Clarke shooting for consistency in first senior season
Published:Monday | February 13, 2023 | 9:00 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
No longer a schoolboy, Swept Track Club’s Roshawn Clarke says that his only concern in his first year at the senior level is to maintain consistency as he begins his quest for a debut national team spot.
Clarke opened his season at his alma mater’s meet on Saturday. He won his Camperdown Classic’s 400m heat in 47.23 seconds, the third fastest time overall in the senior men’s event. Racers Track Club’s Antonio Watson (46.63) and Anthony Cox (46.68) were faster.
Despite difficult wind conditions, Clarke said that he felt satisfied with how he began his season in the elite ranks.
“I felt pretty good. Training is going very well. I wanted to do my best with my first senior race. I felt good about it. The breeze was very strong, but I came (through),” Clarke said.
In his final junior season, Clarke took home the Class One 400m hurdles title at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships last year in a record-breaking performance of 49.50. He also captured the Carifta Games title, as well as earning a bronze at the Under 20 World Championships last year in Colombia.
With Okeil Stewart, who also coached him at Camperdown, now guiding him in the senior ranks, the emphasis for Clarke is to put together strong performances that will put him in good stead for a national team berth down the road.
“The conversations that we (Stewart and I) have been having are that we need to be consistent. Over time the results will show on the track,” Clarke said. “The training is significantly harder than high school. It is the next level for me. So the training has to go up. I coped with it well. Some days I’m tired, but I still keep pushing to finish the job.”
Clarke is not putting any lofty expectations on himself in his first year, but he hopes that his improvement will see him blossom in his rookie senior season.
“I am looking forward to breaking my personal best, hopefully, I can make the national team this year. I am not putting any time on myself or any pressure on myself. Yes, there are milestones that I do want to hit this year. But it is for us to focus on,” Clarke said.