Chat-bout.net - Weir eager for rare relay record

Weir eager for rare relay record

Having got a taste of relay success on the international stage following his run in the heats for Jamaica's 4x100m team, which went on to take gold at last month's World Championships, Warren Weir is now hungry for more.

Weir

Weir, who also took silver in the 200m at the World Championships in Moscow with a personal best equalling run of 19.79 seconds, is keen on participating in the 4x200m relay event at next year's inaugural IAAF World Relays. The two-day championships will be held in The Bahamas in May and is slated to include the 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and 4x1500m relays. The athletes will be competing for $1.4 million in prize money.

"I want to go," Weir revealed. "From a very long time, I have said that there should be a meet somewhere on the European circuit that allows us to run the 4x200m."

Weir is hoping that his Racers Club teammates, who include 200m world recorder holder Usain Bolt (19.19) and the second-fastest man in history over the half-lap event, Yohan Blake (19.26), will be open to the idea of joining forces to run the rarely contested relay discipline.

LEGENDARY ACCOMPLISHMENT

"Seeing that there is a meet in the Caribbean, I would want to go, even if the other Racers athletes are not thinking of going. I would like to put a team together and go," Weir said. "I want to have my name on a world-record plaque somewhere that will stand for a very long time and I don't think the big man (Bolt) will turn down a world record, so we should look forward to that."

The world record for the 4x200m stands at one minute 18.68 seconds and was set by the Santa Monica Track Club (Carl Lewis, Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell and Floyd Heard) in April 1994.

With there being no major championships (Worlds or Olympics) next year, Weir is also open to participating at the July 23 to August 3 Commonwealth Games.

"My coach and I haven't sat down and talked about next season, but I would like to go to the Commonwealth Games," revealed Weir, who was speaking at a special ceremony at his alma mater, Calabar High school, in honour of schoolboy Javon Francis - a 4x400m silver medallist from the Moscow championships.

Weir, who also won the 200m Diamond League title, believes the only way to top what he has done this season is to finish as the number-one in the event next season.

"It was a wonderful season and I am pleased with everything I have accomplished," Weir said. "Hopefully, I will be number one for the 200m. We will see when next season ends. But that would be only the icing on the cake."

Source: The Gleaner

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