Clarke having ‘fun’ with 200m switch at national championships

Versatile Jamaican athlete Roshawn Clarke is shifting his focus to the 200-meter dash at the upcoming national championships, opting to skip his specialty, the 400-meter hurdles, for which he holds the World Under-20 record. The 21-year-old athlete explained that he and his coach decided to "try something new" and "have a little bit of fun" this season, also citing the need for his body to recover from the demands of hurdling.

“

I mean, me and coach, we have been communicating about this season from the end of last season. We just want to try something new, have a little bit of fun. Getting our body recovered from the hurdles.

Clarke, representing the Swept Track Club, secured a spot in the 200m final by finishing second in his semi-final with a time of 20.63 seconds, trailing Christopher Taylor's 20.49. He enters the final with the second-fastest qualifying time, and considerable attention will be on his performance in the shorter sprint.

“

Over the years, we’ve been doing hurdles, you know, 400m hurdles takes a lot. So, we’re just trying to experience something new.

While Clarke has achieved significant success in the 400m hurdles, including a bronze medal at the 2022 World Under-20 Championship and a fourth-place finish at the 2023 senior World Championship with a Jamaican record of 47.34 seconds, he expressed a desire for a change. He noted that hurdling "takes a lot" and he is looking forward to experiencing something different.

“

I’m not new to the sprinting section of track. So, I’d say it’s pretty fun to be back because I was a sprinter before I was a hurdler. So, I’m just having some fun this year.

Clarke, who boasts personal bests of 44.98 over 400m, 20.41 for 200m, 10.46 for 100m, and 6.62 over 60m, feels comfortable returning to sprinting, which was his primary discipline before becoming a hurdler. He mentioned contemplating the 400m race but ultimately decided on the 200m, feeling it was a better fit for his current season's goals. He described his semi-final race, where he led for a significant portion before Taylor passed him, as a planned strategy, indicating his confidence and adaptability in sprinting events.

“

I came off the curve in the lead. I was just conserving a bit because we both planned the race before we ran. So, he said I should check for him at 80m.