Jamaica will head to the Olympic Games without Usain Bolt as a part of their team for the first time since 2008, and one of the men charged with the responsibility to chart the new frontier for the country is Julian Forte.

Now a seasoned professional, Forte, who has had to battle many injuries including a torn hamstring over the years, made his season debut at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Qualification Trials Series at National Stadium last Saturday.

Running in the unfamiliar 400m, the MVP athlete admitted that he could have judged the race a little bit better, after winning his heat in 48.43s.

“It wasn’t bad all things considered, [I] felt like I could have probably gone a little bit faster, but I wasn’t able to judge my pace. It’s my first one so [it’s] not a bad first effort,” said Forte.

While stating that the 400m was not his favourite event, he said he was just desperate to get the race out of the way.

“I just wanted to come, run and leave. I am not a big fan of the 400m, so I am glad to get the first one under the belt.”

The World Athletics Relay come up at the beginning of May and Forte, who won gold in the 4x100m in the 2014 edition in The Bahamas, says he will be ready to represent the black, green and gold when the time comes.

“Right now, I am in great shape I think, so I think the preparation time is fine. I was training last year up until October, so I feel good,” Forte noted.

With so many athletes beginning there season late, it is not clear who will be able to make the cut for the May 1 and May 2 event, but for Forte, it really doesn’t matter.

“I always have faith in my teammates, no matter the team that we have. It doesn’t make sense you go out there and compete, if you first don’t believe. So, I believe in my teammates and whatever we need to do, we will go out there and try to accomplish that,” he reasoned.

With the Tokyo Olympic Games, the main focus for 2021, the 28-year-old believes that when the time comes for team selection, he will be properly prepared.

“We still have a few months to go until National Championships, so we have some more preparation to do and we will see how it goes when we get to that point,” said Forde.

He also stated his intention to represent Jamaica in both the 100m and 200m this year. He has a personal best of 9.91s in the 100m and 19.97s in the 200m.

— Dwayne Richards