GUYANA’S Damon Williams is in Jamaica trying to elevate himself to Olympic standards and put his country on the athletics map.
The Jamaica Observer reported that the 25-year-old Williams, who won the Guyanese long jump title in an upset over favourite and National record holder Emmanuel Archibald in 2019, is in Jamaica as part of the Ricketts Performance Centre under coach Kerry-Lee Ricketts.
More known for its dense rainforest, sugarcane, rice, cricket and calypso music, Guyana has a gem of a jumper on its hands in Williams. The versatile long and triple jumper caught the eye of world renowned coach Ricketts, who guided his wife Shanieka Ricketts to win the Diamond league trophy and silver at the World Championship in 2019.

“I was very happy to have a coach of that level reaching out to me and he said, ‘Yow, come up’, I reached in no time,” Williams revealed.
“This is the first time I have this level of coaching. I think the coaches in Guyana really try, but this is definitely a higher level of training,” he admitted.
“Guyana has a whole heap of potential, a lot of athletes out there with a whole heap of potential. But I think they need a little bit more exposure, more competition and people a little bit more experienced and qualified to help the technical stuff and so on,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Williams is one of three athletes from overseas, along with Emmanuel Archibald of Guyana and Sandisha Antoine of St Lucia at the Ricketts Performance Centre based at The University of the West Indies.

“Coming here and seeing national athletes like Shanieka Ricketts, you look across there and you see Yohan Blake, it motivates you,” said Williams.
“Then you say, you know what, these people are right here, they (are] training just like you, the )only difference is these people stay grinding so you just have to keep with it and be just as great. You just have to keep going with it, trust the process,” he added.
Williams, who has a personal best of 15.99m for the triple jump and 7.68m for the long jump, is hoping to achieve the Olympic qualifying marks of 17.14m and 8.22m, respectively.

“Based on how I am performing since the year started I really feel I can do it in both. I don’t really limit myself. I don’t know which one I want to surprise myself in first,” said Williams.
“So far I am very confident, it’s just the small technical things I just have to get together and yea man, for sure,” he noted.
“Since I came here I learnt a lot. It is crazy since I start off tracks in 10 years. This is my first real off-season training with a professional group. Being a part of the Ricketts Performance Centre it’s nice because everybody is like family. So I really, really like this part of it,” said Williams.