Olympic Sprint Medallist Weir Joins Jamaica’s Rugby Sevens Team
“I have just found another way to contribute to this country’s great sporting legacy and I see no reason to limit myself.”
Mission Possible?
Warren Weir has always loved a good challenge.
How about this one? Can an Olympic track and field medallist help his country’s rugby sevens national team?
The Jamaican sprinter thinks so and that’s why he has temporarily changed sports.
The 28-year-old won bronze in the 200m at London 2012, finishing behind compatriots Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.
Now he will swap spikes for rugby studs as he lines up for the Crocs, Jamaica’s sevens team.
His debut will be at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Baranquilla, Colombia.
It all started with an injury...
Weir took up rugby after picking up a hamstring injury in early April at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
A muscle tear ended his season prematurely, but opened up a new opportunity.
However the 2013 200m world silver medallist stressed that his move to rugby doesn’t mean the end of his sprint career:
“I have just found another way to contribute to this country’s great sporting legacy and I see no reason to limit myself.”
Eyes on Tokyo
Jamaica is not an established rugby nation yet, but is gradually finding its footing in the sport.
After qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, the Caribbean nation will make its first historic appearance at the Rugby Sevens World Cup later this month in San Francisco, USA.
In the meantime Weir said he is eager to “learn the sport some more” and then he will see what happens.
The Crocs may also have a chance to qualify for Tokyo 2020:
“I’d love to be that Jamaican that went to two Olympic Games for two different sports. That would be an amazing achievement for myself. If we got there and got onto the podium, the would be a wonderful story to tell” – Warren Weir in an interview with the Jamaica Gleaner
Electric Pace
Weir can run the 100m in 10.02 seconds, which potentially makes him one of the fastest players in the sport.
His electric could prove a potent asset on the sevens scene, as USA stars Carlin Isles and** Perry Baker** have proved over the past few seasons.
Former England Sevens captain Rob Vickerman is already thrilled:
