Netherlands Antilles' Martina can be the best, says coach KitchensTuesday, April 18, 2006
by Gary SmithCaribbean Net News Sports Correspondent
EL PASO, USA: Following impressive performances in the outdoor campaign so far this season, Bob Kitchens, head coach at the University Texas at El Paso, believes with a little maturity and technical work Netherlands Antilles' world-rated athlete Churandy Martina can become the best sprinter in the world."Churandy (Martina) is further along at this point than I thought he would be," Kitchens told Caribbean Net News on Monday, "but I do believe he has a lot left that he can do."I believe he has a chance to be one of the best sprinters, if not the best sprinter in the world."At the UTEP Invitational at the Kidd Field in El Paso, Texas on Saturday, Martina improved his personal bests on his way to winning the sprint double with record breaking performances. He clocked 10.04 seconds to claim the 100m and 20.27 for the 200m title, but despite blowing away the field in both races, Kitchens said technically the Islander still has a lot of work to do - noting this will only make him faster."None of the races (this season) have been technically correct and therefore it would lend oneself to believe that he can run faster in both races (100m, 200m)," Kitchens said. "I think he is further along in the 100m and it is probably his best event. He definitely has more than one gear, but again for these things to happen he has to mature as a runner and that will take a little time."Martina has already run 10.17 and repeated 10.04 performances for the 100m in addition to his 20.27, which left many track and field supporters with the belief that he will burn out early and struggle to keep his present form in the future.However, Kitchens told Caribbean Net News that the sprinter's performances are a result of his talent and assured the public that the Antilles star is in good hands."We do have a history of good sprinters in this program," he confirmed. "He (Martina) has as much talent as any sprinter we have had here and that includes (Olapade) Adeniken (of Nigeria) and (Andrew) Tynes (from the Bahamas."We do quite a bit of base work in the fall and I don't believe he will burn out any time soon."He is an exceptional young man that has his head down to earth and is easy to coach."Martina is now the second fastest over the 100m this season behind Jamaican world record holder Asafa Powell's 10.03. After claiming top in the 200m with his 20.27 performance, Martina now trails American Xavier Carter, who leads the world with a 20.13sec run achieved in a head-wind."The atmosphere is very good for training and I am doing my best," Martina said. "I just want to keep improving in both the 100 and 200 every week."In the meantime, at the UTEP Invitational Erma Gene Evans also of the University Texas at El Paso, broke the Saint Lucia national record and improved on her personal best to win the women's Javelin Throw with a mark of 54.19m. Evans' performance ranks her as the second best thrower in the school's history and is fifth in the NCAA in this year.
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