 Yeah, the world asked and the answer has now been provided. Five-time Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Hira will now be coached by Reinalda Walcott of a lead performance track club. The announcement was made earlier on Monday by her and the sports management team. Coach Walcott shot the prominence in 2021, having taken charge of Shelly and Fraser Price. Fraser Price had won two Olympic 100-meter titles for World 101 World 200-meter title when she left the Stephen Francis-led MVP track club to join Walcott in 2020. He has guided Fraser Price to an Olympic 100-meter silver medal, world championship 100-meter gold and 200 silver in 2022 and during an Indra hit 2023 campaign of world champs 100 bronze in Budapest. Two among Walcott's growing list of world-class athletes are world championship 400-meter herders bronze medalist Roshal Clayton, the Olympic 100-meter herders bronze medalist Megan Tapper, who wasn't with Walcott when she won that medal by the way, Commonwealth Games' 110-meter herders champion Rashid Broadbell also in the camp. Top Zahira's partnership with Walcott has come following a highly publicized separation with Shaniki Osborne. The two were unable to agree a compensation package. During an exclusive interview with the Sportsman's own last week, Darren Heera, the husband of Elaine, said it might have been a blessing in disguise that the partnership with Coach Osborne did not work. At the end of it, when I look back I realize that I may have been forced in a situation that could be too much. Like I said, I was trying to get this done since September of 2022. It's odd here, I can't, it's right there, I've been trying to get that done and it didn't happen but now it's like you get this energy, this positive vibe about something like okay, we have mutual goals. Just conversation, you found out that someone has been on the outside and basically having the same old house here on the inside, so it's the best situation possible right now. Energy, positive vibe, best situation possible right now, that's Darren Heera, the husband of Elaine, Top Zahira, yeah, always positive or not, be it a Sportsmax.tv content editor and our in-house track and field analyst, Leighton Levy, who joins us to help discuss this latest development, Leighton Levy, how surprised were you when you got the news this morning that Elaine Thompson Heera would be coached by Ronaldo Walcott at Elite Track Club? Okay, so let me tell you what happened, when I got the release this morning, I was actually coming in from Jamaica College where I went to drop my son. Which is where the Elite Track Club is? I almost ran off the road. I was like, I'm not reading this right and I actually cleaned my glasses and looked back at it again and I said hello, this came out of left field literally, I did not see this one coming, I said on this one last week that Elite was not a club that I thought Elaine was going to end up at for obvious reasons and we'll talk about that later on. Not the reality is that I was stunned, but now that things have settled down, there could be a way in which this is going to work and we'll discuss that as well. But why were you stunned? Why did you feel Leighton being a man in the track and field will and ground? Why did you feel that this would not have worked? Alright, here's the thing, back in 2020, Shelley and Frieza Press, I think it was April of 2020, Shelley and Frieza Press left MVP Track Club. At the time, Elaine Thompson was still a member of that club. The reasons why that are well known, it's not very well publicised, but it's well known in track and field circles why that move happened. There is this deep seated tension between both athletes. And if you remember the interview I did with Stephen Francis, was it 2021 when Elaine left the club? He alluded to it. He said that Elaine was part of the reason why Shelley left MVP. That hatchet has not been buried. So for them to end up in the same environment again is potentially catastrophic. But I don't think it will on this particular occasion. There was a situation Leighton after the Olympic 100 final in Tokyo where individuals were concerned about the type of embrace. The body language. The body language that they saw among Elaine, Shelley and Sharika Jackson. A lot of discussions about it to the point where they all did an interview to say nothing like that. Ultimately we're professionals and we all want to win and that's what it's all about. Should I use that to think that these are no women who are significantly more mature and would be able to handle better a situation like this? And as Shelley said in 2021 we are professionals. Just be professionals and get the job done. Well, that would be the hope because as we said both women are no three years older. They're more mature. Both of them are chasing history. Shelley is chasing a historic third Olympic gold medal. Elaine is chasing a historic Olympic double. And I think given the fact that they would have grown over the past three years, they would have experienced adversity and adversity tends to bring about a certain level of growth and acceptance about things. The hope is that they will be able to work together under the circumstances that Elaine has not been forced into. But it is forced into what clearly a good fit for her in terms of what she wants to accomplish in just about eight months time. Yeah, you say a good fit and I'd love to hear your thoughts on coach Ronaldo Walcott and his team because we have not seen the best of Elaine as of recent and I say that based on recent performances, recent form. We know what Elaine Thompson here is capable of. She has shown it to every one of us already. Do you think it's a good fit? Talk to me about coach. All right, here's the thing. Ronaldo Walcott, like Shaniki Osborne, are students of Stephen Francis. They both were at one point of their careers assistant coaches at MVP. They would have learned a lot from Stephen Francis and the coaching staff there. We saw what Shaniki Osborne has done with Elaine at the end of last season, taking her from obscurity into one of the fastest women in the world in just about five races. Ronaldo Walcott, similar to Shaniki Osborne, is perhaps a little bit more advanced in his growth and his development as a coach. So with that and having