Calabar's McKenzie goes pro - JamaicaObserver.com

Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:09 PM

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Calabar's McKenzie goes pro

... Now taking orders from VC's former coach

BY KAYON RAYNOR Senior staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com

Friday, November 06, 2009

FOLLOWING months of speculation, the Observer can now confirm that Calabar track star Ramone "Batman" McKenzie - the 2007 World Youth Championships 200m gold medallist - has gone professional.

McKenzie... in training with Coach Brauman in Clermont, Orlando

McKenzie, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on November 15, started training with respected American coach Lance Brauman earlier this week.

"Ramone has decided to go professional," his mother and local manager Lorraine McKenzie confirmed in an exclusive interview with the Observer yesterday.

"He will be attending Full Sail University in January (but), he's now in training with coach Lance Brauman in Clermont, Orlando, having started on the second of November," she added, noting that her son is adjusting well to his new environment.

"It's a little different from what he's accustomed to, but he knows he has to make adjustments and change, so he's fine," the elder McKenzie disclosed, adding that her son's international agent/manager, Guyanese-born Cubie Seegobin, is currently negotiating a sponsorship deal with sportswear manufacturers Adidas International.

"We are in dialogue, we haven't really signed off on anything yet, but we should in another month or so," she added.

Up until last month, Braunman was the coach of Jamaica's most successful female Olympian, Veronica Campbell-Brown, having guided the former Vere Tech star to some nine medals at the global level.

McKenzie, who represented Jamaica at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Poland and this summer's senior Championships in Berlin, joins the likes of Yohan Blake and Dexter Lee, who gave up their final year of eligibility at Boys Championships over the past two years.

"Ramone has always wanted to get a change. He did not want to stay here (in Jamaica); he wanted a different scenery, different everything, hence his reason for going overseas," his mother explained.

McKenzie, who holds the Class Two 200m (20.83secs) and 400m (47.26secs) records at Boys Championships while competing for Calabar, is also the back-to-back Class One 400m champion.

"Staying at Calabar for another year, the kind of improvements that he wants he wouldn't get that at Champs. He's no longer a Junior and for him to stay back for Champs for another year, I don't think he would get the kind of competition he needs to take him to the next level," she added.

McKenzie has personal best times of 10.35secs, 20.56secs and 46.62secs in the 100, 200, and 400, respectively.

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