Execution is the key, says Clayton
Published:Wednesday | October 2, 2019 | 12:30 AM
DOHA, Qatar:
She might have arrived in Doha as the fifth-fastest athlete in the 400 metres hurdles here, but national champion Rushell Clayton is not getting carried away after her comfortable introduction to the World Championships stage yesterday.
Clayton, who has gone as fast as 54.16 seconds this season, was relaxed in winning her heat in 55.23 seconds to book her spot in today’s semi-finals, which get under way at 9:05 p.m. (1:05 p.m. Jamaica time). Also advancing for Jamaica is young Shiann Salmon, who posted a personal best 55.20 for her third-place finish in her heat.
“It was a pretty comfortable run. The main aim was to get out for the first four or five hurdles and then hold it coming home. I realised when I was like at hurdle seven that I was in front, so I just held the form that I had. I didn’t have to run all the way home to get into the top three, so I just kept my composure,” Clayton told The Gleaner.
Clayton, who admitted to being anxious ahead of her competition because of the five-day wait before her first run, noted that she has not given much thought to her position coming into the championships and that her focus is on the races that she has to run here in Doha.
“The first one is out of the way now, and all the anxiety and nerves have died down, so I am just looking forward to my next run tomorrow (today),” Clayton said. “I haven’t thought about where I am. I just came here to run three races, to execute, and to do my best to get on the podium.”
Deon Hemmings, who won silver in 1997 and bronze medals in 1995 and 1999; Melaine Walker, who won gold in 2009 and silver in 2011; and Ristananna Tracey, who won a bronze medal at the 2017 championships, are the Jamaican women who have medalled in the event at the World Championships.
Clayton knows what she must do if she is to add her name to that list.
“I need to execute a great race. It takes execution because we all run an obstacle race, and it’s the person who gets over the 10 barriers and to the finish line in the first, second, or third position will get on the podium,” she reasoned. “It doesn’t matter how fast you are in the world right now, it takes execution and a lot of strong mental work.”
Clayton will face two-time World champion Zuzana Hejnova from the Czech Republic and American Ashley Spencer in her semi-final today, and with world-record holder Dalilah Muhammad and her compatriot Sydney McLaughlin also featuring at the championships, Clayton knows that the path to the podium is a tough one. However, she is not getting overly concerned about the competition here.
“It doesn’t play on my mind at all. I don’t think about the competition. I just think about going out there, executing, and thinking about Rushell. All I do is think about myself,” said Clayton.