:00:00. > :00:00.With an active track and field programme on the island
:00:00. > :00:00.Seven months ago an epic journey began.
:00:00. > :00:09.From Buckingham Palace, the Queen's Baton Relay set out
:00:10. > :00:14.on a voyage around the Commonwealth. To visit 70 nations and territories
:00:15. > :00:21.in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.
:00:22. > :00:26.Adventurer Mark Beaumont is following the baton.
:00:27. > :00:31.This is an incredible scene! With the games less than three months away,
:00:32. > :00:33.he will meet the athletes preparing to compete.
:00:34. > :00:36.The Commonwealth Games are the pinnacle of my career.
:00:37. > :00:41.And find out how sport is inspiring a young generation.
:00:42. > :00:44.I want to become the world's fastest man.
:00:45. > :00:54.And meet the people and diverse communities who are a part of it.
:00:55. > :01:22.All connected by the Queen's Baton Relay.
:01:23. > :01:35.This leg of the baton's journey takes it to the Caribbean.
:01:36. > :01:41.Home to some of the most beautiful places on the planet.
:01:42. > :02:18.Trinidad Tobago's tropical weather and beautiful beaches might
:02:19. > :02:32.be perfect for relaxing, but its athletes have huge ambition.
:02:33. > :02:43.19-year-old Keshorn Walcott became the youngest ever javelin thrower
:02:44. > :02:49.to win gold in the history of the Games.
:02:50. > :02:51.The unexpected win captured the nation's imagination
:02:52. > :03:22.and also sparked the ambition in one young man, Shakiel Waithe.
:03:23. > :03:28.Since London the interest has skyrocketed, everybody wants to
:03:29. > :03:31.do field events, most people want to do javelin.
:03:32. > :03:36.Shakiel's natural talent was spotted and he was put on an intensive
:03:37. > :03:42.training programme for young athletes in Trinidad.
:03:43. > :03:46.You don't need to motivate him. If training is on Christmas Day,
:03:47. > :03:50.he's coming, I love to work with athletes like that.
:03:51. > :03:53.He just want to do good. He just want to succeed.
:03:54. > :04:03.Just, the basics are stay back, pivot, stay back on the right line.
:04:04. > :04:09.Keep your arm all the way back. That's all. Let's see.
:04:10. > :04:29.And pull this left arm here, and chuck.
:04:30. > :04:31.That was a foul! Didn't even stick in!
:04:32. > :04:38.That was... Pretty bad. Yeah. Pretty bad.
:04:39. > :04:41.You need to do more co-ordination exercises.
:04:42. > :04:46.Shakiel will be accompanying his idol, Keshorn, to the
:04:47. > :05:14.And Shakiel isn't the only one with big dreams.
:05:15. > :05:33.We are qualified and our first victim is going to be
:05:34. > :05:49.Who have qualified. It is a big achievement for anyone.
:05:50. > :05:56.You actually carry your country, the team spirit with you.
:05:57. > :06:00.When you leave here it is not all about you any more,
:06:01. > :06:17.After a brief stop in St Vincent and the Grenadines
:06:18. > :06:27.Where an after school programme for youngsters
:06:28. > :06:35.is making the most of their talent on the field and in the classroom.
:06:36. > :06:41.I really enjoy running and when I run I feel happy.
:06:42. > :06:52.The club is very fun, it gives you physical fitness.
:06:53. > :06:55.For over a decade now, Rockets Athletics club
:06:56. > :07:01.has been getting young athletes to change their approach to sports.
:07:02. > :07:04.In the past many athletes were gifted
:07:05. > :07:07.and their academics suffered and we are trying to change that
:07:08. > :07:13.dynamic so they must balance academics and sport.
:07:14. > :07:17.The cost of higher education can put it out of reach for many
:07:18. > :07:21.young people on the island. So for them getting a sport
:07:22. > :07:27.scholarship to a university abroad can be a life-changing opportunity.
:07:28. > :07:31.I hope to get a track scholarship for me to go to school
:07:32. > :07:34.to study architecture and start building houses,
:07:35. > :07:40.open my business in my country and build a house for my mom.
:07:41. > :07:43.While the scholarship might be a way of accessing education for some,
:07:44. > :07:48.the club encourages its athletes to have big sporting ambition as well.
:07:49. > :07:50.Do you have any dreams for the future for running?
:07:51. > :07:56.I want to go to the Olympics to run against other people
:07:57. > :08:00.I want to become the world's fastest man!
:08:01. > :08:17.With St Lucia set to host the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017
:08:18. > :08:41.And I believe after these games in 2017 we will probably see
:08:42. > :08:46.athletes really vying for the highest podium
:08:47. > :08:51.because now they understand what it is to feel that energy.
