Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer

JAMAICA'S CRACK black-belt trio of Nicholas Dussard, Alrick Wanliss and Kenneth Edwards will be going all out to secure the island's first International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) gold medal at the May 1-4 Pan-Am Games in Florianopolis, Santa Catrina, Brazil.

Aged between 18 and 22, Dussard, Wanliss and Edwards, all members of Jamaica's combined martial arts team, represent Jamaica's best hope in years of nabbing an elusive ITF senior gold medal.

With the likes of Jason McKay, Arthur Barrows and Dwayne Brown approaching the twilight of their careers, the youthful trio are being relied on to break the ITF gold jinx, which has dogged Jamaican fighters.

Medals

McKay and Barrows won International Sports Karate Association (ISKA) gold medals but the more prestigious ITF gold has eluded the seniors.

Jamaica's juniors are expected to mine a cache of gold in Brazil and have traditionally done well over the years. Dussard, a Pan-Am ITF junior gold medal winner, is hoping to make the transition in Brazil.

Dussard also holds an ISKA junior black-belt gold medal, won at the United States Open last year.

With Jamaica's hopefuls each fighting in different weight classes, coach Claude Chin believes the island has a great chance of medalling.

"Dussard is on top of his game just now and Wanliss got rave reviews during the recent Jamaica-United States showdown in Connecticut," said Chin.

"In addition, he has improved leaps and bounds since joining the combined team and could be the surprise package as Dussard and Edwards have already built reputations," he said.

Difficult to win

McKay, who captains the combined team and is a veteran of the taekwondo squad, said the timing of the ITF tournaments also make winning gold difficult.

"There are a variety of reasons. Luck is a huge factor, but more importantly I think it has to do with when our fighters peak. They tend to be at their best in the summer at the ISKA US Open and in team competitions, which is where our Busta sponsorship rests," McKay said.

"However, considering the form of Dussard, Wanliss and Edwards this year, I would be disappointed if we did not carry home a gold from Brazil," he said.