Under the headline “Hang it up Merlene, please!” Paul Reid of the Jamaican Observer newspaper writes: “Merlene Ottey, the former Jamaican track and field star, had her dreams of competing in an individual event at eight straight Olympics shattered on Tuesday after failing in her attempt to make the ‘B’ standard while competing at a low-key meet in Slovenia. News reports are that one of the most recognisable names in track and field competed in the meet in pouring rain and could only run 11.60 seconds, falling .28 seconds from the standard that would allow her to compete.”

Reid continued:

Ottey, the winner of nine Olympic medals, a record in track and field for women, was hoping to set yet another record – the oldest person at age 48 to compete in a track event at the Games.
Records are nothing new to her as earlier this week she set yet another World Record when she ran 11:50-plus seconds in the heats at the Slovenian Championships, fastest ever by someone that age. She was second in the finals in just over 11:60 seconds and so had one last ditch chance of meeting the minimum requirement to be named in the Slovenian team.
A bit of perspective here. The organisers of the event give athletes wishing to compete at the Games a period of time to meet a minimum requirement if they wish to take part. In this case, the women’s 100m, the athletes had from January 1, 2007 to run 11.32 seconds for the A standard or 11.42 seconds for the B standard.
Given her glorious record in the sport, at least up to 2000 when she last competed at the highest level for Jamaica while winning 34 medals at major meets including 14 at the IAAF World Championships, does ‘Queen Merlene’ need this ignominy at the end of her CV?
In the 2004 Olympics, competing for Slovenia, she managed to get to the semi-finals of the 100m after running 11.24 seconds, ironically finishing behind two Jamaicans, but could only muster 11.21 seconds in the second round and was eliminated.
We all thought, hoped, and prayed then that at 44 years old when most if not all, other athletes had gone into another sphere of their lives, she would ride off into the sunset and enjoy the life of a track and field royalty that she has earned.
Instead Ottey, in my opinion, opts to continue to erode her rich legacy.
Four years ago the athletes lining up beside her in a race may have been in awe of this legend. Today all the youngsters who line up against her must be licking their lips at the chance to beat a legend at their own game and add a notch or two to their belts.
Based on the feedback that we have heard from various quarters here, there are many who are rooting for Ottey to make the Games and some are even arguing that given her contributions to the sport, the IOC should give her a ‘wild card’ entry into the 100m event.
Olympic berths are earned, not handed out based on sentiments and past accomplishments. Again in my opinion, Ottey deserves much more than handouts and should be the one dictating her future, not the other way around.
One of the problems with the majority of the Jamaican sports fan is that they appear to have special glasses that allow them to see their heroes in their heydays and not when they are on their way down.
Statistically Ottey’s best is at least six years behind her and the more she runs, the more she erodes what she took decades to accomplish.
Hopefully this failure will finally convince her that the time has come to finally hang them up and start helping in the shaping of the next generation of track and field stars.

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