By Neto Baptiste
Senior national athlete Daniel Bailey, in an interview with Observer, signalled that his preparations are on track as he targets a return to outdoor competition at the 2021 Olympic Games slated for July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo, Japan.
“I am getting fit, shedding weight, I am getting stronger and getting fitter so I wouldn’t say much about that right now, but I know I am seeing improvements. This is actually my fifth week of training so I really can’t say much now but I will be back home next week and will resume my training on grass again. So I just want to let people to know that training on grass is no problem; it’s what you do and how you do it,” he said.
Bailey, who still holds the national sprint record at 9.91 seconds, said he is in constant contact with both his coach here and in Jamaica regarding his progress and the necessary steps forward.
“I talk to my two coaches in Carl Casey and Glen Mills every day because they are keeping me on their radar but everything is going good and better than I thought actually. My coaches are really impressed with my weight, my body structure, my agility, so everything is going good,” the sprinter said.
Now, 33, Bailey has competed at four Olympic Games with stints in Athens, Greece in 2004; Beijing, China 2008; London, England in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.
The athlete was a bronze medallist over 60 meters at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He came to prominence in 2009 with a 100 meters win in the IAAF Golden League and a fourth place finish at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.