Foster-Hylton thanks coach for gold medal success

Jamaica's world 100-metre hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton (left) and bronze medallist Delloreen Ennis-London pose with their medals in Berlin, Germany, yesterday. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Friday, August 21, 2009

BERLIN, Germany (CMC) - Jamaica's new world 100-metre hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton heaped praise Wednesday on her MVP Track Club coach Stephen Francis for the role he has played in her success.

The 34-year-old Foster-Hylton explained after her first global triumph at the 12th IAAF World Championship on Wednesday night how Francis persuaded her to stick to the sport after her huge disappointment of missing out on a medal at the Beijing Olympics last summer.

Foster-Hylton had retired in frustration and Francis urged her to return to the sport.

"I actually was retired last year; after Beijing I was so disappointed, I wanted an Olympic so badly (but) my coach dissuaded me and told me to come back," Foster-Hylton said.

"I give it all to my coach and I thank him. He prepared me well," she added.

The reigning Commonwealth Games champion and former Pan American Games gold medallist became Jamaica's first gold medallist in the event at the World Championships and finally copped the big prize in a lengthy career.

She delivered a near-perfect race to win in a personal season's best 12.51 seconds.

Starting well and running solidly throughout, Foster-Hylton clung on to the lead at the end, repelling strong late-race challenges from Canadian Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (12.54) and Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London (12.55).

"I knew it was going to be a tough race and I knew it was going to be to the wire. When I visualised my race I said I am going to run my heart out from the start and I am going close my eyes and power my way to the finish and that's what I did," she said.

Foster-Hylton had won two previous World Championships medals - silver in Paris (2003) and bronze in Helsinki (2005) - and her triumph stunned her rivals in an event that was billed as one of the most competitive at the nine-day championship.