Anderson aims at international 800m glory

Reigning national champion and record holder Navasky Anderson is eyeing bigger international achievements in the 800 metres in upcoming years, after his fifth-place finish at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

The 22-year-old Anderson believes the work he will be doing will bring him medals, which failed to manifest at the Commonwealth Games, where he failed to match his expectations.

"Well for me this is just a stepping stone geared towards even greater performances in future years to come, and for me, age is just a number and there is a lot more out there for me to achieve. I just want to continue to work hard and go after my goals," said Anderson.

Anderson's national record of 1:45:02 minutes over the distance was set on the collegiate circuit donning the colours of Mississippi State University. It erased the previous mark of 1:45.20 set by Seymour Newman.

Newman is the last Jamaican athlete to secure a medal in the men's 800 metres at the Commonwealth Games, which was achieved back in 1978.

ULTIMATE GOAL

Anderson stated that his ultimate goal at the Commonwealth Games was bringing home the top prize, but his fifth place in 1:48.76 minutes, well below his best, fell short.

"For me, winning is always the utmost goal and I did well in the race, ending up in fifth but I know there's a lot more work left to be done.

"The conditions weren't really a factor, because that's track and field, that's the nature of the game and the nature of the 800 metres. Whichever conditions are present, I have to put myself in the position to strike better, which will set me up for far better performances," added Anderson.

He accepts the long season he has had as being par for the course in athletics. He ran numerous 800 metres on the United States of America's (USA) collegiate circuit heading into the National Championships, before the World Championships, followed by the Commonwealth Games.

"As it relates to athletes on the collegiate circuit, there's going to be talks on who's tired, from who's not, but everyone has different styles and encounters, along with how they attack their race. I must admit, it was pretty much a long season but as I say, it's just the nature of the game," said Anderson.

According to Anderson, he has shut down his season and will now focus his attention on equally balancing the speed and strength aspects of his race.

"With the 800 metres, you have to think about doing back-to-back reps, doing miles, 1,500s, doing long runs, short sprints.

"Most people saw me for the first time on the 4x400 team (at the Commonwealth Games) and I did a 46-second split. It's a lot of strength and speed for the 800 metres and that's what led to me running the national record," Anderson concluded.