Campbell hungry for recognition - Vassell

New national shot put record holder Rajindra Campbell is hungry to be on the big stage. That’s the view from Michael Vassell, the godfather of the local throws movement. Vassell says Campbell’s big throws in Madrid, Spain, last Saturday will encourage other budding putters to stick with the event.

Campbell was trailing when the last round in Madrid started and summoned a magnificent effort taped at 22.22 metres. This exceeded both the World Athletics Championships qualifying standard of 21.40m and O’Dayne Richards’ Jamaica record of 21.96m.

Speaking a day after Campbell’s big throw, Vassell said: “Rajindra has always shown the potential, and I think this year, he really started to believe a little more, and apart from that, he’s hungry. He’s hungry for recognition. He’s hungry to get there on the big stage, and I think this is a case where somebody decided that ‘Okay now. I’m going to give this my all, say, for the next two years and see what happens’.”

Now, the 23-year-old is the fourth-longest thrower in the world in 2023, behind world record breaker Ryan Crouser and former world champions Tom Walsh of New Zealand and Crouser’s United States compatriot Joetates Kovacs.

Vassell struggled to verbalise the enormity of Campbell’s achievement.

“We have been acclaimed as the best male discus nation in the world. So we have done that, but to see us looking at the shot put and discovering a Rajindra Campbell who has catapulted himself into what people would call possible medal contention, it’s beyond words,” he mustered.

The veteran coach believes other Jamaican putters will take heart from the breakthrough by Campbell.

“I think it gives them more than just hope now that, you know what, let’s stick with it a little longer. We can do this,” he added.

Fourth at Boys and Girls’ Championships for Kingston College in the 2015 Class One discus after a transfer from Ferncourt High, Campbell then attended Cloud County Community College and Missouri Southern University, where he won the 2021 NCAA Division 2 shot and disc and ending with personal bests of 20.07m and 58.73m.

“Nobody saw him coming, but he stuck with it. He went through his issues, finished with school ,and decided that ‘You know what? I think I have it in me’, and I think he’ll be around for the next couple of years,” Vassell predicted.

Thanks to Campbell, Jamaica is now among just 10 countries with records beyond 22m.

“There are not that many nations who can say their national records are over 22m, and for us, Jamaica, to have this as one of our achievements is again miraculous,” he noted.

The big 10 are the USA, East Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, Brazil, Poland, the Soviet Union, Luxembourg, and now Jamaica.

“I’m grateful to Rajindra for doing that,” Vassell concluded, “and I just wish him all the best going into Budapest.”