Canada’s Rodney considers GC Foster switch ahead of Paris Games
Coming off a high from Canada’s victory in the 4x100m event at the World Athletics Championships in August, Brendon Rodney is hungry for solo glory. And he believes Jamaica is the perfect place to prepare him for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The 30 year-old sprinter is considering moving his training camp to the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sport in Spanish Town, where he would work with Maurice Wilson, that institution’s head coach.
He has trained with Wilson in the past, but if things go to plan, the New York-based Rodney would set up camp in Jamaica for an extended period.
Rodney, who competes over 100, 200 and 400 metres, admits he is not satisfied with his current form as a sprinter.
“As a competitor, you want to be the best in the world and compete with the best. I’m in the right company, but I need to be consistent,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Standing six feet, three inches, Rodney’s best time over 100m is 10.28 seconds, recorded in 2015. His personal best over 200m is 19.96 seconds, done in 2016.
With the right training regimen, he is hoping to be among the elite sprinters in time for Paris. Most of Rodney’s training has been in the United States where he competed in the NCAA Championships for Long Island University. He is now coached by American Simon Hodnett.
The Ontario-born athlete’s parents are Jamaican. He has been visiting here since childhood and attended his first track meet in Kingston at age 16.
Competing on the grand prix circuit, Rodney has formed friendships with Jamaican athletes such as Rasheed Dwyer and Oshane Bailey. He has noticed the difference in training methods in the US and Jamaica.
“There’s more emphasis on getting strong in Jamaica, whereas in the US it’s just about if you are fast, you’re just gonna run fast,” Rodney said.
For the past 10 years, he has been a member of Canada’s competitive sprint relay team that won medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games. He began sprinting while in middle school in Canada and first represented his country at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Since then, Rodney has won bronze and silver medals with Canada’s sprint quartet at the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics, respectively.
Along with Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Andre De Grasse, he carried Canada to the gold medal at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last month. They upset the USA, Great Britain and Jamaica.
As much as he savours success with Canada’s relay team, Rodney would be even more pleased standing alone on the medal rostrum.
“I’ve run the 100, 200 and 400 and had success in all of them. I’ve set a goal of being among the top eight sprinters in the world by 2024, which can be achieved. I just have to be consistent,” he said.