‘It would be so spectacular’
Russell wants a Jamaican to be on 400m hurdles podium
Published:Wednesday | August 16, 2023 | 12:13 AM
BUDAPEST, Hungary:
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP relay medallist Janieve Russell naturally has her sights set on a podium place in the 400-metre hurdles in Budapest but is also proud of how stacked Jamaica, as a team, is in the event, believing that a medal for the country this year is within reach.
With the absence of reigning world champion and record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the potential for a medal is in play, with reigning national champion Russell, Andrenette Knight and 2019 World Championship bronze medallist, Rushell Clayton, all in the mix.
Russell says the improvement that the trio has experienced has her believing in either one of them securing Jamaica a medal.
“I have been feeling it all these years. It doesn’t matter who gets the medal but I have always had the confidence that Jamaica can stand on the podium. And I am just really excited this year that the ladies have been putting in the work. They have been performing well throughout the Diamond League season,” Russell told The Gleaner. So I am expecting great things from Team Jamaica, especially in the 400m hurdles.”
The three, Russell believes, have been pushing each other to be better over the last three years, and, for that, she feels heartened rather than worried.
All about growth
“It’s truly a blessing. The reason I feel that way, it is all about growth. These ladies have been competing with each other for the past three years now. They are getting stronger, they are training better and they are performing well, and they are hungry for it. We all are hungry for it. So, that is where the growth is coming from,” Russell said. Russell, Knight and Clayton are all in the top 10 in the world this year.
While happy for the improvement in the event overall, Russell has not lost sight of her own personal goals.
“It would mean so much to me. I have been working very hard. I’ve always wanted to be on the podium at a World Championships or an Olympic Games in an individual event. It would mean a lot to me that the hard work I have put in and the belief I have in myself, the Lord, my coach, it would be so spectacular.”