Roshawn Clarke remains upbeat
Although a second-place finish in the men’s 400m hurdles (long hurdles category) is not what Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke would’ve hoped for at Grand Slam Track at the National Stadium on Friday, he is unfazed about his plans for the season.
Clarke finished in 48.20 seconds behind Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, who clocked a world-leading 47.61s.
“It was going well, leading up to the seventh hurdle,” he recalled of the race. “I shuffled a bit, and the race got away from me. So to come out second is a big thing. So I’m grateful for that.”
When asked what he can do to improve for his next outing in the event, he said, “I would fix my number seven [hurdle]. That would shape me up better for the home stretch run. I think that’s where I messed up.”
Clarke, 20, holds the World U-20 record in the 400m hurdles and is already a seasoned professional competing at the highest level. He has competed with Dos Santos frequently and knew the task ahead of him on the day.
“I always compete against him, so it’s just another big race against him,” Clarke said. “He came out on top, so GG [good game] to him, he’s a good competitor.”
Dos Santos was equally respectful to Clarke and his other opponents after the race.
“I think it was an amazing field,” he said. “We have great athletes over here, medals in world championships, had them in finals, achievements in their own countries, so I have so much respect for all of them.”
Clarke did, however, enjoy running on the newly renovated track at the stadium.
“The conditions were alright,” he said at the end of the race. “The new track is bouncy, I love it! You can run it effortlessly and run so fast. I’m not even tired right now, to be honest. That’s good, so I love it.”
Clarke says one of his targets this season is a big performance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September. Although he would not get into specifics about his expectations, he said he and his coach, Okiele Stewart, at Swept Track Club, frequently discuss them.
Clarke’s Grand Slam Track – Kingston assignment continues tomorrow in the men’s 400m where he will line up with the same athletes from the “long hurdles” category at 2:54 pm. Clarke’s personal best in the flat 400m is 44.98, which he set a few weeks ago.
