Javon Francis looks to dip below 45 at Trials
After two difficult seasons, this one included, Javon Francis is looking to put the months of anguish behind him and go for a fast time at next week’s National Athletics Championships.
The event will be held at the National Stadium in Kingston June 21-24, and the men’s 400m is one of the events expected to garner a lot of attention from the media and fans alike.
Jamaican collegiate athletes Akeem Bloomfield and Nathon Allen, who both run for Auburn University in the United States, have been having fantastic seasons with Bloomfield just missing out on the national record at the NCAA Athletics Championships last weekend when he ran a new personal best time of 43.94.
Francis has been paying keen attention to the performances of both men and says that this has made him happy.
“I am happy that 400m in Jamaica stepping up now. Over the past few decades it wasn’t as good as it used to be. Now that I see what those guys (Akeem Bloomfield and Nathon Allen) doing, I am really proud of them. So I have to put in the work, listen to what my coach and support staff says,” he said.
With the NACAC Championships on the horizon, Francis has made representing the country at those Games a priority.
“I am looking forward to going to Trials and making the team,” he said.
The former Calabar High school star athlete is happy to see Christopher Taylor, his teammate of years past, step up to the senior level and is hopeful of great success for the teenager.
“I am very proud of Christopher Taylor; he always reminds me of when I just came on the scene to run against the pros. It is a good thing that he can do it. He can go much faster, so hopefully everything will go well for him,” he said with a smile.
Despite the injury setbacks that have stymied his performances, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist is looking to dip below the 45-second barrier at the Senior Championships.
“I am looking forward to do 44s at Trials. It has been a tough year for me because I was injured last year, so I am trying to come back on form. It is really hard, so right now I am just glad that I am able to run again. Sometimes I feel a little niggle in my hamstring, but its good now, so hopefully I go to Trials and drop a 44 on the track,” noted Francis.
The 2019 World Championships may be more than a year away, but already the former national champion is thinking of what he will need to do to be able to represent the country in Qatar.
“The 400m will be exciting at Trials… next year is the World Championships, so the 400m is going to be the talk of the town because everyone wants to see the athletes. So next year I am going to stay focused, train and try to be injury free so I can get a really good shot at it,” Francis outlined.