Sport

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

New national 400 metres record holder, Jermaine Gonzales, has his sights firmly set on a medal at next year's IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

The 25-year-old, whose career has been plagued by injuries since bursting on the scene in 2002 at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, expressed his feelings shortly after arriving home from the Diamond League circuit on Friday.

Gonzales, who was noticeably sporting crutches on his return after doing a minor knee operation in Germany recently, clocked 44.40 seconds to lower Roxbert Martin's 13-year mark at an IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco, France, on July 23.

Continued improvement

"Next year is a big one and I am looking forward to it. I want to continue to improve and do well at the World Championships," he explained.

"I changed the way I run 400m, and I thought this helped in my improvement. I used to start slow and finish fast, but now I have changed to running fast at the start, and try to maintain my momentum," he added.

The 2001 World Youth Championships and 2002 World Junior Championships bronze medallist, also said he was surprised when he broke the world record.

"I was not thinking about breaking the national record. I was only looking to run consistent 44's this season and try to be among the best on the circuit.

"My coach, Bertland, told me that I was going to do it, but I didn't believe.When I crossed the line and saw the time, I was really surprised."

His world-leading time and national record have since been surpassed by American Jeremy Wariner, who clocked 44.13 seconds on August 19 at the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland. Gonzales clocked 44.51 for second in the race.

Gonzales also spoke about his injury, which he expects will heal in under a month, and thanked his supporters for believing in him.

"It's not a major injury. I did a minor surgery on my knee after some swelling, and I expect to be back in about three weeks," he said.

"I want to say thanks to my fans. It has been long in coming. Thank you for sticking with me through the hard times."