Bowen Returns to Mexico For Final Team Panama Event
Meet Program (Spanish) │ Live Stream (Channel 7)
ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany senior Alexander Bowen will wrap up his schedule for Panama's national team this week when he competes in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico. The Games themselves last about two weeks, mimicking the Olympics, though competitors are limited to the Central American and Caribbean region. The track & field component began on November 23 and continues through November 30, the final day of the Games.
Though the Games are hosted by Veracruz, the largest city in the Veracruz state, the track & field competition will be held in Estadio Heriberto Jara Corona, in nearby Xalapa, which is the capital city of the Veracruz state. Bowen will compete in the high jump on Thursday, November 27. Originally, the high jump was scheduled to have a preliminary round on November 24, but the prelims were scratched and the competition will now be held exclusively on the original finals date of November 27.
“It's been a long process, almost a full year of jumping,” said Todd Wolin, who coaches Bowen for high jump. “He needs some down time, but I'm confident he'll do well.”
Bowen last competed in October in the U-23 South American Championships in Montevideo, Uruguay. He placed third, clearing a height of 7'-0.5". In August, Bowen competed in the Pan-American Festival in Mexico City, where he placed seventh clearing a height of 6'-10.75. Two weeks earlier, Bowen competed in the Ibero-American Championships in Brazil, placing sixth and clearing a height of 7'-0.5”.
“Unlike last time where Alex really only had one good practice before competing, this time around he's really only had one bad practice,” said Wolin. “He's working from a full approach, and he's getting more pop off the ground than he was before the last meet. I think he could possibly record his best jump of the outdoor season, dating back to March, maybe between 2.19m and 2.21m.”
The year-long competition schedule has required some adjustments to Bowen's traditional training schedule. Wolin has backed off conditioning work because of the need to prepare for the various meets over the summer, but has left the weight training intact, as a preparation for a potential berth into World Championships next year.
“I think Alex is ahead of where he was at this time last year, but we could be further along in terms of conditioning,” Wolin said. “The goal going forward is the Pan American Games in Toronto, and from there get on the World Championship roster, which would require about a 2.29m jump.”
“In the long run I think this process has been beneficial,” Wolin continued. “It's a great learning experience, both athletically and educationally. Alex has been able to learn about his own heritage, which isn't something he experienced when he was younger.”
Meeting people from different countries has also had an effect on Bowen. During the course of his run with the national team, Bowen got a chance to meet Panama's Olympic and World Champion Irving Saladino, who took the time to speak with Bowen, and even gave Bowen one of his uniforms to wear.
“I don't think anything tops that,” said Wolin.
Additionally, competing on his own for these meets without a coach present has allowed Bowen to develop as an athlete both physically and mentally.
“Alex listens to his body more, and he communicates with his coaches more effectively when something is bothering him,” Wolin said. “He used to not say a word if something was sore or if he wasn't feeling right, so I wouldn't know to alter the training to accommodate that. Now he communicates more openly about how he's feeling and it makes training much more effective. It's reflective of how much he's grown as a person through this experience, which makes him a better athlete.”
“This has been such a great experience for him,” Wolin continued. “I just want him to have fun with it.”
The high jump is scheduled for Thursday, November 27 at 10:40 a.m. local time (11:40 a.m. Eastern). The competition, which includes 11 jumpers, can be streamed using the link above and selecting channel 7.
