DESPITE her experience, 400m hurdler Rushell Clayton has never competed in the Olympic Games. However, she says she is determined to change that narrative this year and is anticipating representing her country in the event at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

Clayton, 31, has two bronze medals from the World Athletics Championships in the 400m hurdles, one in 2019 in Doha, Qatar, and another from Budapest, Hungary last year which she took in a then-personal best (PB) time of 52.81 seconds.

“I have never been to the Olympics so that is the major goal, just getting to the Olympics, and once I get there, the sky’s the limit for me,” Clayton told the
Jamaica Observer. “The Olympics is a prestigious event and everybody wants to get there. I want to be a part of that but I don’t put pressure on myself; and a season is a season, and I will continue to work hard — as I have been doing — looking forward to racing.”

In her second race of the season, at Velocity Fest 15 at Ashenheim Stadium on Saturday, Clayton clocked a PB of 24.06s to finish second in the women’s 200m event, surpassing her previous PB of 24.12s. The event was won by University of Technology, Jamaica’s Shana Kaye Anderson in another PB of 24.00s. Clayton also achieved a PB of 51.81s in the 400m a few weeks ago in Gainesville, Florida.

Clayton expressed her satisfaction with her performance on Saturday, attributing her improvement to using flat races to enhance her speed for the 400m hurdles event.

“I am feeling awesome because it is my second race and my second PB so I could not have asked for more,” she said. “I have been working on speed, which I started last year, and I think it is starting to come into play this season. Speed doesn’t come overnight so I am pretty excited to see what the season has to offer.

“I am feeling great because training has been going really well and I am working on my race plans. I can’t wait to execute and see where I am. I have been doing well so far in the 400 and in the 200, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season,” she added.

Clayton’s time of 52.81s made her the fastest Jamaican woman last year and the overall third-fastest over the distance in the world in 2023. Only world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, with 51.45s, and Shamier Little of the United States, with 52.80s, recorded faster times than Clayton in 2023.

Coached by Reynaldo Walcott, Clayton says that she has assembled a strong team around her and trusts the process for success this season.

“I don’t have times in mind but I do focus on placements instead of times, because sometimes you focus on times and your race plans just go all the way off, so I am focusing on positions instead of times,” she said. “I just do what I am told. I have a team and I trust them, so if my coach says I am running a 200 this weekend then I am just running a 200. I have 100 per cent trust in my team so whatever they say, that is what I do.”