Former Lobo Track Star Jarrin
Solomon will be
representing Trinidad & Tobago in the 2012 London
Olympics. A dream that did not
come easy for Solomon, but hard work, persistence and a desire to
never give up
made that dream came true. He will be running in the 4x 400 relay
and possibly
the 400. Solomon a graduate of Albuquerque’s La Cueva will
have plenty of
fans out in the Land of Enchantment wishing him nothing but the
best to bring a
medal home.
The
Red
Menace was able to talk to Solomon for a few minutes before he
goes back to
Europe and train even harder for the up coming games!
TRM: What was it
like leading up the
qualifying?
Solomon: Leading
up to
qualifying had it's ups and downs due to a few small injuries
during training
and then some inconsistent races over in Europe, but I knew I was
very fit and
ready to run fast so I just stayed confident that I was ready to
run and went
out and ran the best I could during trials!
TRM: Is
it a dream come true to go to London?
Solomon:
It is definitely a dream come true to go to London
because in 2008 I
was slated to go to Beijing for the Olympics, but the season went
to rubble
when I was diagnosed with pneumonia at the start of the outdoor
season so I
couldn't train for 7 weeks then I pulled my hamstring. So
fulfilling my dream
of going to the Olympics felt like the best feeling this time
around since I
had worked so hard the last 4 years.
TRM:
What is
your tie too Trinidad & Tobago?
Solomon: My tie to
Trinidad and
Tobago is through my father. He was a 2 time Olympian for them and
an Olympic
finalist in 1980 for them so I have been a citizen since I was
born.
TRM:
Not
only representing Trinidad & Tobago but you will be
representing UNM
and the State of New Mexico how does it feel to have a lot
of fans here?
Solomon: It
feels
really good to know that I have a lot of fans back home here in
Albuquerque and
at UNM that will be watching me in London and I want to go out
there and put on
a good showing for everybody here who has supported me over the
years and try
and put UNM and Albuquerque on the map since it isn't a place you
hear about
all the time in the sporting world!
TRM:
Other
then your race what part of the games are you most excited about?
Solomon: Other
than the race part I
think the part I'm most excited about is getting to just be around
the other
best athletes in the world in the village and getting to meet and
see all the
sportsmen and women from around the globe!
TRM:
Do you
know when your race will be?
Solomon: I'm not
sure when my race
will be since I still am shooting to run the individual 400 as
well. If I hit
the A standard for that I will be running that August 4th, if I
don't end up
running the open 400 and it's just the relay then I will be
running August 9th
in the prelims of the 4x400m. Thanks for all your support!!
TRM:
Best of
Luck!
Look for a follow up interview after
his race here on
The Red Menace