Athletics coach Carl Casey is backing national record holder and sprinter Daniel Bailey to impress on his return to competition after having left the scene in 2018 citing the heavy cost of preparation ahead of meets as his main reason.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Casey, who works with the national sprinter, is impressed with what he is seeing thus far as they prepare for the World Athletics Indoor Championships slated for March 19-21 in China.
“Daniel is not really a person who shies away from working and what I can tell you from dealing with him over the years, when it comes to training he is very focused. I don’t really have a lot of athletes around me because when it comes to me [training] is work time and I think we have developed that understanding that when he comes to the track to work, then we are working so to me, I think that this time around we are seeing a whole general different person in terms of maturity and focus,” he said.
Bailey holds the national record in the 100 meters sprint of 9.91 seconds which he achieved at the Areva Meeting in Saint-Denis, France on 17 July, 2009. Bailey was second to Jamaican Usain Bolt in 9.79 while finishing ahead of Yohan Blake, also of Jamaica, who was third in 9.93 seconds.
Casey believes the athlete still has a lot to offer.
“Daniel has substance and I hear you keep saying he has dipped under 10 seconds twice but it is not two, it is 11 times so maybe we need to do some research to see who is Daniel Bailey because he is the first person to run sub-10 in a South American country. Daniel Bailey is the only athlete to have won a medal at indoors so he has substance. Maybe it’s me but I think the second time coming is a better Daniel Bailey,” the coach said.
Bailey won the bronze medal in the 60 metres at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships when he clocked 6.57 seconds, becoming Antigua’s first ever medallist in the event.
The sprinter represented Antigua and Barbuda at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.