media_artricles :: 2015

Relay Mission - Cedenio eyeing 4x4 world title

Machel Cedenio has his sights set on men's 4x400 metres gold at the August 22-30 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

Trinidad and Tobago's 4x4 squad is also expected to include Deon Lendore, 2012 Olympic 400m bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon, 2009 World Championship 400m bronze medallist Renny Quow, and Jarrin Solomon.

"We can look forward to the gold," Cedenio declared, in a Sportsmax cable television interview, on Tuesday. "Everybody is sub-45. I don't see why we shouldn't go out there and attack the gold. It's a pretty solid team.

"Once I go on the track, my mission is always to win gold. Once we put a strong team together, everybody communicates, and we have the team chemistry, we can go out there and win gold."

At the tender age of 19, Cedenio is already joint-fifth on the all-time Caribbean men's 400m performance list.

On Saturday, Cedenio clocked a personal best 44.36 seconds for a runaway victory at the Cayman Invitational. With that run, he jumped into joint-second on the all-time T&T list, alongside Lendore and behind national record holder Ian Morris (44.21).

"Basically, I just went out there and did my best. I did everything my coach told me to do. I went out there for the win. I know I've been running fast in practice. I was working out hard, killing all my workouts, and just went out there and did what I had to do. I just went out there and had fun.

"This is only my second open 400 for the season," Cedenio continued. "Coming here and dropping almost a second off my PB (personal best) is.

"We're just taking it step by step. Everything is in the hands of God. I just pray every day, and thank God for coming out there and running a PB."

Cedenio, Lendore and Great Britain's Iwan Thomas are tied for 38th on the all-time world list at 44.36.

Just four Caribbean quartermilers are ahead of Cedenio and Lendore.

Reigning Olympic champion Kirani James is the fastest-ever one-lap sprinter from this part of the world, the Grenadian boasting a personal best of 43.74 seconds for sixth spot overall. Cuban Roberto Hernandez is second best among Caribbean runners at 44.14.

Next on the list is Morris with his 23-year-old T&T record of 44.21 seconds. Cuba's 1976 400/800 Olympic champion, Alberto Juantorena is fourth on the all-time Caribbean list at 44.26.

Cedenio and Lendore are joint-fifth. Evergreen Bahamian Chris Brown and Jamaican Jermaine Gonzales are joint-seventh at 44.40 seconds. Bahamian Avard Moncur and Dominican Republic's Luguelin Santos, meanwhile, round off the top 10. They are tied for ninth at 44.45.

Top