 Yeah, track and field is where we'll begin on the sportsmax zone on the 29th of August We started discussing the saga between sprinter ty quen the Tracy and technical leader of team Jamaica to the Budapest world championships Maurice Wilson Tracy was replaced in the men's four by 100 meters relay pool in the Hungarian capital last month Causing the infuriated athlete to lash out on social media. Here's a reminder of some of what he said People have been gotten as a lot of people like to say that our links get your places in a Jamaica right and This right here. So is a prime example because an athlete is not supposed to be on the team And he's here because his coach is the head coach on the team. And when you also think about it, right? If they're going to say, oh this person run XYZ time That's not a valid point. You have Julian Ford Kishi and Thomas and you and Blake who has run faster than him more than once Right But unfortunately, they didn't make the team, but their coach isn't the national the head coach which He worries we also would like to Have people think that he has nothing with Nothing to do with the athlete being here Yeah, taekwenda Tracy and we have the pleasure of being joined by the man himself in the sports max studios Taekwenda Tracy. First of all, how are you doing? I? Suspect it's it's been a relatively tough few weeks for you given everything that happened in Budapest, what's the frame of mind like a few weeks later at the moment? I'm fine It was it was tough when I was in Budapest to be honest I this when It was like a bit too much and I would just go for a walk I got go to the park in there in Budapest and just sit to myself and cry honestly, but um I'm better now as to be honest as soon as I got home Actually felt better. It's not past me as yet, but I'm I'm better. What's the support been like around you for you? From everywhere to be honest a lot of support from people all over Other athletes especially people like Warren were who has seen and I said quite his part But yeah support has been great Are you surprised that the the level of support that you have gotten on this issue? Especially on social media. I am not surprised about the social media aspect And I'm not even surprised about the athletes that who are current athletes running who haven't said anything to be honest. Yeah, I mean I've People have people have come to me and say listen I was going to the X and my coach say leave it alone Because you don't want to end up on the bad side with a bad side that is but um I'm I'm okay Why did you feel the need to be on this show today and how? How Enthusiastic are you about the next eight or ten minutes that you will spend here? last week I watched Mr. Dennis, I was listening to what he was saying which To give credit to him some some of the things he said is is is correct especially when he said I was a bit pretty much sure about my actions and And why I said why I agree with him is I should have waited until after they ran the four by one before I said anything because Went into a meeting with them on a Monday, right? I think it was either Monday or Tuesday I'm trying to get the dates as correct as possible and they said these are the five persons that are going to run That's what they said these are the five persons that are going to run and when you say they you mean Lenox Graham was responsible for the men's four by one Yeah, it was just him and I'm not sure if there was another coach there, but I know Lenox was there He's the head coach and he called the five names Excluding me and Michael Campbell. So everybody else that was there. I was sat in the meeting and I was puzzled in a sense I mean I didn't think our team was lacking Everybody couldn't run if they wanted us to or even six persons could have run if they wanted us to Yes, right. I didn't I didn't think out our team was lacking in that department and When I spoke with I didn't say anything in that meeting throughout the day, I tried to get an audience with Mr. Lenox and Maurice being that he's the head coach and he's a coach at really and I Tried tried I tried until eventually We end up talking till we end up in our in another room with some other people. I think this was on Tuesday Some other coaches was there and there Basically because my thing isn't I was saying that listen Everybody here saw me training. I don't know that mean a good shape and for whatever reason under this I'd say Oh, no, don't want you stike on the tracy. Okay. Fine. But who are you going to replace me with? You're going to replace me with somebody who in my opinion and as I said in the video should not be here and People can argue and think and just as he would like to say obvious on the selection committee So my question to them in that meeting one of the question was that is our selection committee that incompetent where we are three other athletes To that are far more experienced than who also could be right now in his career And they are currently doing better than him and he got selected over them One of the reason they said is because he made the finals and those athletes that you are Referencing Johan Blake and Julian Julian for a gun sub 10. Yes subsequent to the national champion exactly Right. So if if they were saying that order because they want to use the best team and whatever fancy words That was my question to them. Why didn't they choose the best team then? Because this this wouldn't evidently be the best team if we're not going based off what happened at trials And if you're going to say stuff like that that it's because he made the finals Why they decided to choose him or because whatever he did at the World University games Which is still not above what Johan Blake and Julian Ford did going based off experience That's why I didn't mention Christian because Christian relatively knew just like yes, right Then they're all saying that it's a different case. So I said brushing McDonald's is here Didn't mean to point him out like that But I mean they did decide to use him because of what he did So if you're going to do that, why not do it across the board? Why not why you'd never choose the right person? And I'm saying that this is an obvious Act of action where you guys deliberately wanted him here And that's why nobody knew about him being on the national team until we got to Budapest I just want to understand you correctly because you said you agreed with Dennis Gordon that you spoke prematurely Yes, so I am Understanding by that that you're saying that if you did not speak they would have gone ahead and done exactly what you were Saying because you spoke out exactly I decided not to and I can prove that to you. Yes Well, I don't know