Jeremy Dodson

Dodson rates debut race on Samoan soil as best experience ever

The 31 year-old was born and raised in the United States but qualifies for Samoa through his mother, who is from the village of Malie.

Dodson first represented Samoa four years ago but said to compete in Samoa in front of a Samoan crowd was an incredible experience.

Jeremy Dodson competes in 200m

Dodson finished at 20.51s and was ranked 34 overall.

His best time for the 200m race is 20.07 which he clocked in 2011.

Dodson, 28, was born and bred in the United States said he is overwhelmed by the support he has received from the Samoan community.  

     

Samoa's Jeremy Dodson ready for Rio debut

RNZ reports the 28 year old was born and bred in the United States but said he had been overwhelmed by the support he's received from the Samoan community, and is hoping to repay that faith on the track.

"It's the biggest stage and there's no better way to make a big statement than at the biggest stage. Hopefully when I get down there some great expectations will come to fruition and it can come out of it a great experience in the end," he said.

Samoan sprinter expects to face cheating athletes in Rio

RNZ reports the US born sprinter will run the 200m in Rio later this month, where he's hoping to break the 20 second barrier for the first time.

Last week the International Olympic Committee opted against a blanket ban on Russian athletes for the Games after evidence of state-sponsored doping of Russian athletes in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

A three-member IOC panel will have the final say on which Russian athletes can compete at the Rio Games, reviewing all decisions taken by the international federations.

Sprinter keen to raise standards and put Samoan athletes on the international map

Even though Samoa's Olympic Committee is yet to finalise its team, Jeremy Dodson's times are so good that a place on the plane to Brazil would seem to be a formality.

He has run for the US in the past, but with Samoan heritage on his mother's side, Jeremy said he has never felt quite right representing America.

“I ran in a few US teams or a couple of US teams,” he said.

Samoa sprinter hoping to sign off in style

The 28 year-old was born and raised in Colorado in the United States but is eligible to represent Samoa through his mother, who is from the village of Malie.

Dodson bowed out in the 200m semi finals at last month's World Champs in Beijing and says niggling injuries have troubled him this season.

He's running the 150m in Newcastle tonight wants to finish the year on a high.

Samoa's Dodson bows out in 200m semis

The 27 year old failed to match his qualifying time, finishing sixth in his heat in 20.53 seconds.

American Justin Gatlin, who has not been beaten over the 200 distance for two years, clocked the fastest overall time in 19.87 seconds, with defending champion Usain Bolt winning his heat in 19.95.

Papua New Guinea's Donna Koniel finished last in her 800m heat in 2:12:51.

Meanwhile Samoa's Alex Rose is in action tonight in the men's discus.

For Pacific athletes, getting to worlds is what matters most

After work, it's back to the track, where he runs alone. “I have a coach, but no more athletes, they've all gone to college,” he says.

For Ngirchongor, all the hard work paid off this week when he competed on the same track as Usain Bolt in the preliminaries of the 200 meters at the world championships.

He posted the slowest time of all 54 runners in the field, finishing more than three seconds behind Bolt, but set a new personal best of 23.93 seconds.