Francique: Let’s celebrate our victory

Alleyne Francique winning the 400m final 

at the 11th IAAF World Indoor Championship, 

in Moscow, Russia.

(March 11, 2006 - Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images Sport)

by Michael Bascombe

COLLEGE POINT, Texas, August 31, 2001 – Former two-time World Indoor 400m champion, Grenadian Alleyne Francique says his countrymen have many reasons to celebrate Tuesday’s momentous victory by Kirani James in the men’s 400m at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea.

Francique, who secured Grenada’s first major track and field gold when he won the 400m at the 10^th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest in 2004 and successfully defended his title two years later in Moscow, said Kirani’s victory should be cherished by all Grenadians.

“It was a great feeling to be a Grenadian and watching two Grenadians in the final, more than the USA and Jamaica. Looking at that made me feel proud,” he said.

He said that to make a world championship final is very difficult and especially at a young age.

The former Grenadian quarter-miler wants the athletes to be inspired every time they take to the track.

“Every time you run you try to do better, find inspiration into what you are doing and try to build on what you accomplished this year, said Francique, who is an assistant coach at Texas A&M University.

He also said that Janelle Redhead, who competes in the women’s 200m should use the exploits of Kirani and Rondell as an inspiration.

Commenting on their decisions to turn professionals, Francique said that they must now consider this to be their jobs and treat it that way.

“This is now your job and remember the higher you finish the more money you make, he said. “You have to keep your body right, stay healthy and stay focused. It’s like waking up and going to the office to work.”

Francique expressed disappointment that some people are making an issue over the non-appearance of the national flag following Kirani’s victory on Tuesday.

He said that too much emphasis is being placed on the flag and not on the historic moment.

“I am bit disappointed because they will raise the flag when they are playing the national anthem. When you are in a major championship and someone wins a medal it doesn’t necessarily means that the coaches are giving them the flag sometimes they have family members or even spectators, he explained.

“I think it’s kind of frustrating because we just created history and we have set of talk shows and people on television and they only talking one minute about the race and the gold medal and most of the time about the flag, the flag. I don’t think we should put much emphasis into this flag”. 


Click here to listen to audio interview with Alleyne Francique