TOKYO, Japan — Jamaican 400m hurdler Malik James-King’s progress to the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships is not something the improving athlete is taking for granted, having overcome a season plagued by injuries and setbacks as he chases a first-ever appearance in a global final.

James-King ran a composed race in the heats, achieving a season’s best 48.27 despite limited preparation. His progress is particularly impressive given the physical struggles he faced earlier this year.

“I am grateful because I have been suffering with injuries this year. It’s actually the first time I have experienced injuries first-hand,” James-King said. “I [would] normally [hear] people talk about injuries and I always wondered, ‘What is so crazy that you guys are missing out, and whatever, but when I got injured I realised it’s like a war to get back your body, to protect your mental health.”

The hurdles specialist admitted that the process of returning to peak condition involved far more than just physical rehabilitation.

“It’s a lot of things that you go through; it’s not just treating where you got injured, it’s the process of coming back after an injury. So, the mere fact that I am here and I got a season’s best means a lot because I have not run a lot, so making another semi-final at a major championships, I am grateful,” he explained.

James-King traced the start of his injury woes to the Doha Diamond League earlier this season.

“It was early in the season, a little after the Grand Slam, I went to the Doha Diamond League. I fell there. Going to the hurdle, I stepped and how I stepped, I felt something in the back of my knee like it popped. I finished the race, and immediately after I finished the race I couldn’t straighten my foot,” he recalled.

The hurdler’s return to Jamaica revealed the full extent of the problem.

“I was on a long flight coming back to Jamaica and I was literally hopping. I told my coach what happened and we checked and realised it was a tear. I fixed that, started training again, and then my back started hurting me. I damaged something in my lower back. It was a lot of ups and downs and the coach had to be working on it everyday … so I am grateful to be here and I can’t complain,” he said.

Looking ahead to the semi-finals, James-King is focused and pragmatic.

“A season’s best or PB is great but the main aim is to make the final. Honestly, it was just [my goal] to make the semi-finals so whatever it took to make the semis, that was what had to happen to come out,” he said.

The 25-year-old will now line up against the world’s best in Wednesday’s semi-finals, aiming to convert his hard-fought recovery into a breakthrough performance.

James-King will be joined by Roshawn Clarke in the semi-finals, which the starter will send off at 9:30 pm (7:30 am Jamaica time).