Beijing, China — Jamaica’s three-time Olympian Davian Clarke is the head coach of the Philippines to the World Championships here in Beijing.

Clarke, the former Kingston College standout who won a 4x400m relay bronze at the 1996 Olympics and is known as one of Jamaica’s best mile-relay runner, is excited about his adventure with the Philippines.

“It’s a good experience. I have a guy that runs the 400 hurdles; his name is Eric Cray and they approached me last year saying they wanted me to help him get to the next level,” Clarke revealed after being spotted making his way to the Bird’s Nest.

“So the goal was just to get him to qualify for the Olympics and the World Championships, and he was able to surpass that. He won the Cayman Invitational and ran 49.12 seconds and set a new record. “Everybody is pleased and we are just hopeful he can make the final here at the World Championships,” said Clarke.

The 39-year-old, who graduated in 1998 from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and organisation, said he would love to coach in Jamaica, but he knows he has to pay his dues before taking on such a big move.

“Jamaica is a place with many people who have a lot more technical skills than I. I am young; I have to do my time. Just like anything else, Jamaica is one of the top-level teams, so you have to have a lot of experience to get there,” he explained.

“My job is working now for the Philippines and build my resume until I can get a position like that,” he continued.

Clarke now resides in El Paso, Texas, and has been enjoying success coaching at the University of Texas in El Paso.

“I knew I always wanted to coach but you have to get the opportunity, so I was just preparing myself for this and doing other things. I volunteered a while at Auburn University, then coached there for a while. I have been doing this for probably 15 years,” he said.

Clarke is a USATF Level One certified coach and a member of the IAAF Athletes Commission.

— Howard Walker