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Mills, who famously coached Usain Bolt to legendary status, is deeply concerned by the state of Jamaican athletics following dismal Paris 2024 Olympics and World U-20 championships.
Glen Mills, the legendary coach behind Usain Bolt’s rise to sprint supremacy, has issued a stark warning for Jamaica’s track and field future.
Following a disappointing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Jamaica recorded its lowest medal tally since 2004, Mills believes the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) needs to act urgently or risk the country's decline in global athletics.
At the Paris Games, Jamaica secured only six medals—four of them in field events—and, for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, failed to claim a gold medal in any of the sprint events, a concerning shift for a nation historically dominant in those disciplines.
Speaking at a symposium hosted by the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mills emphasized that the results in Paris were no fluke but rather the symptom of deeper issues within the sport's governance in Jamaica.
"We have to pay attention to what happened in Paris and what happened in the recent World Under-20 Championships because they are showing the cracks and symptoms that exist," Mills said as quoted on the Jamaican Observer.
"If we do not address these issues urgently, we risk falling into the same quagmire that West Indies cricket has found itself in."
Mills did not mince his words when addressing the JAAA’s role in the team's underwhelming Olympic performance. He expressed concern that the association has failed to take responsibility for Jamaica’s drop in medal counts, citing a lack of introspection and initiative.
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09:36 - 10.10.2024
Usain Bolt's former coach explains how the Jamaican Athletics federation can overcome recent financial woes
Glen Mills has given suggestions on how the Jamaican Athletics Administrative Federation (JAAA) can overcome its financial challenges.
"I have not heard any attempt to have a commission of inquiry into what caused such a dramatic drop in our medal earnings. For a country that has sustained a high level of performance for decades, this sudden decline needs attention," Mills argued.
He also pointed out that many in the sport, including renowned coaches like Stephen Francis, have been vocal about the structural problems within Jamaican athletics for years, only for their concerns to go unaddressed.
"Stephen Francis and I have been pointing out these issues for a long time, but it seems no one is listening. Some of the things Stephen mentioned years ago are now affecting us significantly."
Mills says the coaches and leaders of the track clubs locally must have a greater say in the track and field programme.
“There needs to be a greater interworking relationship or connectivity between the coaches, the club administrators who are the persons on the ground involved in working with the athletes and whatever campaign or programme to earn additional medals or increased performance; they have to be a major part in whatever planning and programme that is going to be developed.”
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