Spanish Town, Nanterre City Twinning agreement demonstrates positive first step

The seminar, conducted in Nanterre, France, was one of the first activities under the official City Twinning agreement between Nanterre, France, and Spanish Town, signed on the margins of the Paris Olympics.

The agreement was signed by Mayor of Spanish Town, Councillor Norman Scott, and his counterpart in Nanterre, Raphael Adam, at a recent ceremony held to coincide with Jamaica Day celebrations in Nanterre.

“It was very nice to see coach Mills. I benefited from his experience, and nobody runs faster than his athletes, so obviously it was a big opportunity for us to meet him and to learn from him,” Mr. Edu said, during an interview conducted in France by officials of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES).

Mr. Edu, who specialises in the 100, 200 and 400-metre races, said he benefitted from the coaching tips, which he will utilise in his training programmes.

“I will put that in my training and see how it works. I hope it works well and I will see him at very big meets,” he said, adding that he trains athletes of various ages.

Another coach, Joachmeim Selmi, who attended the seminar, said he found the training very beneficial and was happy to learn from some of the coaching experiences shared by Mr. Mills.

He said that the training has improved his understanding of the mental, physical and technical aspects of speed.

“It is a thing that resonates more, and I think it’s a good start,” Mr. Selmi noted.

Meanwhile, Coach Mills expressed satisfaction with the seminar, citing the quality of questions from attendees.

“The participants were enthused. They asked good questions and I think I was able to answer well. The pointers that we discussed, I am sure will benefit them in their coaching jobs,” he said.

Mr. Mills dismissed concerns about Jamaica’s coaching tips being shared internationally.

“It is good to interact, to discuss and to share knowledge and to get knowledge. I don’t believe that the knowledge that we have is unique to us alone. I think what we do is that we are able to use that knowledge in a more successful way and get high-quality results and nobody can take that away from us,” he said.

Reflecting on the recent Olympic Games, where there were first-time accomplishments by Jamaican field athletes, especially Roje Stona, who secured a gold medal in the men’s discus with his 70-metre throw, Coach Mills said he was pleased with Jamaica’s successes.

“But I am not surprised at their performances, because there is a groundswell around the field events and it is gathering momentum. It is really pleasing to see the variety of events that we were able to medal in and it will only get better,” he said.

Mr. Mills noted that despite some setbacks and injuries suffered by top athletes, Jamaica’s six Olympic medals were commendable.

“We suffered some fatal blows with injuries to a number of our top athletes, and some did not perform to the level of expectations. However, we still got six medals and six Olympic medals is nothing to scoff at,” he said, noting the successes in track and field that Jamaica has had over the years.

“What we need to do is to analyse what we can do better for the next Olympics and what we can do to increase the possibility of our medal haul,” he continued.

Mr. Mills said it is not always easy to get medals at the Olympics or any world championships and urged Jamaicans to be thankful and celebrate the successes.

He also emphasised the need for introspection and improvement in Jamaican athletics, adding that issues such as conflicts between the Olympics and athletic bodies need to be addressed to avoid future setbacks.

“This is very harmful to the sport and if it is not cauterised and allowed to continue, we will have some bad results and the sport is going to suffer,” Mr. Mills added.