Despite

tumbling to the floor at the Jamaica International Invitational (JII) Meet last week, intercollegiate 100m champion Everton Clarke says he is still focused on the task at hand.Clarke, of GC Foster College, would have tested his mettle against a few top contenders such as Yohan Blake and the American pair of Mike Rodgers and Ronnie Baker in the men’s 100m at the 14th staging of the IAAF World Challenge Meet, but it was not to be.After leaving the blocks well from lane seven, the powerfully built Clarke was up with the field approaching the final 20 metres, but lost his footing and tumbled over close to the line.The race was won by Blake in a fast time of 9.93secs, ahead of Baker (9.98secs) and Rodgers (10.02secs).However, after coming away from the fall injury-free, Clarke still remains optimistic about going one better than last year after establishing his personal best of 10.08 seconds, just failing to make the final of the National Championships and, by extension, the Olympic team.“I had high hopes going into the (JII) meet, so I am disappointed not because I fell, but because I didn’t get to execute what my coach and I worked so hard on. However, it hasn’t affected my confidence at all… I’m still focused; my eyes are still on the prize,” he told the

Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.With the second staging of the JN Bank/Racers Grand Prix now only a few weeks away, the 24-year-old has now intensified preparations as he seeks to not only put on a good show alongside triple world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt, but also to achieve the ultimate goal for this year — making the team to the IAAF World Championships in London.“The Grand Prix is just another opportunity for me to work on executing a perfect race; it’s just a stepping stone into the national trials and ultimately the World Championships.“I am always training and preparations have been good so far, and I am looking forward to making the World Championships team; it’s just to go out there and do well,” he said.Ironically, Clarke, who won the intercollegiate 100m crown in 10.12 seconds, was facing his second mishap since the start of the season, as he was also left disappointed about the failed run at the World Relays in The Bahamas, when he was selected to his first senior Jamaican team.That misfortune occurred on the 4x100m team where Clarke ran a very tidy lead-off leg, before a poor baton exchange between Kemar Bailey-Cole and Jevaughn Minzie on the second and third legs caused the team a chance at a medal. Blake was the assigned anchor on the team.But it is often said that you can’t keep a good man down and the former Herbert Morrison High stalwart has continued to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes.Having already lowered his times from 10.30 seconds to 10.08 over the past two years, Clarke is aiming to repeat the feat among an all-star cast of the world’s finest athletes, who will converge on the National Stadium on June 10 to salute the legendary Bolt.Bolt will be making his final appearance on home soil at the meet, with his expected departure from the sport set to come at the World Championships in August.“Usain is a legend and I would be honoured to be a part of his historic departure from track and field in Jamaica. Usain is the face of track and field in Jamaica and worldwide, so most, if not all athletes aspire to be like him, to achieve all that he has in the sport,” Clarke ended.