the experience to perhaps manage Elaine's injury concerns as well, put similar good position to be able to push her to new levels, to push the envelope once more in terms of not just managing the injury, but also allowing her to get that speed that we know she possesses out. Because when you look at it, when Shaniki Osborne first left MVP, she was at 10.70 as the national record that she showed with Elaine Thompson here. Within a year, Walcott got her down to 10.60. Elaine's top performance is 10.54. So if he's able to even top into that level of efficiency and proficiency, who knows what she'd be able to accomplish in Paris next year? So the fit is right because he has the experience, he has the knows, and he also has the experience of having worked with one of the best coaches in the world, Stephen Francis, in getting Elaine Thompson ready for the big show in Paris in 2024. I think it's a good fit. The big question is, can the two athletes work together? Will they have to work together? There's a question. Do you want to start with that? He's not answering? I thought you were going to go. I'm just sitting here enjoying the conversation. All right, nobody will do that. Well, I haven't done good. I thought that there won't be necessarily training together. I was informed that the club was informed this morning, the athletes had to be performance, saying that Elaine would be training separately from the rest of the group. As we know it now, Elaine Thompson trains at the National Stadium in Kingston, Sheldon Prisoner Price, and the elite group trains at Jamaica College at the Ashenheim Stadium. So my information is that they will be on a separate schedule. The only way I can describe it, they're on separate schedules and they'll be training separately. So there will be no need for proximity in terms of the athletes in training in the same facility at any given time. I suspect, though, that when they're doing tour days, which eventually when it comes on to speed sessions, they might have to end up working in close proximity to each other. Because they usually, well, not necessarily because I forget that Ashenheim also has a lead track so they don't necessarily have to go on the stadium east like they used to. So yeah, so that's the solution that I think is beneficial to both parties in that respect. How late do you suppose, given everything that you have just said, and there is no doubt that it is a good fit because of who Rinaldo Walcott is, just last week when De Ranira was speaking to us, one of the things he hinted at is that they did not want to move too far away from the program that Elaine Thompson is accustomed to. And Rinaldo Walcott would understand deeply the program coming from the MVP track club, and which is part of why he has had, I think, so much success with Shelly and Fraser Price and other athletes who have come from MVP. Because remember as well, Rashid Broadbell came from MVP. Megan Topper came from MVP. Julian Fort, who ran sub 10 this year, came from the MVP track club. So there is history there of Walcott doing well with athletes who have come from MVP. But given everything you have said, why would Walcott take on this job? Well, a couple of things. One, Puma is a sponsor of the elite track club. Elaine is probably their biggest athlete globally. Two-time Olympic champion, historic, never been done before, fastest woman alive, 1054. Looking for a coach, I would suspect that Puma wants the best opportunity for her to continue to create history and give them the dynamic of the Jamaican environment and give them the fact that they've stated publicly that they had no intention of going abroad. Right now, Rinaldo Walcott looks like the right fit because Puma coach, Puma athlete, experienced coach, world-class athlete, facilities right there in Jamaica. Everything seems to come together right now in a good fit for everybody involved. So I suspect that's one of the reasons why Rinaldo Walcott is the right fit for her, given the association with Puma and the fact that they're heading into the Olympic year when this is where athletes earn their stripes. So Puma would want to ensure that Elaine goes into the Olympics in the best possible shape. One of the things I want to say as well, I'm not in the business of answering my own questions, by the way, but one of the points I want to make is that, based on what I know of Rinaldo Walcott, this clearly in some aspects is not the easiest situation. It can potentially be a difficult situation and especially as you get closer to the trials and you get closer to the Olympic games. Imagine that you are trying to achieve history. You're trying to create history and the person you trust to lead you to that history is no conditioning or you no have to share that person with somebody else. But not only somebody else, you're one of your greatest rivals. Yes, one of your greatest rivals who is trying essentially to win the same thing, not create the same history, but they need to win the same thing to create the history that they are trying to create. So understand how difficult that could potentially be for the two athletes, but also for the coach himself. But the point I really wanted to make is that if I know Rinaldo Walcott well, he is the type of individual who is going to do his very best to condition each athlete the best way he knows how and then allow for the rest of it to take care of itself on the track. And I think from that standpoint is why I'm not too concerned about how things will go later on. I just want to add too, I don't even think both women would be concerned because Ricardo exactly to add to what you said, right? When you employ a coach, the coach could only give you the tools and when you listen to these women speak, like I always remember Elaine writing out what she did before the Olympics and of course sharing with it with us after. So mentally, she's in a different place and she can be in a different place. Shelly Anne Fraser Price, when she talks, it's a motivational speech. She has a command of the language and she seems to be mentally where she should be as well. So I think both of them should not feel a type of way because it's like you have one teacher and they get you ready for the exams but I will do differently and you will do differently. We both have