I deserved to be there, says Kerr
JAMAICAN Errol Kerr says he deserved his place in the Ski Cross competition at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Kerr finished ninth overall in Sunday’s competition after becoming the first Jamaican to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games in an individual event.
Jamaica’s bobsled teams garnered worldwide attention and fame after competing in the Winter Olympics, also in Canada, in Calgary in 1988.
Kerr was ninth after the qualification round, but did not make it past the quarter-finals although his earlier time was still good enough for a top-10 finish.
“I still stuck my nose in there and just barely missed out on it and to come away with ninth place at the end of the day… obviously we came with higher expectations, but there is nothing to put your head down about that,” the 23-year-old said.
Kerr, who was born and raised in the United States of a Jamaican father and American mother, qualified for the Olympics by virtue of being among the world’s top 35 ski crossers.
“I started skiing when I was four years old and I would always tell my friends and my family that I just wanted to take a pair of skis and show the world how far your dreams can take you and I feel like this week in Vancouver that came true,” he said.
“That was a huge honour just to be able to get here for ski cross,” Kerr added.
Jamaica Ski Federation president Richard Salm, speaking exclusively with the Observer from Vancouver, said Kerr was the victim of a poor start in the quarter-finals, which cost him a spot in the last eight.
“It was his first poor start the whole week, a fraction, but that fraction cost a lot,” Salm said.
Nevertheless, he said what Kerr did was a “superb achievement”.
“We’re very pleased…. ninth in the Olympic Games is an amazing achievement for a little country like ours,” said Salm.
Kerr will continue to compete in World Cup events for the remainder of the year before aiming for next year’s World Championships in Deer Valley, Utah.
The team will also aim for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Meanwhile, Salm has called for more financial backing as the team pushes forward.
“We did it on a shoe string and what we need is some corporate sponsorship behind him for the next four years,” he said.