:08:52. > :08:55.It will make our country much bigger as it is a small
:08:56. > :08:59.dot on the map and I just want to make my country proud
:09:00. > :09:07.for a 14 year old like me just to make my country and myself be proud.
:09:08. > :09:12.From St Lucia, the baton continues to Dominica,
:09:13. > :09:31.then Antigua and Barbuda before going to the island of Montserrat.
:09:32. > :09:43.But the island was harbouring a dark side.
:09:44. > :09:46.Avalanches of gas and molten rock rolled down the slopes
:09:47. > :10:11.Everyone had to move to the other end of the island.
:10:12. > :10:18.And that volcano is still active, I can smell the sulphur.
:10:19. > :10:29.This was home up until December 1996 and we had to leave. Leave quickly?
:10:30. > :10:32.Had to leave quickly. Everybody left in the middle of the night.
:10:33. > :10:58.I have something for memories, some people lost everything.
:10:59. > :11:01.With the country devastated, more than half of the population
:11:02. > :11:16.had a huge impact on everything, including sport.
:11:17. > :11:19.With an active track and field programme on the island
:11:20. > :11:24.these athletes will be Montserrat's only hope for medals in Glasgow.
:11:25. > :11:29.We train on a few hundred metre track, grass track and sometimes
:11:30. > :11:34.because like at Christmas they have an annual festival,
:11:35. > :11:55.is to keep sporting talent here on the island.
:11:56. > :11:57.When we think we have an individual and we say
:11:58. > :12:00."OK, in the next two years you will be at this point,"
:12:01. > :12:04.because of family or school they migrate
:12:05. > :12:09.so quite a few times you actually start over.
:12:10. > :12:20.It is kind of bad and still kind of good in a way.
:12:21. > :12:25.Because without the volcanic eruption I wouldn't know
:12:26. > :12:31.but if it was still the same then we would have more people
:12:32. > :12:48.But we're trying our best, we're doing our thing.
:12:49. > :12:51.For Lester, sporting success is of huge
:12:52. > :12:56.significance for both his island and family.
:12:57. > :13:00.What keeps you going, year after year?
:13:01. > :13:04.Well, basically it is just that I like competing
:13:05. > :13:10.and I like putting Montserrat on the map and I would like to be out there
:13:11. > :13:14.like Usain Bolt or one of them big athletes and making money
:13:15. > :13:21.so when I die then my children are safe.
:13:22. > :13:36.From Montserrat to the twin islands of St Kitts and Nevis.
:13:37. > :13:48.The old train line that used to carry the island's
:13:49. > :13:56.sugar to the port now takes tourists to see the sights.
:13:57. > :14:11.On an island where cricket and football are popular,
:14:12. > :14:31.Playing table tennis for St Kitts, it's an honour and an opportunity
:14:32. > :14:38.I'm very excited, I get to meet others, different techniques,
:14:39. > :14:46.different style of playing, so I will be able to learn more.
:14:47. > :14:51.giving them a chance to train and also make that possibility
:14:52. > :14:57.of them being able to step up ahead of how we used to play before
:14:58. > :15:00.and now enter into a tournament like this.
:15:01. > :15:08.achievement in sports is seen as a stepping stone to success.
:15:09. > :15:11.Sports - there are many opportunities, like scholarships,
:15:12. > :15:14.getting the opportunity to go to a university
:15:15. > :15:22.One of the things that we look forward to,
:15:23. > :15:24.everybody would like to get some sort of scholarship
:15:25. > :15:27.to go abroad and to play, that would be good.
:15:28. > :15:31.The key is for us, as an association, to find ways
:15:32. > :15:33.and to create ways in terms of increasing their skills,
:15:34. > :15:37.cos we know they can improve even better if they get the opportunity
:15:38. > :16:36.although not featured in this year's Commonwealth Games,
:16:37. > :16:41.is opening doors to a world of opportunities.
:16:42. > :16:46.Tennis for me would be a gateway to college, it's an opportunity
:16:47. > :16:48.to get a college scholarship. And the harder I train,
:16:49. > :16:52.the better I become, the more likely I will be to get one.
:16:53. > :16:56.If I progress in this programme and hopefully get a scholarship,
:16:57. > :16:59.I can go pretty much anywhere, I can explore the world.
:17:00. > :17:06.Most of the children would love to go to school
:17:07. > :17:09.to acquire a higher education, but they are limited
:17:10. > :17:13.in the fact that their parents may not have the financial resources
:17:14. > :17:18.to do so, so what we have found out is that using sports as a vehicle,
:17:19. > :17:22.that coupled with their academic background, will give these students
:17:23. > :17:27.the opportunity to realise their dream of going to higher education.
