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Jamaican runners stayed on track

By Dontay Allen

Published: July 8, 2008

It has been a long journey to the United States for native Jamaicans and former University of Oklahoma track stars Danny McFarlane and Michael Blackwood.

Both will represent their native country in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. McFarlane will run in the 400 meter hurdles; Blackwood will compete in the 400 meter dash.

But through it all the two remained close, finding opportunities with one another along the way.

Both McFarlane and Blackwood were born and raised in Jamaica, an island country in the Caribbean south of Cuba.

McFarlane grew up in Oracabessa St. Mary, Jamaica, before heading to Oklahoma to run track at OU. It was a way to escape the poverty of the island.

"Things were all right for me," McFarlane said. "I wasn't rich, but at least I never went to bed hungry or without shoes. I did have to walk a mile to school every day though."

Blackwood was born and raised in a rural part of Jamaica called Clarendon, before he headed to the United States for college. After a stint at an NAIA school, he found a home at OU and finally met up with his countryman, already an OU standout.

When McFarlane was being recruited, OU track coaches had already had a lot of success with Jamaican athletes. They took a chance on McFarlane, who only started to focus on track in high school after growing up a soccer player.

"The OU sprint coach had good contact with a lot of the Jamaican programs, so I talked to him and then he sent me a packet,” McFarlane said. "I took a look at the packet and I knew right away I wanted to go to OU.”

Homesickness set in for McFarlane when he first arrived at OU. The adjustment simply seemed too great.

"I went home for the winter break in December and I wanted to stay,” McFarlane said. "Eventually, I talked to Coach (J.D.) Martin, and he was like a father figure to me. I talked to him and I decided to go back to OU and not stay at home. I don't have any regrets about it at all.”

Blackwood spent part of his first season at Southern University, an NAIA school in New Orleans. The adjustment from Jamaica to the United States did not come easy for Blackwood either.

"At first, it was a cultural shock, but after about six months, I got adjusted to the environment, the food and the people,” Blackwood said.

Blackwood quickly began to excel at Southern. The only problem was no Division I schools took notice. With the help of his sister Catherine Scott, a three-time Olympian, he finally attracted the attention of a Division I school. Pretty soon, an offer came from one of the schools. The offer was from OU.

"It was a chance for me to go to a Division I school and do something bigger and better,” Blackwood said. "It was a good training environment, there were good people there to work with and other Jamaicans were already there, so it was a great opportunity for me.”

Upon arrival, Blackwood eventually met McFarlane and the two have been friends ever since.

"We are buddies and we always work out together,” Blackwood said. "We also encourage each other when we have a down season.”

Martin, the former OU track coach, knew McFarlane was a special talent from the start.

"I knew he would be good when he first came here,” Martin said. "He was an outstanding runner and athlete. He rose to all my expectations of him and then some.”

McFarlane had no problems exceeding Martin's high expectations. In only his sophomore season, McFarlane won the 1995 conference championship in the 400 meters. The next year, a respiratory infection hindered him and caused him to miss the 1996 Olympics. But he overcame it, and was a member of OU's 1997 indoor 1600-meter relay national championship team.

By the time his career was over, McFarlane was an eight-time All-American for the Sooners. In his 33-year tenure at OU, Martin says McFarlane was one of his best runners.

"He's definitely right up there with the best runners I've ever coached,” Martin said. "He has accomplished more as far as international and world championships than anybody I've ever had.”

In both 1999 and 2000, Blackwood was conference champion in the 400 meters. On top of that, his time of 46.86 seconds in the 400 meters set a Big 12 conference record that still stands today. Blackwood finished as a five-time All-American and is proud of his career with the Sooners.

"I would say it was successful,” Blackwood said. "I won a Big 12 championship while I was there, so I would say it was a success overall.”

The long Jamaican journey has already led them to Norman and appearances in both the 2004 and 2000 Olympics. The next stop will be the Beijing Olympics.

The '08 Olympics will represent Blackwood's third appearance in the Olympics. He is one of only two former Sooners in school history to qualify for three consecutive Olympics.

"It's great to be at the Olympics again,” Blackwood said. "Hopefully, I can be champion in the 400 meter and make my third time the charm.”

In 2004, Blackwood finished eighth in the 400 meter dash. In 2000, he captured a bronze as a member of the 1,600-meter relay team.

The upcoming Olympics will also be McFarlane's third consecutive Olympic competition. Much of his career was spent running the 400-meter dash. After years of excelling in the dash, he decided to try the 400-meter hurdles in 1999.

He started out doing drills in a parking lot that involved stepping over cracks in the sidewalk. A year later, McFarlane was the Jamaican national champion and in 2004, he took silver in the 400 meter hurdles. Coach Martin is confident about McFarlane's chances of capturing gold.

"If he runs a perfect race and keeps his balance and momentum on each hurdle, I don't think anybody can beat him,” Martin said. "If he does that throughout the entire race, there's no doubt in my mind he will win the gold.”

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