Smythe following parents’ footsteps

The apple did not fall very far from the tree as Muschette High's Class Two 100 and 200 metres specialist, Johan-Ramaldo Smythe, found his true love in track and field at a very young age and is following in the pathways of his athletic parents.

According to Smythe, he began participating in athletics as early as the basic school level, which continued into high school, with motivation coming from his father Garth and his mother Sancia Samuels, who participated in track and field for Rusea's High School.

"I started to do track and field at age three, when I ran at the Basic School Championships. Growing up, I usually watched my mother run the 100 and 200 metres. During Champs, I would watch athletes like Christopher Taylor and Jaheel Hyde run. My father also coached Akeem Blake, which got me even more involved," Smythe said.

"I wanted to be like my mother and do the 100 and 200 metres. Having my father coach me is a good feeling. He gives me pep talks, tells me not to focus on the distractions, and to have fun. There is no pressure with having him as a coach. It is different because I can go to him regularly for advice, rather than having someone else as a coach," Smythe said.

With the zeal to do his best, 16-year-old Smythe said he is training hard and making a few adjustments for the upcoming events, with the five-day ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs) starting on Tuesday.

"I am just fine-tuning some things going into Champs. I have had no challenges this season during training. It is going well so far and I had no injuries to slow me down. I have been improving daily, and trying to get out of the blocks and be stronger for the 200 metres," Smythe told STAR Sports.

"I am very passionate about the sport because I want to be the best. I want to become a world champion or an Olympian one day. I will go to the World Athletics Under-20 Championships," he added.

Earlier this season, Smythe targeted a personal best of 10.50 seconds in the 100 metres and 21.69 seconds in the 200 metres.

"For the 200 metres, it was a process and I worked hard at becoming stronger. I exceeded my expectations and now have a personal best of 21.18 seconds for the 200 metres [done] at the Carifta Trials.

"Having competed in the under-20 boys' 200 metres against Class One athletes, I am elated to join the Carifta team after coming in second. I look forward to Champs and am targeting a new personal best of 20.10 seconds," Smythe explained.

"All the competitors at the events will be challenging, but I just have to go out there and do what I must. My expectation for Champs is to win medals.

In the 100 metres at Western Champs this season, Smythe finished second to Tavaine Stewart of Herbert Morrison Technical with 11.06 seconds.

Champs will be held at the National Stadium in Kingston, with the Carifta Games set for March 30-April 1 in St George's, Grenada, at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium. The World Athletics Under-20 Championships will be held in Lima, Peru, from August 27-31.