Sport

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

It has been four years since Jermaine Gonzales broke the 45-second barrier going 400 metres.

Having suffered through those years from injury and inconsistency, the 25-year-old athlete is finally finding the kind of form that caused a nation to expect so much from him while he was a junior attending Tacius Golding High School.

This season, having already recorded times of 45.57 and 45.22 over the 400 metres in May, Gonzales on Sunday inched ever closer to that barrier with a 45.06 clocking to win the event in Rabat, Morocco.

There he beat a fairly strong field that included World Indoor champion Chris Brown from The Bahamas, Great Britain's Olympic finalist Martyn Rooney, and Gary Kikaya from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sunday's win, he said, was the result of a slight adjustment in strategy and a lot of hard work.

"I made an effort to run the backstretch hard, so by the time I reached the 300 mark I found myself practically leading, and then I have a strong finish so it was going to be hard to beat me from there," said the man who has been known to take it out fairly easy over the first half of his races.

"Other than that, though, I have been getting fitter. Last year was like a comeback year so it was kind of difficult. I was overweight, but I have lost the weight now and I have been working hard," he added.

A welcome boost

In Ostrava a fortnight ago Gonzales ran a career-best 32.49s over the rarely run 300 metres, to finish second behind teammate and friend Usain Bolt, who stopped the clock at 30.97s. That race, he said, gave him a very welcome boost.

"It gave me confidence," he said, "knowing that I can go 32-33 seconds for 300 and with my finish I can run 44s."

Coach Bert Cameron has also been a big motivator this season, he reveals.

Glen Mills, the head coach of Racers Track Club of which Gonzales is a member, employed the services of Cameron in the off-season to help with the 400m runners. For Gonzales, that was a move that has worked significantly to his benefit.

Things looking good

"I have a coach now that is 100 per cent behind me, pushing me, motivating me, so everything is looking good now," said Gonzales, as he spoke with The Gleaner from London.

Cameron, he said, is always there pushing him, even when he feels like he is unable to do more. But, of course, he is very hungry for success.

"I want it too," he declared.

Gonz, as he is called by his friends, runs tomorrow in Rome where he is cautiously hoping to get below 45 seconds.

"After running 45.06 I think I could have run 44 there (in Rabat) because I eased up two or three steps out. I think I can go 44, but with all the travelling you can't always predict what time. But 44 is definitely the aim. I need to get back there. Once I get back there it boosts my confidence to push on because I know I can run faster."