Sprinter Warren Weir To Play Rugby Sevens For Jamaica

Jamaican sprinter Warren Weir will give Americans Perry Baker and Carlin Isles intense competition for the fastest man in Sevens Rugby soon after Weir won selection to the Jamaican Rugby Sevens squad recently.

Weir took up rugby after he picked up a hamstring problem whilst at the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier this year. He called rugby a “wonderful sport.”

“I am 28 now and you can see the youngsters running really fast,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner. “I don’t plan to be here all the days of my life trying to compete with these youngsters.

“I have somewhat created a legacy and I don’t intend to ruin that by keep getting beaten and losing. It’s important to know when to move on and to help the youngsters to transition into a state where I was. It’s not about quitting. It’s about knowing when to move on.”

The 28-year-old is best remembered for his bronze medal in the 200m at the 2012 Olympics. As you would expect, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake were the only sprinters who could beat him, so Weir will bring incredible speed to the Jamaican side.

But this is not just some passing fancy for Weir. Although he will not compete in this month’s Sevens World Cup, he has every intention of making the team, and has set his sights on qualifying for the 2020 Olympics. A podium for his country is also on his agenda.

“I would love to be a 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, that would be a wonderful story to tell.”

He will make his debut at the the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia which takes place on the 1st and 2nd of August.

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Rugby World’s Sevens World Cup coverage in association with Tudor Watch