Paralympian Cain-Claxton has plans for downtime

TT Paralympic bronze medallist Nyoshia Cain-Claxton plans to make use of the downtime during the coronavirus pandemic, as there are elements of her programme she can focus on such as massages and nutrition as time on the track will be limited.

Cain-Claxton, 25, plans to maintain a proper diet when she eventually continues her training. “When I get back to training I will like to train five days a week inclusive of getting massages because (my) massages are lacking this season (and continue) proper nutrition…those are my key focal points that I will be working on just to be in shape and to get back out there for 2021.”

Cain-Claxton, like other TT track and field athletes such as Jereem Richards, Kyle Greaux and Akeem Stewart, agrees with the decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games because of the coronavirus.

The Olympics were scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 this year, but it was decided that it will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Paralympic Games, originally scheduled to take place from August 25 to September 6, 2020, will run from August 24 to September 5, 2021.

“Yes, it was the right decision (to postpone the games) because as we see every day that the virus is spreading and things are getting worse and they would actually be risking athletes’ lives if they had the Olympics come July,” said Cain-Claxton, who copped bronze at the 2016 Paralympic Games in the 100-metre T44 event.

Cain-Claxton said before the decision was made to postpone the Paralympics she was concerned because several prior meets were being cancelled or postponed which would have affected athletes’ preparation.

“I was actually preparing to compete in a meet in the US just to get competition ready for the Paralympics in August/September. Seeing that those things were being cancelled (or postponed) I was saying ‘they going to have this major competition and there is no sort of preparation that will take place before this major event.’

Obviously, I was really panicking and at least trying to keep a mindset where everybody is in the same position, some worse than others, but at the end of it they still have to go out there and perform.”

Cain-Claxton was scheduled to open her season at the Desert Challenge Games (World Para Athletics Grand Prix) in Arizona, which began last Wednesday.

Depending on how her 2020 season progressed, Cain-Claxton would have possibly competed in both the 100m and 200m at the Paralympic Games. She also competed in the long jump previously.

The Paralympic bronze medallist plans to use the slow period to work on areas that she did not focus on enough in the past.

“I would take this opportunity to go back to square one in terms of my general preparation, go back to the whole off-season programme in terms of getting my fitness there. (I will be) putting in work that I would not have had the chance to put in last year because of the late season that we had, coming off a season ending in November. I think this is an opportunity where I could now go back and do my general preparation where my fitness is concerned, bringing up my endurance level.”