Panama's Saladino eyes gold medal repeat in London

PANAMA CITY - Reigning Olympic long jump champion Irving Saladino is training for the upcoming London Summer Games with an eye toward silencing his doubters.

Saladino became the first Central American man to strike Olympic gold after finishing on top at the Beijing Games four years ago with a leap measured at 27.36 feet (8.34 meters).

But a stubborn knee injury plus coaching changes combined to knock him off his previously unbeatable stride, stoking doubts over his future in the sport. Those doubts, however, do not seem to faze the Colon-born athlete.

"I'm going for gold again, and I'm training hard to give my country that same joy from before," Saladino, 29, told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

Saladino had left knee surgery in January, a procedure he declared a success, and said he will be 100 percent fit for July 27-Aug. 12 London Games.

"With Irving we're working on a comprehensive training routine, the physical side so that his recovery from knee surgery is complete, but also the psychological side that has a strong bearing on every athlete's performance," said fellow Panamanian Florencio Aguilar, Saladino's current coach.

Jon Hendershott, associate editor of Track & Field News, also emphasizes the importance of mental fitness for Saladino, who won his first world championship in Osaka, Japan, in 2007.

"If he can return to his psychological strength of the 2006-08 period, Saladino could get back to the top echelon of world jumpers," said Hendershott.

"But maybe the expectations of an entire nation have proven to be too heavy a burden. ... Even he may not know that for certain."