Kemoy Campbell has got the eye for speed
QUALIFYING for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in August and winning yet another National Senior title are all good, but not enough for Kemoy Campbell, arguably the best long distance runner the island has ever produced.
Running all by himself for most of the 5,000m final on Friday night at the JAAA National Senior Trials at the National Stadium, Campbell won in 13 minutes 51.34 seconds, almost two minutes better than second-placed Obrien Frith after lapping all of the other competitors at least once during the race.
The former Bellefield High student, who represents the University of Arkansas, set a new national record 13 minutes 20.39 seconds in Palo Alto, California, comfortably under the World Championships qualifying mark of 13:23.00 seconds just over a month ago.
But still he wants more.
“Things have gone very well, but I am still looking for better days,” he said. “I am going back to Arkansas to work harder than I ever did and to prepare for the World Championship, and at the end of the day I think I will be ready for whatever the World Championships hands me.”
Campbell, who won the high school boys 3,000m at the Penn Relays while running for Bellefield in 2010, has carried the flag for male distance running for years and will get his first chance at the senior level, and hopes to make it count.
He has competed at the World Junior Championships running the 1,500m twice, ironically placing 10th both times in the first round, clocking 4:02.80,minutes in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 2008 and lowering that to 3:47.47 two years later in Moncton, Canada.
On Friday, Campbell said while he was happy with the win and another national title, he was hoping to go faster.
“I wished I could have gone faster, but it’s hard running by yourself… at the end of the day I still won so that’s all you can ask for.”
Campbell said he has improved “dramatically” since moving to Arkansas. He said trimming down has made him faster.
“I am a lot smaller, which has helped me run faster, so I think I have improved a lot, improved mileage and speed work, so it’s been a learning process,” he ended.