the same tools to work with. And I think if that was a consideration, there was no way Elaine was going to coach. One interesting things about the whole thing, if you notice, both of them are carrying significant injuries that require specific management. Yes. Because of the wear and tear on their bodies over the years of high level competition. So that's an additional challenge that you'll have to face this year. Because managing Shelly's injuries alone was significant last year as you know, Ricardo. That required a lot of personalized attention in terms of ensuring that she was at least good enough to compete at the world championships and come out with a medal. Similarly, this is a long running issue with Elaine. Therefore, his attention is going to have to be split between both athletes equally in terms of providing the equity needed in terms of the management of the respective injuries. So but knowing Ronald Walker, he's one of the things I like about him. He's a very calm, unflustered human being. Yes. I think that's a characteristic, that's a trait that I think will serve him well this year. What's his team like? And generally reasonable as well. Yeah. I wanted to know what his team is like, like the backroom staff. Because Layton speaks about managing the injury and managing time. If you have a good team working with you, he could split the responsibilities. What's his team like? Yeah, look, what I do know of his team, because they're not very well-publicized, but they are a very reliable lot and they tend to get the job done. As we've seen with all of the athletes that he has in his camp, when the young Sprinterler got hurt at the national championships, Terika Hill, they didn't rush her back into, in fact, I don't think she's competed since then. They've ensured. I just, I saw her training a couple of weeks ago, going to training. She looks like she's back healthy again. Well, it certainly looks, I didn't see her training, but she was actually walking towards the track, which means that she's able to train. And one of the things that is clear is that they take good care of the athletes under their charge. So I suspect Merida, to your point, is that he will ensure that if he has to delegate, he will delegate accordingly as is required. Yeah, I just want to make the point, though, that when, and I understand what Mariah is saying about the athletes not having anything to be too concerned about. But one of the things when you're a high-level athlete, and especially when you're trying to achieve something significant, and if I know track and field athletes well, I know one of the things they do, even in the best of situations, is look at what the coach is doing with other athletes, especially athletes who are in their particular event. And it can be difficult, because guys, I want to play amateur tennis. And when my coach is working with someone else, I am often looking to see if he's doing anything different, and whether I am getting the type of attention, or if somebody else is getting a little bit more attention. So I can just imagine professional athletes at the very highest level, and especially when you are going for something so significant. So I'm not saying it will become a problem, but I'm saying it is something that the coach himself will have to be mindful of as the process continues. Yeah, it has to be. I mean, history has filled with examples of similar situations, Bort and Blake. Remember 2012? Yeah, when Bort lost at the championships both times and then came back and won one where it mattered most. Did he ask the trainer alone post trials in 2012? I think so. They went to Birmingham, wasn't it? Yeah, and I think for a period, he trained without Blake. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am. No, I think they went to Birmingham. They were training in isolation in Birmingham to get ready because he was intent on not losing at the London Games. Of course, Carl Lewis and Jordan Loach and Leroy Burrell on the tellers. So the dynamic is not new, but it all comes down to how the coaches manage that circumstance. And I suspect everyone on the wall got given his experience of working with some of the probably the best high school athletes we've seen in Jamaica. He will know how to manage that circle. And especially since they're not gonna be training together, I think he'll be able to manage both because they'll be working in separate spaces. Yeah, quickly. He does have a lot of athletes now. A growing number. Yeah, I usually get a little concerned when a camp starts getting too big. I wonder if the elite performance camp is getting to that stage. For right now, I don't think so because I think when you look at each event, there are not that many athletes in each event. The 100, for example, it's Shelley, basically. Well, the 100 men, he has a lot. He has a lot, but they are developing a lot. Okay. Shelley is the elite. Yes. You have Kerry Cahill and Megan Tapper, who they will feed off each other because in similar with Elaine and Shelley, it's Iron Shepard's Iron. So you need that edge in training. You need somebody who will be able to push you. And by the way, Kemba Nelson. Kemba Nelson in the 100 as well. But again, Kemba falls into that category of emerging developing athletes. So all of them are in different spaces. So I don't think it's that much of a challenge yet. I think the challenge will come when these current athletes then become elite themselves and then are requiring that specific individual attention because MVP did have that challenge a few years ago when we saw the departure of Sherwin Simpson, Asafa Poel and Michael Fritter, who claimed at the time that they weren't getting the kind of attention that was required of them. So for now, I think even with the growing numbers, I think given the different levels at which the athletes are, it's not a challenge yet. Okay. Yeah, all right. Leighton Levy, thank you very much for joining us on the Sportsman Zone. Always good to be here, guys. You know, some would say an enviable position. Others would say it's a dream position for coach Ronaldo Walcott to be in two of the world's greatest ever sprinters. Now, with him, with the Paris Olympics, very, very close and history beckoning. Let's go to a break, I'll go back with more on the Sportsman Zone.