Dacres Grand Prix performance down to caution
Published:Thursday | June 8, 2023 | 1:28 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
FIVE-TIME NATIONAL champion discus thrower Fedrick Dacres is downplaying his performance at the fifth staging of the Racer’s Grand Prix, held at the National Stadium on Saturday, where he finished fourth.
Dacres only managed a best throw of 62.85 metres, well behind eventual winner Alex Rose of Samoa, who hurled the discus to 65.86.
According to Dacres, he had been experiencing groin pains leading up to the grand prix and decided on a measured approach to competing.
“I was really in good shape, but on Wednesday, I had a slight groin strain, nothing too serious, but I decided to stop training. Then on Saturday, it was more about feeling it out, I felt I couldn’t run out the back, and my throw is big on running out the back, so I was just rotating. I thought I got a really big throw, but unfortunately, it was called a foul, and that threw off my rhythm,” said Dacres.
The 29-year-old Dacres, who is no stranger to injuries, believes that with a long schedule of European meets on the agenda this season, it was wiser to have held back at the Racers Grand Prix to avoid aggravating a groin injury, which has hampered him on several occasion in the past.
“I checked with my doctor on Monday, and I got the go-ahead to push a little harder. The reason why I didn’t want to really push was because of what happened last year, so I decided to hold back as I have a chain of track meets in Europe. It made no sense to push at Racers Grand Prix then be out for the season,” he said.
With national trials and World Championships the top priorities this year, Dacres revealed that staying injury free was among his main targets for the remainder of the season.
“The aim this year is just to remain injury free. I feel like if I can stay on the injury-free path, I’ll be good for World Champs. Trials will be hot like fire this year, so I can’t be injured this year. It’s about holding back when I need to and pushing when I can,” he said.
Dacres, who has a personal best of 70.78 metres, the national record, is of the opinion that going over the 69-metre mark would put him in a good position to be among the medals at the upcoming World Championships.
“I think I need to get over 69 metres to medal at the World Championships. It could be less, but it would be good to get over that mark. It would put us in a very good position.”