CHAMPS 2022 | Clarke hails Hyde mentorship in record-breaking win

ON THE day of his chase for the Class One boys’ 400m hurdles title, Camperdown’sRoshawn Clarke relied on the counsel of Wolmer’s alum and Olympian Jaheel Hyde to prepare him for the occasion.

That mentorship, he said, was the driving factor to not only realising the dream, but also doing it in record-breaking fashion in a new time of 49.50 seconds on Friday’s penultimate day of the 2022 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

Clarke had the distinction of setting the tone for that day, as his run was the first of four records to fall, after three days of competition. Clarke and Hyde, the national junior record-holder are training partners at Swept Track Club under the tutelage of head coach Okeile Stewart, who is also Camperdown’s head coach.

Having had to battle Jamaica College’s Rayon Campbell for the line, Clarke said he was able to keep calm, thanks to Hyde instilling in him a championship mindset.

“He told me to keep confident because you are a champion. Don’t let anything get in your mind space and keep focused always,” Clarke told The Gleaner.

The victory was savoured from afar by Hyde, the 2021 400-metre national champion who took to social media to congratulate his teammate, expressing his pride in the performance.

WORKED TO PERFECTION

“MY SON DID IT!” Hyde tweeted on Friday. Hyde did not only offer his praise but was overjoyed that the pep talk he had with Clarke on Friday morning worked to perfection.

“Powerful talk this morning with Roshawn...yes, we did, it’s home. Congrats, me boy!” Hyde tweeted.

Clarke said that he has been appreciative of the constant words of encouragement Hyde has offered him in his continued development as an athlete and as a person. With the crowd roaring their approval, Clarke thanked Stewart for preparing the game plan for success.

“I mean, 49.50! It was my confidence and the words of my coach (that helped get the title and the record),” Clarke said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com