Adrian Frater, News Editor

Charlene Campbell hugs her son, Dexter Lee, who won the 100m gold medal at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championship in Poland last week. Dexter was met at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay by members of his family and school community, Herbert Morrison Technical High, yesterday. - photo by Adrian Frater

WESTERN BUREAU:

FOR MANY track and field pundits around the world, Dexter Lee's 100 metre gold medal success at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships, which concluded in Poland last weekend, came as a big surprise.

However, for coach Claude Grant, who has been guiding Lee's career at Montego Bay's Herbert Morrison High School, the historic run by the 17-year-old, which saw him become the first Jamaican sprinter to win a 100m gold medal at the World Junior Championship level, came as no surprise.

Confident

"I spoke to him before the race and we went through the technique he was going to use in the race, and we were quite confident that he had it in him to win," said Grant, who arrived home from Poland alongside Lee and other athletes from the west of the island yesterday.

Grant, who has stated over the years that his track programme at Herbert Morrison is designed to create world champions and not just to do well at the annual National Boys' and Girls' Championships, intimated that Lee's success in Poland was just the beginning of what he is capable of achieving.

"It is a part of the journey to where we believe this youngster can go," said Grant, who was a part of the coaching staff in Poland. "It makes me feel so good ... I am really proud of Dexter and his accomplishment," he said.

Coach Grant least flustered

In addition to his confidence, it would appear that coach Grant was also the least flustered person with close ties to Lee during his memorable 10.40 run, which made him Jamaica's lone gold medallist at the championship.

"After I spoke to him, I felt he was ready," said Grant. "I was fairly relaxed because I was actually taping (video taping) the race ... I felt happy and proud when he crossed the line in front," he said.