The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunrmedia.net

RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — Although he has been busy getting ready to compete, Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands has been actively involved in social media.

Sands, the national triple jump record holder who won’t get to compete until Monday when he and NCAA champion Latario Collie contest the preliminaries of the men’s triple jump, has been taking quick interviews with various members of Team Bahamas for his Snapshot.

Among those he included were sprinter Teray Smith and quarter-milers Alonzo Russell and Demetrius Pinder.

In the lead up to his return to the Olympics after he went down with a near career-ending injury at the last games in London, England in 2012, Sands has been active on social media, documenting his recovery process.

And with the limited access into the Games Village where the athletes stay, Sands agreed to conduct one of two interviews for The Tribune.

Here’s one that he did with sprinter Jamial Rolle, who will be contesting the men’s 100m along with Adrian Griffith and Shavez Hart. The trio will start competing in the heats on Saturday with the semi-final and final set for Sunday.

Leevan: How has the experience been so far?

Jamial: “The experience has been awesome. I’m just taking it one day at a time and just focusing on the goal at hand.”

Leevan: What are your expectations for the games?

Jamial: “My expectations is to do better than I’ve ever done, run faster than I’ve ever ran before. Wherever that takes me, that’s up to me and God, but my goal is to just go out there and run a complete race, run a relaxed race, run a fast race, run an explosive race and let that be the fastest race that I’ve ever ran.”

Leevan: How are you preparing, just a few days before track starts?

Jamial: “Just a lot of relaxation. There’s not much you can do right now. Everything has been done. It’s just focusing on doing what is impossible or what others feel is impossible, but I don’t think so. That’s pretty much it.”

Leevan: “What has been your biggest experience so far and what has been your biggest disappointment so far?

Jamial: “My biggest experience so far is just taking everything in. This is my second experience at the Olympics and my promise to myself was to enjoy every aspect of it, the competition and everything that comes with making the Olympics. In terms of disappointment, I haven’t had any because my mindset is to keep positive and everything has been great. I don’t have a complaint. Even if I do, it’s minute, not even worth talking about. Everything is great. It’s a positive mindset right now and that’s what we’re working with.”

At the end of the interview, Sands jokingly said to Rolle, “not even the per diam,” to which there was no response.

Seems as if Sands is ready to step into his next role as a sportscaster when he hangs out his jumping shoes.

We wish Sands, who was recently elected as the new athletes’ representative during the BAAA National Open Track and Field Championships - the final trials for the Olympics - all of the best as he makes a complete circle four years after he went down in the final of the triple jump to getting back to the highest level of sports in the world.