By Neto Baptiste
National shot-put athlete Jess St. John, said injuries and other issues have kept her out of international competition for the past two years.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, the athlete voiced her frustration over what she says has become a lengthy process in securing funding from the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), adding that being out of competition for only two years because of injury should not disqualify her from receiving some form of assistance.
“After the Commonwealth Games I had a slight injury and so I was just taking one step at a time and building back up. I was still competing for my school but after that I sustained another injury where I sprained my ankle and had to do rehab. At that time it was too late to compete for my school again because I was just graduating and then I went on to my semi-professional stage or my elite stage,” she said.
St. John, on Wednesday, hinted she could switch allegiance to either the USVI or the USA after assertions by NOC head, EP Chet Greene, she would have to reapply via the athletics association for the required assistance.
The news came as a shock, the athlete said, adding she had been in dialogue with the NOC and had submitted all relevant documentation since finishing college in 2019.
“I needed the support of the country so I could get to games if necessary and to move over here [New Mexico] because I was in Kansas so I had to move to New Mexico so I could train with my coach but everything just went downhill after I got injured in late 2018 and I graduated from Kansas State in May of 2019,” St. John said.
St. John, in August this year, told OBSERVER media that her pleas for financial support have fallen on deaf ears. However, Secretary General of the NOC, Cliff Williams, denied the allegation, stating that St. John had failed to provide the relevant documentation.