Professor of Sport Science and Biochemistry Dr Rachael Irving is calling for a more scientific and holistic approach to the preparation and management of Jamaica’s young athletes.
Irving’s comments come amid debate surrounding the decision to have young quarter-miler Jabari Matheson compete in four 400-metre races over two days at the recent World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
She said decisions regarding an athlete’s workload, particularly one returning from injury, should involve a team of professionals, along with the coach and the athlete.
“It has to be a holistic approach. The doctor, the physical therapist, the technical person, and the youngster himself,” Irving told The Gleaner yesterday.
She added that factors such as fatigue, nutrition and recovery must be carefully considered when determining an athlete’s competition schedule.
“Am I feeling tired? Did I eat at a certain time to maximise because I’m recovering? Am I taking the protein I need to enhance and fully recover?” reasoned Irving, who is a member of the International Centre for East African Running Science and the American College of Sports Medicine.
Irving believes environmental conditions must also be taken into account when preparing athletes, particularly those competing overseas.
She pointed to the high temperatures and humidity experienced in Eugene, noting that such conditions can affect both performance and recovery.
“We are not looking at the environment. They were in Eugene. It was about 34-35 degrees in terms of temperature. Are they able to perform at that humidity and temperature?” she said.
The sports scientist also believes Jamaica should develop individualised performance profiles to determine how much training and competition each athlete can manage.
According to Irving, the country now has access to a wide range of scientific tools that can enhance athlete preparation, including metabolic profiling, recovery, hydration and sleep science.
However, she questioned whether all coaches are embracing these advances.
“This is a new era. We have metabolic profiling. We have recovery science. We have hydration science. We have sleeping science. We have everything. Are we using that with the fantastic talent we have?” she asked.
Irving, a professor of sport science and biochemistry at The University of the West Indies, believes greater collaboration among coaches, medical professionals, sports scientists and athletes is essential if Jamaica is to maximise its considerable athletic talent, while safeguarding the long-term development of its young competitors.
