Veteran Coach Fitz Coleman says that Jamaican quarter-miler Javon Francis is displaying heightened focus as he prepares for a significant push to secure his spot on the country’s team to the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Francis, 29, who has grappled with injuries throughout his career, transitioned from the Sanjay Ayre-coached Chase Athletics to Coleman’s tutelage at the onset of this season.

Last season, he fell short of making Jamaica’s team for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, failing to progress from the 400m semi-finals at the national trial and closing the year with a season’s best time of 45.10.

Coleman, who is also the coach of reigning Olympic 110m hurdles champion Hansle Parchment, noted Francis’s positive trajectory in training this season. He noted Francis’s excellent physical condition and unwavering focus on the task at hand.

“Right now, one thing is rightly sure is that he is very strong and we have put in a very good platform for his general conditioning, so we will see what happens later down and how he reacts to it,” Coleman said.

“He has been off the charts for a while and so we are not rushing to get him out there because he needs to build back and get himself fine, as he is new to me and I am new to him. I do believe that he still has a lot left in him,” he said.

Francis, the 2018 Commonwealth Games individual 400m bronze medallist, gained recognition for his electrifying anchor-leg performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, he secured a silver medal for the country in the 4x400m relay. He also clinched silver medals in the 4x400m and 4x400m mixed relay at the 2019 World Championships.

Coleman highlighted Francis’s eagerness to compete this season, with his primary focus on securing an individual spot on Jamaica’s Olympic team.

“We are working on his mental side too, because he is excited about wanting to compete and all of that and so it is encouraging and that is a good sign,” Coleman explained.

“It goes without saying because the whole idea is for him to command a lane for himself at the Olympic Games, not thinking about no relay.

“Command a lane and you will definitely be in the relay pool because the idea is to get up to speed so he can definitely be in the top three and qualify for the event to the Olympic Games,” Coleman said.

He noted that the former Calabar athlete, who is yet to commence his season, will do so this month. “He’ll be back on the track this month, although we haven’t finalised the event yet. Thankfully, he’s been free of any injury concerns thus far,” Coleman affirmed.