCE is not a name that is well known on the St. Kitts-Nevis track and field scene.
He may not yet command the attention that Kim Collins, Virgil Hodge or Tiandra Ponteen do at the mere mention of their names, but Lawrence has already shown this season that he is serious about lowering his standards in the 100m and 200m so he can one day achieve his goal of representing the nation at the IAAF World Championships or Olympics.
The 20-year-old was born in Basseterre and attended the Beach Allen Primary School until 1998 when he moved to the United States.
While attending high school in Nebraska, Lawrence split his attention between track and field in the spring and American football in the fall.
The love of football is strong throughout Oklahoma and Lawrence was no exception to this as he played running back for the University of Nebraska at Omaha when he went to college.
“My first year in college they didn’t have a men’s track team, so I didn’t start running track until that summer after my freshman year,” he told SKNVibes. “I ended up not liking it eventually and I was missing track more than I did football. I did play football this year, so it’s not like I stopped playing altogether, but I got the opportunity to run track again and I wanted to take it.”
In the spring of 2008, Lawrence returned to the Federation to test himself at the National Track and Field Championships.
“I came back down to St. Kitts and ran at the National Championships hoping to qualify for the World Championships, but it didn’t go as well as I had hoped. So, I basically told myself that if I want to run faster times I’m going to have to run track in college.”
To accomplish this goal, Lawrence transferred from the University of Nebraska to Dana College just 30 miles north of Omaha where he could place greater focus on his track performances.
Thus far, the move has paid off for Lawrence. Last season he set a personal best time of 10.8 in the 100m and 21.8 in the 200m, but the 2010 season has already seen him record a 21.8 in the 200m and a new personal best of 6.79 in the 60m.
The long winter in the United States has hampered Lawrence’s training to some degree because he has not been able to take to the outdoor track, but he said that he is working on biometrics training and getting his body in peak condition for when the snow and cold finally roll back.
“This year, basically, my goal as far as the 100m is trying to hit sub-10.3, especially if I lose the weight I want to lose. Right now I’m about 210lbs, so if I can get down to about 185 I think I will be able to improve my times. In the 200m, with the right training I think I can get 20.8.”
He noted that having his weight fluctuating between the football and track season has made it challenging for him, but now that he has a renewed desire to run and would likely not be playing football next season he feels his chances of representing St. Kitts-Nevis at the international level can only improve.
“My goal right now is to be posting good times and hopefully in the future be able to run for St. Kitts at the international and professional level, hopefully making the World Championships or Olympics some day.”
For the 2010 season, Lawrence said that he has plans to compete in St. Kitts-Nevis competitions such as the National Championships when the summer comes around and he is finished with his coursework. From there he hopes to represent the nation at July’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Puerto Rico.
With a qualifying standard of 10.54 in the 100m and 21.44 in the 200m at the CAC Games, it is certain that Lawrence is an athlete on the move this year.
