Gayle delighted with 400m effort at Trials
JAMAICAN 400 metres runner Steven Gayle has set his sights on achieving a personal best time at this year’s IAAF World Championships in August.
Gayle, a final-year student at the University of Alabama, secured his spot on Jamaica’s team to this year’s championships in London after finishing third in the men’s 400m in 45.09 seconds.
The race was won by Nathon Allen in 44.58, with Demish Gaye second in 44.64.
Gayle, a former Denbigh High student, ran a personal best time of 44.99 at the NCAA Regional Championships this year. He said he is delighted to be making the national team for the first time in his career.
“I have been in the NCAA system and this is my last year, and so I was just happy to come home to get a third place and make the team,” said Gayle, who ran out of lane seven in the final on Sunday.
“The big men were on the inside and so I could not see anything until the last 100m, and so I just got out and stayed relax and just kicked coming home,” Gayle said.
STRONG TEAM
He added: “After World Relays, I realised that Jamaica has a strong team to do something remarkable at the World Championships and so I am going there and I would like to get another personal best and to get up my career to be one of Jamaica’s top quarter-milers.”
The 23-year-old Gayle,who has battled with a series of injuries over the past two seasons, noted that his primary focus now is to stay injury-free and continue improving his craft.
“My season has been good so far because I ran 44.99 at the NCAA Regional Championships and that was a big PR (personal record) coming after my injuries,” Gayle said.
“I am very happy, because I have been trying to make this team since 2015, and even the junior teams long before that; but I did it now and I am very pleased,” he noted.