The last time Jamaica placed first in the men’s 400-meter hurdles race at the Olympics was 20 years ago, but Roshawn Clarke’s coach, Okeile Stewart, is quietly optimistic that his young pupil may end that streak in Paris this year.
The last Jamaican to win an Olympic medal in the sport was Danny McFarlane, who took home a silver medal from the 2004 Athens Games. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, Winthrop Graham became the first-ever medallist for the nation in the men’s 400-meter hurdles competition, taking home the silver medal.
At the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last year, Clarke, who holds the national record in the event with a time of 47.34 seconds, almost missed out on a medal after placing fourth in the final.
In his first year as a professional athlete, Stewart told the Jamaica Observer that Clarke has learned a lot and is ready to advance farther in the Olympic Games in Paris this month.
Stewart stated, “I would really like him to be in the shape that he is looking in.”
want any coach or athlete, we would want to see him place higher at the World Championships this year. We have been working hard to see if we can make that goal come true. He finished fourth last year.
With a season’s best time of 48.04 seconds, Clarke will be the second-fastest Jamaican competitor going into the Olympics this year. With a timing of 47.42 seconds, national champion Malik James-King, who overcame Clarke to win the championship last month, is the fastest Jamaican in the world and ranked sixth overall. Right now, Rai Benjamin from the United States leads the globe with a time of 46.46 seconds.
This year, Clarke’s is the 16th fastest in the world. Stewart noted that although 20-year-old Clarke has experienced some ups and downs due to injuries this season, he is now psychologically prepared to give a standout performance in the Paris showpiece.
Clarke will race in the men’s 400-meter hurdles in the London Diamond League event on Saturday, marking his first appearance in Europe of the season.
On Monday, August 5 at 3:05 am, the men’s 400-meter hurdles competition at the Olympic Games in Paris gets underway.
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