VIDEO: Parchment looks ahead to Olympic 2012 stage
HANSLE Parchment, the national 110m hurdles champion with a PR 13.17 seconds, is looking forward to his first Olympic Games in London, and his debut on August 7.
Parchment, a student at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, is also the World University Games champion and the first student from UWI to make an Olympic team.
Coached by Fitz Coleman, Parchment gives the veteran, along with his mother, training partner Andrea Bliss, friends and Taylor Hall residents credit for his success.
Having started hurdling at Morant Bay High with coach Rohan Bryan, where he also did the 400m hurdles and represented Jamaica at the World Youth Championships, Parchment later attended Kingston College.
“I have to thank God for blessing me with the talent and positive, outstanding people surrounding me around me. It’s really a good feeling to represent… country as well as the university and the schools I have been to,” he said.
“I feel good that I got this opportunity and I want to make sure I represent to the best of my ability,” he added.
“Everyone can do well, it doesn’t matter where you are; it all depends on how you apply yourself and the people you’re working with,” Parchment stated.
“…I have an internal drive and motivation to reach my goal. Every morning I go through my things and I even write things on sticker cards and stick them up in my room and I will look at them as these are my goals.
“I know that there is a lot to be done and I want to thank the people around me, like Mr Coleman,” he said.
In looking ahead to the biggest stage in his career, he said: “In training I have to do more starts… as rehearsals needed for things to get better… getting the reaction time.”
He is also unperturbed about his competitors.
“I set my goals on times and placement… and not on my competitors and enjoy the competition… They are all good competitors and everyone wants to win. I’m just going out there to compete to the best of my ability.
“My coach and I have put some plans together and so far we see them coming through and we just continue to get everything together; it’s all about getting to the top,” he declared.
