TOKYO, Japan — Tyrice Taylor never intended to become an 800m runner. His first love was the 400m, a more glamorous event of one-lap speed, where he was once convinced that he would make his mark.

But after repeated injuries and a reluctant switch, the 23-year-old is now one of Jamaica’s brightest middle-distance hopes, already clocking a personal best 1:43.74 minutes — the national record, this season and making his mark at his first World Athletics Championships.

“I am just feeling great and happy that I made it to the second round and it’s all about having a great experience,” Taylor said after his opening-round effort, which saw him finishing third in 1:45.13, to secure his spot in Thursday’s semi-finals at 9:45 pm (7:45 am).

“I’m having fun at the same time. It’s new to now compete on the big stage like this, it’s all new to me but that is not an excuse why I can’t come out here and give it my best. So it’s all about mental preparation, and if that is good, everything will be fine.”

Taylor’s rise has been both unlikely and rapid. Back in high school, the St Catherine native — who attended Bog Walk High, later renamed Enid Bennett, before transferring to Vere Technical — flirted briefly with the 800m.

“In high school I took a year and a couple months of training and ran 1:48,” he recalled. “Then I stopped running the 800m because I didn’t like it.”

That disinterest kept him away from the distance until 2021, when a move overseas reignited his career. A stint in junior college in the United States paved the way for his current base at the University of Arkansas. There, he was convinced to give the 800m another try.

“When I went overseas, I started running the 800m again in late 2021,” Taylor explained. “After three years I ran another 800m and I ran 1:46. Then I was like, well, I am good at it. In my next year, I ran 1:45 and now I am at 1:43.”

He admits the decision was shaped by necessity as much as opportunity.

“Because I actually love the 400m more but I was getting injuries, so I decided to start the 800m,” Taylor said. “My first year back I ran 1:46 after three years, and I was like, well that was a quick improvement and I started to take more interest in it and loving it and here I am.”

From reluctant competitor to finalist hopeful, Taylor’s ambitions have quickly grown. But his approach remains simple.

“Now my goal is just to get to the next round. My goal for the next round is always to get to the next round,” he said with a smile.

He’s also deeply motivated by the legacy of the sport’s greats, across distances and disciplines.

“I am just trying to be great, study the greats and be greater,” Taylor said. “David Rudisha, even sprinters like Usain Bolt – I can’t take Bolt out of it – and Wayde van Niekerk, those are some greats that I study. Even though Bolt does sprints there are still so many things that he does that I observe and take away from.”

For Taylor, competing at this level is about more than personal achievement; it’s about expanding Jamaica’s footprint on the middle-distance map.

“In Jamaica there are good 800m athletes and I am just out here to show that we also have good 800m athletes just like we do with sprinters, hurdlers and field event athletes,” he said.

With his breakthrough season already producing career-best performances and his debut global championship experience unfolding in Tokyo, Taylor represents both promise and proof that Jamaica’s track and field strength can extend beyond the sprints, and promise that, with time, he could be one of the athletes to lead that charge.

Tyrice Taylor of Jamaica checks the stadium screen for his result after completing his heat in the men’s 800m race.Photo: Garfield Robinson