if you remember the interview We did right after I did the interview with Spencer Darlington. Yeah, right from television That was two days before the relay. Yes, do you remember him calling out the four? I have the video on my phone. I can't even play it. Do you remember him calling out the four that will run in the heats? And then Watson would replace ghost in the finals He said that but then he also went along and lied again and said the team wasn't nobody said to anything To him about the team until night before Yeah, so Those those are some of the things that that I mean if you're going to come forward and try to pay it me as a bad person Yeah, do it do it the correct way. Let me ask you this so one of the things that Dennis Gordon said when he was on this show last week is is that Lennox Graham Was to make a recommendation and then there was a three-member panel Of which Maurice Wilson is only a member and that panel is to make the final decisions Are the athletes aware or were the athletes aware were you aware that such a panel existed? Or did you take it that what Maurice that what Graham said in that initial meeting on the Monday is what would ultimately stand? I never know that there is a panel where this thing got to be an Lennox and more than like the head coach because I mean in terms of Authority he's the head coach. I'm no they're more than like run things by him Yes, but in terms of a panel of which is why you were looking for him after the Why I said, okay, I want to have a meeting with you and Maurice Wilson. Yes, because I I don't know about anybody else I just know about him as the head coach and this person and I Mean it's obvious one of the main reason I wanted him in the meetings because I know it's his athlete Yes, and of course He would like to say that whether he's that lead runner not it matters not to him But there are so many cases if you check back you can look at where people end up in places that they shouldn't be Yes, I can give you a very recent example as last year before you get to that example Taekwendo Let's hold it right there Just go to a break and after the break Taekwendo Tracy will tell us some of those instances stay with us over back Yeah, back on the sportsman zone we're speaking with Jamaican sprinter Taekwendo Tracy We're dissecting what happened at the world championships in Budapest to Hungary Remember that relay saga Taekwendo Tracy came out and voiced his concerns about the selection process His exclusion from the relay pool after he finished fifth in the men's 100 meters at the national championships And we're dissecting all of what went down before the break Taekwendo was about to tell us Instances where he feels particular athletes got on the team when maybe they should not have Taekwendo Yes So as I was saying before if if you guys would take into consideration the 200 meter last year at the Commonwealth You would clearly see who ran the 200 meter for Jamaica, and then if you take into consideration the national trials The top eight that person that ran the 200 meter and you guys can do your research That person that ran the 200 meter in Commonwealth did not Even made the finals How did he get selected over every single body that was in the finals to run at the Commonwealth and Commonwealth does not have an age requirement from my knowledge Yeah And just to be absolutely clear you are speaking here of Cajun Golson who ran the 200 meters at the Commonwealth Games last year Cajun Golson is coached by Maurice Wilson who was the technical leader of the team To Budapest Cajun Golson did not meet the 200 meter final at the national championships last year And when he went to the Commonwealth Games he ran 21.19 in the first round made it to the semifinals And ran 21.13 I think it was his best time 20.74 was his best time going in And then the fourth place finisher at the national championships The late maria heslop had gone 20.6 at the nationals. In fact, he ran 20.5 in his semifinal And so you're suggesting taekwendo that maybe it was someone like a heslop Who should have gotten the opportunity to run at the Commonwealth Games last year Yes, because a family member of him that is how I actually knew about it Of course, I've been getting messages from different people. A family member of him Messaged me after the video came out, but I didn't see it until like a week after because I had to turn notifications off my facebook Right and I saw the message and I read it and he was saying that you know, he was selected This is what he was saying. This is not my words. He was he was saying that he was selected and then um Somewhere down in the in in get into Commonwealth he was removed from the team and somebody else ran right He said to me that he will get me in contact with his mother So if mother could actually give me a full load on everything, but I haven't spoken to her has yet But that is what he said and if you look at the the Commonwealth Games last year It's obvious who ran and it's obvious. It's obvious. Who are the better times? So it's not even about times, I guess I want to get your your take on on on this taekwondo because One of the things I've struggled with all summer is that I realized that there is a lack of understanding of the rules generally and I just wanted to get an idea Of how deep your understanding of the rules go now from my standpoint and looking at the letter of the law As laid down by the jamaica athletics administrative association You are only guaranteed to be in the relay pool if you make the top four at the nationals You were fifth. Yeah, so just judging by that there was always the possibility That you may not make the relay pool. Did you have that understanding? Honestly, no to be honest. Um, I don't know if there is any form of Conferences that is held by j2a to issue rules or there is something written Where I could find that somewhere, but I don't know of it. I mean if it's there it's there and as I said I And I said it in the video. I didn't have a problem with being Being replaced. It's who and how I'm being replaced There wasn't really a conversation. I was just left out And that is one of the things that got me a bit upset because as I said to I think it was spencer before that they could have made me not the wiser And said here what we're running six persons even though they have in their mind That they're going to going to run or will keep six persons as part of the pool. Yes The day when they said it they said we are running five persons These are the five the rest of you are just in case somebody get hurt Right So For me as I said, it wasn't of course. I felt the way about being replaced. I should I should add Listen, I should