‘I am just soldiering on’

Despite still experiencing occasional discomfort, national 400m hurdler Assinie Wilson says he remains determined to compete this season after being medically cleared to return to training.

Wilson, 23, raised eyebrows at last year’s World Athletics Championships when he revealed in a post-race interview that his preparations had been disrupted by a serious medical issue that required surgery costing approximately $2 million.

Although he chose not to disclose the nature of the condition, the former Ferncourt High School athlete admitted that lingering symptoms persist, but insists they will not derail his ambitions.

“Sometimes I still feel some pain, like headaches, but I take pills and so forth and it makes me feel a lot better. Other than that, everything is good with me,” said Wilson.

“My training has been good so far, but I am a bit behind from where I was last year because of the situation that happened to me. Still, I am just soldiering on because I am a fighter. I am holding on and pushing myself to get better.”

Wilson said his most recent medical assessment came in November 2025 at The University of the West Indies, where doctors conducted further tests and gave him clearance to resume training, with another follow-up scheduled in six months.

“The last time I went to the doctor at UWI, they did some more checkups and they told me that I can train, but I should come back in six months for another check,” he explained.

Despite the setback, Wilson pointed out that he remains focused on making Jamaica’s national teams this year, while managing expectations and avoiding unnecessary pressure.

“My expectation is that all of the teams that are leaving Jamaica, I am trying my best to be on them, but I am not going to put any pressure on myself,” he said.

“I am just going to do what I can do, and if it works out, then it works out.”

Wilson also has his sights set on improving his personal bests in both the 400m hurdles and the flat 400m, events in which he currently owns lifetime bests of 48.36 seconds and 45.51 seconds, respectively.

“I want to try my best to see if I can beat my personal best this year, despite what I am going through right now in both the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles,” he noted.

Wilson pointed out that he is still learning the sport because he only became a professional athlete three years ago.

“I still have a lot to learn about the sport because when I was in high school I didn’t really take it seriously,” he said. “I made the final of the 800 metres in Class 1 at Champs in 2018, but it was in 2023 that I really started doing the 400 metres hurdles. Before that, in 2021, I was doing the 400 metres,” Wilson reasoned.