Clarke sets sights on podium finish at Paris Games
AFTER AN impressive showing at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he placed fourth in the men’s 400 metres hurdles final, 19-year-old Roshawn Clarke says he will be aiming for the podium at the Paris Olympics later this year.
Clarke believes that with the experience he has gained from his first outing at a senior international championship, he will be entering the 2024 season a more mature athlete.
Clarke said that he has learned a lot from the World Championships, and he is putting those lessons into action as he prepares for the Paris Olympic Games.
“I learned at the championships that I need to be more consistent in running fast, be strong in mind, in body and overall. But the biggest take-away from the championships is that you have to learn how to be consistent,” he said.
Clarke is no stranger at hurdling new heights. The teenager proved his class when he won the 400m hurdles national title last year in a time of 47.85 seconds at the National Championships.
He would then go on to shatter the world under-20 record, as well as the national record with his personal best of 47.34 as he qualified for the finals at the World Championships.
Clarke said he aims to improve on his success this year as he is dreaming of a spot on the podium at the Paris Olympics.
“I want to continue aiming for the next level. I will keep on improving and I hope my times improve as well, so it is something that I’m looking forward to this year. I hope for a medal at the Olympics, but before that, you have to get past the trials first to get there, so I’m looking forward to that.”
With the world at his feet, Clarke said his growing success will not stop him from remaining a student of the sport. The hurdler explained that he is still learning from more experienced athletes, who remain his mentors.
“I still look up to the older athletes and I still take advice from them because they are still my mentors, not because I’m now competing against them. So you know, we’re competitors, but they are still my mentors at the end.”