Thomas not giving up on Tokyo Olympic dreams

AFTER TAKING a 15-month break from his professional career to pursue a master’s in Advanced Studies in Sport Administration and Technology, three-time Olympian Mikel Thomas believes he can still qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games.

Although the 32-year old has not competed among the top flight for over a year, the 110-metre hurdler plans to restart a rigorous training regime in a late attempt to possibly secure Olympic qualification over the next seven months.

Thomas presently resides in the US and, on December 3, became the first TT national to graduate with this particular master’s from the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

When he began this area of study in mid-2019, Thomas moved to the Olympic capital and opted to spend some time away from competition to focus on his academics.

In March of this year, he was forced to return to the US as Swiss classes were postponed owing to the pandemic. They eventually resumed online with Thomas graduating virtually, one week ago.

With just seven months before the Summer Games, Thomas is not counting himself out of the race to qualify TT in the men’s 100m hurdles.

“I have to restart my qualification campaign from scratch," Thomas said. "I’ve taken almost a mental sabbatical away from the sport to be able to do my study. I think it was a benefit for me to come away from the sport for a period of time.

“As you get higher, it gets a little more pressure and demands, your passion changes a little. The covid19 break gave me an opportunity to refresh myself for the love of the sport. There’s more joy now and I have no problem restarting from the bottom,” he added.

In March 2019, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) released its updated list of Olympic qualification systems/times for athletics. The men’s 110m was one of many events which received a change in its qualification time.

As compared to the previous 2016 Olympic 110m hurdles qualification time of 13.47 seconds, to earn a spot at the Tokyo, athletes must now dip below 13.32s – a slim but formidable change.

“I feel like it’s the hardest and fastest qualification standard ever. The calibre that’s going to be needed to make this Games is going to be tougher than before.

“With the circumstances of not having people competing, uncertainty about meets and me not competing this year, 2020 was a great neutraliser for athletes. I’m confident in my ability to qualify,” he added.

Having represented TT at the past three Summer Games (2008 in Beijing, China; 2012 in London, England and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Thomas was planning to use the postponed 2020 edition to conclude his pro career.

He does not have a full-time coach working alongside him presently. Over the past couple months, he has been guided by several international coaches who provide him with training techniques and programmes.

According to Thomas, ideal preparation is hard to come by, at the moment, but he remains persistent in his plight to climax his Olympic career in Japan.

“Preparation is a great challenge because I’m working a technical 9am-5pm. I do have to train split with morning and evening sessions at various times in the week. I manage my own programme with support from coaches I met along the way on my journey.

“Because of where my life is right now it allows me the opportunity to self-manage. But I still talk to people to ensure I’m heading in the right direction. With great advisers from around the globe that are supporting the mission,” he said.

Additionally, the three-time national 110m hurdles champion heaped praises on TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis for ensuring he was able to graduate from the AISTS.

Owing to an outstanding balance on school fees, Thomas was unable to attend his class graduation ceremony on December 3. That day, Thomas posted an emotional video to social media expressing sadness with his inability to graduate alongside his 28 other classmates.

However, in an updated post, on December 4, Thomas was pleased to announce that the TTOC cleared his outstanding bill which allowed him to earn his master’s.

“Once I was there (Switzerland), I worked hard and did everything that was needed and asked of me. But, you worry about when this (tuition) will finally be paid and it does affect your mind.

“When the TTOC stepped in it was a huge sigh of relief and a huge encouragement. They have always been supportive of my athletic career. I always had their support and it was a nice way to help seal the journey.

“I hope to work and correspond with them in the future to make our sport grow. This is one of those missing elements. The knowledge I gain is what I can now contribute. If we continue to do this, that’s how we enrich the system and get better as a people,” he concluded.