by Jeff Schneider
LSU Sports Information
Former LSU track All-Americans Alleyne Francique and Lueroy Colquhoun excelled at the 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Francique won the 400-meter dash beating Jamaica’s Clarke Davian by four hundredths of a second, while Colquhoun was part of the Jamaican 4×400-meter relay team that won also won a gold medal.
Alleyne Francique, a native of St. Andrews, Grenada, was a member of the LSU track and field team from 2001-2002 were he was a two-time national champion during his tenure. In 2001, he and Colquhoun won the indoor 4×400-meter relay along with current tiger Robert Parham and former tiger Pedro Tunon. The six-time All-American then won the national title in the 400 meters during his senior season.
Francique is the first track athlete to win an international medal for the country of Grenada. The Prime Minister of Grenada Keith Mitchell wrote a letter of congratulations to Francique telling him that he has become an example for young Grenadians to follow.
“When the anthem played and the flag rose, it was an emotional time for them, for me and for everybody,” said Francique.
Francique bases a lot of his success off of his experiences at LSU and the coaching he has received from head coach Pat Henry.
“Coach Henry is like a father to me and the guys on the team are like one big happy family,” said Francique. “We just come together and help each other out to get better.”
Lueroy Colquhoun, an NCAA champion and seven-time All-American while at LSU, was part of a Jamaican team that finished a full second ahead of the Russian team in the 4×400-meter relay.
“The best part of winning was hearing the national anthem played,” said Colquhoun. “I’ve always seen other countries up and there and I could only imagine how they felt when they were on the podium and they heard the national anthem played. It was a proud moment for me.”
Colquhoun also bases his success on the experiences of being at LSU.
“Coach Henry has been a big part of my success since I was a freshman in 1998. I’ve grown a lot under his coaching, and I am really happy that I came to LSU,” said Colquhoun.
“In the world scene in our sport, to be a world champion is pretty amazing. These two guys are exceptional people, besides being good athletes,” said Henry.
Both Lueroy Colquhoun and Alleyne Francique received degrees from LSU. Colquhoun received a bachelor’s degree in business in three and half years while Francique received a degree in general studies.
Currently Francique is the third fastest 400-meter sprinter in the world, and will be representing Grenada in the Olympics, while Colquhoun will have to go through the Jamaican Olympic trials first.
(Photos courtesy of the IAAF website.)