Roshawn Clarke hated hurdles ... at first

When Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke was first introduced to hurdling, he hated it. Thankfully, he changed his mind. Now he stands ready to contest the 400-metre hurdles in Budapest at the 19th World Athletics Championships.

Clarke’s remarkable journey began just three years ago. Injuries had driven him out of the sprints and led coach Okeile Stewart to usher him into hurdling. After some work to build strength, the change was made.

“One day on a December camp, sir said he’s going to make me do hurdles. At first, I told him, ‘listen, me nah ever do hurdles, never inna mi life. Nah do hurdles and nobody can get me fi do hurdles’,” Clarke recalled with a smile a day before he left Jamaica for a pre-World Championships training camp in Budapest.

“Me nuh know,” he remarked in amazement. “He got me to do hurdles and I did hurdles at JC’s track meet, came first overall. I think that’s the COVID-19 year. I was unbeaten all the way to the Carifta Trials. That was the last track meet for me. I was unbeaten up to those times from December,” he said of his undefeated run in the Class Two 400m hurdles in 2020.

“From then, I said, ‘I’m winning in this event. You know I found an event that I can make it in. I never looked back from there,” he said, now at peace with the change.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of both Boys’ and Girls’ Championships and the Carifta Games, but in 2021 Clarke got his personal best down to 50.93 seconds and reached the semi-finals at the World Under-20 Championships.

The Waterhouse resident surged forward in 2022, clocking 49.35 and winning a World Under-20 bronze. He then left Camperdown a year early and joined Stewart’s Swept Track Club.

He is noticeably faster. At the Carifta Games this year after he retained his hurdles title, he helped Jamaica to the gold medals in the 4x400m with a decisive 45.8 second leg. Since then, he has lowered his flat 400m best from 47.06 to 45.24 seconds.

The new speed levels impacted his hurdling. The tall Olympic Way resident zoomed 48.91 seconds in his Nationals Championships heat and then a World Under-20 equalling time of 47.85 in the final.

Stewart’s advice echoes in his head. “Before the National Trials, he said, don’t worry about anybody. Don’t watch anybody. Run your own race. Stay in your own lane. Execute and once you execute, the time will come,” Clarke said.

“We didn’t start and come here to just stop and be mediocre. We have come here to make a difference and stamp our class,” he remembers Stewart telling him. Now he takes what he calls a firm mindset to Budapest.

The first round of the men’s 400m hurdles begins on August 20.