:17:28. > :17:30.Got to give yourselves room! Give yourself room to hit, OK?
:17:31. > :17:34.Having studied in the US on a tennis scholarship,
:17:35. > :17:37.Mitch returned to Anguilla to set up a summer camp
:17:38. > :17:44.That court looks like it's seen better days.
:17:45. > :17:46.Indeed it has. This is where you started?
:17:47. > :17:51.Everything started right here. 19 years ago, in 1996,
:17:52. > :17:54.the Anguilla tennis academy was created right here.
:17:55. > :17:58.We had about 35 children and three rackets.
:17:59. > :18:01.And what was amazing about the programme that year,
:18:02. > :18:05.waiting for a turn just to hit the ball.
:18:06. > :18:08.And when you finished, you would pass the racket down.
:18:09. > :18:12.So I thought, these children have a unique discipline,
:18:13. > :18:23.and that is what inspired me most to really carry on this programme.
:18:24. > :18:29.Following in Mitch's footsteps is Tamisha Richardson.
:18:30. > :18:33.she is aiming for a tennis scholarship in the US
:18:34. > :18:41.and be able to come back and work as a physiotherapist,
:18:42. > :18:46.and even have my own clinic or academy one day
:18:47. > :18:53.I want us to show that Anguilla, although we're small,
:18:54. > :19:13.that we have talent, we have people that could do great things.
:19:14. > :19:16.As successful athletes come back to their home countries,
:19:17. > :19:22.they are powerful role models to a whole new generation.
:19:23. > :19:33.There's a similar success story in the British Virgin Islands.
:19:34. > :19:38.Karene King is one of the country's best sprinters.
:19:39. > :19:43.She was inspired to take up sprinting when she was at school.
:19:44. > :19:48.When we first started, Ms Tayesha Harrigan was our number one sprinter.
:19:49. > :19:55.and I always wanted to be somewhat like her -
:19:56. > :20:01.and I want to be a good role model for someone else.
:20:02. > :20:04.Having recently returned home from a US scholarship,
:20:05. > :20:09.Karene also helps coach young athletes.
:20:10. > :20:13.Well, it makes us feel that if she can accomplish her goals,
:20:14. > :20:17.we can do it too, it motivates us to do our best.
:20:18. > :20:20.I think it's been a great help because it encourages us
:20:21. > :20:29.can come from nothing to where I am now,
:20:30. > :20:32.they have seen me and I feel like they work harder
:20:33. > :20:40.because they're like, "We can one time get there."
:20:41. > :20:44.While many of these athletes aspire to a sport scholarship,
:20:45. > :20:49.going abroad can also give them other advantages.
:20:50. > :20:53.for us to really excel, we have to get out
:20:54. > :20:57.Here, we are competing against the same people week in, week out.
:20:58. > :21:02.When you get outside and you're competing against thousands
:21:03. > :21:29.of schools, it's a very big difference.
:21:30. > :21:36.Accompanying Karene to Glasgow this year is squash player Joe Chapman.
:21:37. > :21:41.Like many others, Joe studied in a university in the US.
:21:42. > :21:45.It's fantastic, because of our proximity to the US,
:21:46. > :21:48.and the US place a lot of importance on sports
:21:49. > :21:52.so the universities give a lot of scholarships, a lot of opportunities.
:21:53. > :21:59.Joe was just 15 years old when he first represented
:22:00. > :22:03.the British Virgin Islands at the Commonwealth Games.
:22:04. > :22:06.This will be his third time competing.
:22:07. > :22:09.The Commonwealth Games are the pinnacle of my career.
:22:10. > :22:12.Because they're once every four years, it's a smaller opportunity
:22:13. > :22:14.to do well, you only have one chance there.
:22:15. > :22:22.because it's recognised through all sports, through all generations.
:22:23. > :22:25.It's important not to think about the other countries
:22:26. > :22:29.and how big their populations and how big a pool they have to choose from,
:22:30. > :22:33.rather to focus on yourself and figure out,
:22:34. > :22:35.how can I as an individual get to that level?
:22:36. > :22:39.I don't care how hard it is, I'm going to get there.
:22:40. > :22:48.Nice. Don't think about putting it in there. Put it in there.
:22:49. > :22:52.So far, on this leg of the relay, the Queen's baton has visited
:22:53. > :22:56.10 countries in the Caribbean, from popular tourist destinations
:22:57. > :23:28.Jamaica is home to some of the fastest athletes in the world.
