Quarrie

LONDON, England:

Jamaica's athletics technical manger at the Olympic Games, Donald Quarrie, has defended the decision to run Jermaine Gonzales in the heats of the men's 4x400m relay yesterday, despite what appeared to be obvious injury concerns for the national record holder.

Gonzales, who left the London Olympic Stadium in a wheelchair yesterday, pulled up on the third leg, ending Jamaica's chances of making it to the final or medalling in the event.

It came as little shock to most, after the athlete himself said a few days ago, after finishing sixth in the heats of the men's 400m, that he would not run himself in the 4x400m and that he has been struggling with a hamstring injury all year.

"I'm supposed to be the key man on the relay but as you saw today, I didn't run so well. If it was up to me; I want to run but I'm pretty sure the rest of the guys are in better shape and running faster than me right now," said Gonzales after his 400m heat a few days ago.

"This is not what I wanted; it's a big disappointment for me. I have been struggling with a hamstring problem before National Trials, and it just didn't give me the chance to prepare properly," he added.

However, Quarrie, who spoke shortly after the 4x400m heats, said that Gonzales had been training well since then and showed no signs that he couldn't compete.

"That injury could have been from the Trials or before, I don't have any knowledge of that because when he ran (the 400m) he said that he didn't feel like he could push everything in the 400m because he hadn't run in a while, but that he knows he would be okay when he ran again," Quarrie said.

Gonzales

Quarrie, who underlined that his main concern was with the athlete's recovery and not with the team not progressing to the final, says the athlete's statements after the 400m was fueled by his disappointment and emotions.

Quarrie pointed out that after seeing the draw for the heat, which also included powerhouses USA and The Bahamas, the coaching staff decided to field the strongest available team and that Gonzales was deemed to be fit and his injury was not expected.

"He (Gonzales) had been training and doing well, had great handoffs and it was never planned for him to get hurt," Quarrie said.