Recently, my real life job as a reporter brought me in contact with Olympic sprinter Jayson Jones, fresh off the plane from Beijing. While he didn't bring home a medal, I found his thoughts on running, the past and life in general fascinating.
He takes a very cerebral approach to his sport, especially for someone known to the world as an athlete. What follows is the result of my conversation with him and his coach. It is an interesting portrait of someone who has gotten to the international stage and taken time to reflect on it.
As sports fans get used to the midday television void after the Beijing Olympics, the athletes themselves are in a process of transition. After years of work towards one goal, many athletes spend the post-Olympic afterglow looking back on what could have been.
For Jayson Jones, one of four Olympic athletes from Belize, his vision is fixed on the future. The son of a retired Army sergeant 1st class and a staff member of the Army’s Civilian Senior Leader Management Office, James ran the 200-meters in the Beijing Olympics.
Jones was born in Germany, and like many army-raised children, he lived all over the world, including Chicago, Il., South Korea and several German cities.
This upbringing was a mixed blessing, as it helped him adapt to many situations, which helped him on the track, but it also created a difficult environment to train.
“I had six coaches in eight years. It was hard to establish an athletic foundation. Not one person can say they knew me from when I started to run,” he said.
His coach now is Owen McGregor; he has seen how Jones’ upbringing has affected his performance.
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