:23:29. > :23:33.World Champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Usain Bolt are a product
:23:34. > :23:37.of an incredible plan that was put in place to nurture sprint stars
:23:38. > :23:44.And to stop losing them to track scholarships in the States.
:23:45. > :23:48.if it wasn't working, where we're not producing world beaters,
:23:49. > :23:51.then a lot of person would say, "OK, I'm going overseas,"
:23:52. > :23:53.but the fact we have athletes that have stayed,
:23:54. > :23:56.it is working and they have seen that it's working,
:23:57. > :23:59.a lot of these talented athletes have decided to stay home,
:24:00. > :24:02.and they are working hard and there's a lot of motivation.
:24:03. > :24:04.There's Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, myself,
:24:05. > :24:07.so many persons who are doing very well,
:24:08. > :24:11.so for them, they want to have that success, it's easier for them
:24:12. > :24:16.to actually have world-class competitors training with.
:24:17. > :24:20.put together the first training programme for athletes,
:24:21. > :24:36.bringing cutting edge science to Jamaica.
:24:37. > :25:10.Over the years, this approach to sprinting
:25:11. > :25:18.there was a specialist college in sport,
:25:19. > :25:21.but now we find more universities are getting the best coaches locally,
:25:22. > :25:25.they're getting strong programmes, so athletes are seeing results
:25:26. > :25:30.So, if they can get the same results here as they get overseas,
:25:31. > :25:39.I made a decision, to stay here, train here,
:25:40. > :25:44.because we have great training programmes here in Jamaica.
:25:45. > :25:53.And I want to stay here to help develop my country.
:25:54. > :25:56.With the world's best athletes as their role models,
:25:57. > :26:02.young track stars are pushing themselves to go faster.
:26:03. > :26:06.This worked for Yohan Blake, who at 23 became the second fastest man
:26:07. > :26:12.in the world, beaten only by Usain Bolt.
:26:13. > :26:17.they decided to stay and said "Look, it can work."
:26:18. > :26:20.Everybody just keep on getting faster and faster.
:26:21. > :26:23.If you look at Champs, each year, you have different athletes
:26:24. > :26:33.This year, 18-year-old Javon Francis smashed Bolt's own 400m record
:26:34. > :26:40.I said, "Oh, my God!" I was so excited.
:26:41. > :26:44.I don't know what to do. I wanted to break a record at Champs.
:26:45. > :26:48.To motivate me, to make me train hard.
:26:49. > :26:52.You have Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter,
:26:53. > :26:58.quite a few guys with good talent. I said to myself, I want to have
:26:59. > :27:02.a good talent like these guys, you know.
:27:03. > :27:08.I walk out... I just want to make a mark for myself.
:27:09. > :27:11.What do you say to the teenagers coming through,
:27:12. > :27:14.people like Darnell, Javon Francis, who you see at the track?
:27:15. > :27:20.What I would say to those youngsters is just grow.
:27:21. > :27:22.Take your time and grow. You're running fast,
:27:23. > :27:26.just do what is necessary to keep running fast
:27:27. > :27:29.and don't overwork, because it don't stop at the high school level.
:27:30. > :27:32.You have to transcend over to the bigger guys,
:27:33. > :27:38.Over there, real serious, real business take place
:27:39. > :27:51.and to get to the top, that's where you have to be.
:27:52. > :27:54.Unlike other Caribbean nations whose athletes might have to leave
:27:55. > :27:59.their country to pursue higher education or sporting success,
:28:00. > :28:02.Jamaica has established itself as a sprinting powerhouse
:28:03. > :28:04.where athletes are becoming world champions
:28:05. > :28:17.by training right here in their home country.
:28:18. > :28:22.Join Mark next time as the baton continues on its epic journey
:28:23. > :28:29.Across the continents, the athletes are gearing up.
:28:30. > :28:32.I am willing to work as hard as I can to do well.
:28:33. > :28:36.Pushing themselves to the limits for the Games in Glasgow.
:28:37. > :28:39.It is extremely significant for our sport
:28:40. > :28:42.as the Commonwealth Games are really near and dear
:28:43. > :29:04.And all of them are brought together by the Queen's Baton Relay.
:29:05. > :29:08.Hello, I'm Riz Lateef with your 90 second update.
:29:09. > :29:11.Expect tougher questions about your lifestyle if you want a mortgage.
:29:12. > :29:15.New checks on spending habits come in at midnight. They're to make sure
:29:16. > :29:16.you can afford it - but some fear it'll cause more delays and
:29:17. > :29:20.rejections. The mother accused of murdering
:29:21. > :29:22.three children has made a tearful appearance in court. Tania Clarence
:29:23. > :29:24.was remanded in custody. Her daughter and twin boys were found
:29:25. > :29:25.dead