By Neto Baptiste
National sprinter Cejhae Greene said he was disappointed and came close to tears, after realizing he had not made it past the first round of the men’s 100 metres event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
Speaking with Observer media from Japan, Greene said that had it not been for the strong support system he has in family and close friends, he would not have been able to get past the frustration he felt following the race.
“I was really disappointed because I felt really good in the race. I felt like we did everything we could to make sure that we gave ourselves a fair shot and it was one of the first times in a long while that I almost cried after a race,” he said.
“I honestly think I have the best support system I could ever ask for. After the race I was extremely disappointed, I was upset with myself but the response I got from my friends and the Antigua public, I could not ask for anything better and that’s one thing I really want to stress that I so deeply appreciate Antigua and my friends because without them I would probably still be beating up myself,” he added.
Running in lane five, heat six of the 100 metres on Saturday, the Antiguan clocked 10.25 seconds to finish sixth in the opening round of the men’s marquee event. Only the top three finishers advanced to the second round.
Making it clear that there are no excuses for his performance, Greene highlighted that his road to the games had been somewhat rocky after having to deal with an injury he had just weeks before going to Japan.
“Coming from Europe, I missed about three or four weeks because I couldn’t get back to the states [USA] and I had to go home, train by myself and he [coach] had to adjust the workout and stuff like that and also, we [I] got hurt in the process. A lot of persons didn’t know I got hurt about a week into being home when I think I kind of messed up my hip and we had been nursing it coming up to the games. Actually, we specifically brought up a team from Jamaica in conjunction with and I must say a big shout out to Stephen Francis and the MVP group because they really helped me out. They brought some guys in to help me get through the rounds but if I told you that was the case that upset the race then I would be telling you a lie because I felt good,” the athlete explained.
Following the Olympic Games, Greene said it’s back to the professional circuit for him.
“The season isn’t over, it’s one of those things where you’re disappointed now but you have to go on because work has to go on. I have a couple more races this year and a couple more obligations on the circuit and with Puma.”
“My agent hit me up with a couple more races so I think I have one in Switzerland, I have one in Hungary so it’s just about regrouping, getting back to being focused, getting back to training and going onto try and produce some better races down the line,” he said.
Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy won the men’s 100 metres gold in a time of 9.98 seconds on Sunday. Fred Kerley of United States won the silver while Andre de Grasse of Canada took the bronze.