a whole 12 months and two weeks because I started from last year. Um, july Wait, no august 7th august last year and you have had injury setback and I've had four months You have had to overcome a lot. Yeah for this year alone I've had four months without injury Yeah, and I managed to do what I needed to do as I said to him in that meeting I managed to do what I needed to do to make sure I finished where I did at trials and for you to come just remove me and put somebody who Even though I was running well, not my father. He wasn't prepared enough to be able to run the three rounds You can't just come and say oh, you're going to change this person and I tell people all the while Not everyone is the same. I prepare for championships If you are going to come to me and say oh, I saw him run at a meet after and he did xyz I'm not preparing for a meet I'm preparing to come and smash the championship. That is why I always do well at the championship Twice national champion 2018 2021. Yeah, and people can look back at my times at all the time no matter what is going on before I'm going to be ready for the championship because that is what I'm preparing for That is what is going to get you on the team. Yeah, so often right when when these situations arise we hear And we're not always certain but I've heard of a number of cases where coaches will say Let's do a runoff Even at the championship. So I have a story. I'm that hopefully I have time So a person from 2004 I would have to go back into the message. I can give you like a summary of what he said He said in 2004. This is a quarter mile. He said he did a runoff He finished I think four at the trials And he ended up after doing a runoff with somebody that finished I think seventh or somewhere down there, so He said He did 2004. Yeah, you sure the person finished fourth at the trial. I don't I don't I would have to look at the message. But yes, I would have to look at the message. Yeah, and But he said that the per they did the runoff two separate times One run in the morning and he ran in the evening They told him that hey, you are the slower time And So this is what he said to me Can't remember his name, but it's in my phone So he said that The first person running the morning and he ran in the evening and then he they told him that hey, you didn't um Make the time the faster time which in my opinion that is stupid. You're going to do a runoff and you run the two athletes at two separate times You know, you need to know who's better and at the end of the day, some people run better with company and some people run better without so I mean do the maths But but then he said but then he said he met a guy that he did the runoff against basically They are the time trial against and the guys when the guy told in the time he ran He said the time was slow That's what I was about to say because it sounds to me that if they separate the the runs It suggests to me that they don't want either athlete to know what the other athlete did The j3 is may well say though. Well, it was a different Set of individual if if somebody is going to answer this They are going to find some reason or just said I don't have any knowledge of that. Yeah, so at the end of the day Get back to this but nothing like that was was offered in your situation And he was I read mr. Wilson said that he didn't think it would have made sense To do a runoff not his exact words. He didn't think he would have made sense to do a runoff because Um, it would have to be done on some a month. They are something like that and the if a runoff was offered Would you have taken it 100%? Why I had no doubt in myself that I would have won That's so good a shape you felt you were in that's what my coach can tell you and I mean the more they watch me But regardless of that regardless of that he was saying that he didn't think a runoff would make sense excuses because there is no way me and X couldn't go at the line on Monday or Tuesday or even Wednesday. Yes and recover enough for a race on Friday What kind of athlete are we if we can't recover in two days after a hundred meter? Yeah If you're going to talk about a quarter mile running in that close I can understand that. Yes, but not a hundred not a hundred meter sprinter That is why or a hundred meter finalist is like a whole after the The semi so or an a half or so or an hour close. Yeah So you saying that oh, you don't think you would have clearly me clearly You're just saying that you didn't want to give nobody the the the clear ground to say Yo, I trust you meet him. Let me ask you this one because clearly you have said a lot From this incident started on your social media. You're here. No on this channel Are you not afraid of any type of Even the possibility of victimization I mean, it's probably happening already. So personally I I I sit down and I did something into myself like literally to myself The night before Michael Campbell could attest to it. I didn't sleep And I sat down and I think and I thought about it and then one other thing that came to my mind was that Even if this sings taekwondo jersey, I can be sure that it will help other athletes in the future And at the end of the day This is not going to stop me I've I've had a little flame burning inside of me for the longest while Injuries been rolling it down. I'm fine right now and They decided to pour some gas on this flame So at the moment, I'm not just fighting for myself. I'm fighting for current athletes and future athletes because I remember you saying in an interview couple weeks ago where It was like two weeks ago where you say that person who had The qualifying standard didn't get selected for the team. Yes and person who Qualified based on world ranking and persons who shouldn't be there in my opinion Got brought on the team and if you are if you as a selecting committee thinks that the person who couldn't make the qualifying standard And the person who should not be there had more Other other more other standard higher chance of getting a medal for jamaica Then as I said before somebody is really incompetent Because you obviously not doing a job properly. You're just doing a job to suit a certain person's heart Yeah, taekwenda tracy It's been a pleasure having you on the sports mic zone and and we wish you all the very best Clearly, there is a lot to be sorted out with this issue um and definitely from the standpoint of the jamaica athletics administrative association still Many questions to be answered, but I think um you have started a conversation that needed to be started That needed to start and yeah, here we are helping to have that conversation We take a break but back with more on the sports mic. So