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Phillips aims to go up and over in style at World Championships
Kayon Raynor
Monday, June 29, 2009
Olympic 400-metre hurdles semi-finalist Isa Phillips says he is ready to challenge for a medal at this summer's 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany (August 15-23) after posting a lifetime best 48.05 seconds.
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| Isa Phillips cruises to victory in the heats of the men's 400m hurdles at the Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships at the National Stadium on Friday. |
The time makes the St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) alumnus, the joint-third fastest Jamaican of all time in the event.
"The goal is not to take over from Danny McFarlane; it's the Americans that I want to beat because we're (I'm) not just thinking national, we are dealing international," Phillips said, after posting the world-leading mark to win the national title at the National Stadium in Kingston. McFarlane was second with 48.54secs, national junior record holder Josef Robertson finished third in 49.22.
The only Jamaicans to have run faster than Phillips in the one-lap obstacle race are 1992 Olympic silver medallist Winthrop Graham with 47.60secs and 2004 silver medallist Danny McFarlane with 48.00.
Phillips, who had entered the Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships with a lifetime best of 48.36secs says his fast time has been long in coming.
"It's nothing unexpected because I've been running and working hard from day one. It's a process. We already know that if you work for what you want and want it hard enough, you get it," he said.
The American trio of Angelo Taylor with 47.25secs, Kerron Clement 47.95 and Bershawn Jackson 48.06 swept the 400m hurdle medals at last summer's 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China.
"I have seen people working at it for a couple years before they get a breakthrough, so it's the same thing for me," Phillips added, noting that he still has some way to go before perfecting his race.
"We've (I've) just started to get it right. the right steps (between hurdles) in practice have me on 47 high, so that's coming because once we do it in training , it's only a matter of time before we do it in competition," the confident Phillips said, noting that Graham and McFarlane have been tutoring him.
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