New York, USA (SMS) — While the pressure mounts for her possible attendance at the London Olympics, starting late this month, Kadecia Baird is upholding an intensity of her own. She is ensuring her focus and preparation are impeccable for her indisputable participation in next week’s IAAF World Junior Championships.
The subject of heated ponderings as to whether she should represent Guyana at the 2012 Olympiad, Baird and fellow US-based junior runner Sheniece Daphness wing out of New York , today, for the Barcelona meet.
Though aware of the rasps over Guyana ’s Olympic team selection malaise, the recent US National Scholastic 400m champion “will not grow any wrinkles over it”, according to her coach Shaun Dietz who accompanies the adolescents to the Spanish city.
But 17-year old Baird is realistic. Though her older compatriot, national record holder Aliann Pompey, has a faster Olympic ‘B’ standard qualification – 51.66s to 52.14s – she knows that the Spain meet could be a dethroning duple. “If I go to World juniors and I make the time and am selected to run, I would take the trip to have the experience to open me to bigger and better things.”
The Guyanese wunderkind came a lot better for the 2011-12 season, swooping up untold championships and new personal bests (PRs) after gaining her big jaunt at last year World Youth championships in France.
Now, Baird backs herself to deliver, and coach Dietz is fanning her zeal. “She learnt from that exposure and it help her conviction that’s why she’s having such a fantastic year,” he told Stabroek Sports at the end of a late-morning training regimen, earlier in the week. “Well, things are going smoothly.” Baird will compete in the 200m and 400m events, while Daphness does the 200m. They are to be joined in Spain by locally-based one-lapper Stephan James. Baird is ranked #5 in the world at 400m and her PR at 200m is 23.29 (w3.5), while Daphness goes in with a best of 24.06. Their times were achieved within the past two months.
Both Baird and Daphness represented Medgar Evers, winning craters of individual and relay spoils, before Daphness got a scholarship to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), last year.
Now, for a few weeks, Daphness is reuniting with her former schoolmate under Dietz’s tutelage for national duties. “It been different for the couple of days, because at MTSU I don’t do as much I used to with coach Dietz, and now its like adapting back to his coaching after an entire year,” Daphness said of her current training. “I feel like am getting better, and am comfortable and looking for great things come World juniors.”
One of the hottest young stars in New York ’s sports loop, Baird, herself, finds Daphness’ colleagueship cheering. “It’s great to have her back in this environment. We know each other, so it’s easy for us to work with each other,” she assured. “Getting to go to ‘World Juniors’ with her to represent our country is so much, like, great.”
“Both of us will support each other, and for me, I am looking forward to going out there and having some fun, making it to the finals and am hoping to make the top three for both events,” said Baird. Then Daphness spun her outlook, too. “I want to go and do my best. Get a PR, make it to the next round and take it from there. My focus right now is to take it one race at time. Get to the semis, then get to the final.”
Having heard the intents of his young Guyanese star athletes, the Jamaica-born Dietz said that an important spin in their training cycle is having utmost mental preparation and ‘big heartedness’. “Because when you step on the line everyone’s equal at that point, but at the end of the day, once you believe in yourself you will make strides
“Once these girls believe in themselves, I expect them to go out there and do very well in all the events that they compete in, and make themselves and country proud,” Dietz said in the midst of a pair of fixated stares from the girls.
Now, it’s left to Baird and Daphness to help Guyana reverse its ‘BairdNess’ at these meets.
