media_artricles :: 2015

Jehue defends

Reigning world champion Jehue Gordon enjoys the memories of his 2013 triumph in Moscow, Russia.

Gordon threw himself across the finish line to snatch gold in the men's 400 metres hurdles final, the Maraval athlete stopping the clock at 47.69 seconds to improve on his own Trinidad and Tobago record.

“It's good to reminisce on the past a little bit, but after World Champs things changed. Yes, I go back and look at the race itself but it's a completely different Worlds this time around, different competition, different circumstances, and I just have to do my best out there.”

Already a seasoned veteran at the tender age of 23, Gordon is here in Beijing, China to compete at his fourth IAAF World Championship meet. But though he is the defending champion, the T&T hurdler is not among the favourites for gold.

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“This year,” Gordon explains, “I had a lot more to deal with. I was set back early in the year from about December to late January with a quad injury, doing therapy for that. And since then I've been having a lot of hiccups with my body, things not feeling right.

“Now,” he continues, “I've been kind of diagnosed with a slight sports hernia. I don't really need any surgery at this point in time, but the therapy and everything else required is a little bit strenuous. It's just to get back that area of strength. Circumstances we've had to deal with are a bit more challenging, but that's the nature of sports and we just have to be ready for anything that comes.”

To date, Gordon's best clocking this season is 49.22 seconds. In 2013, he went into the Moscow Worlds with the confidence of a 48.00 run in his final pre-Championship outing. But though the odds are stacked against the defending champion, he is not discounting his chances of returning to the podium.

“Given the circumstances, I think my body could run 48-low. Once we could sort this strength issue out, it should unfold a lot easier. Coming around to championships, it's always been me producing on the big stage. I definitely have the ability, but on the day it would require everything to be in place for me to give that big effort. I'm a fighter, and I'll go down die-hard.

“I don't think anyone always competes at a hundred per cent. There is always something that you need to work on. It's just to make sure I keep a cool and a clear head because once you're out there, the adrenaline, the rush, the hype of the Games itself could change the whole scope of the event.”
The sports hernia prevented Gordon from being part of the Pan American Games experience in Toronto, Canada, last month.

“I've never been to a Pan Am Games,” says Gordon. “It's not to say I would not want to go because I think I'm too big. I've said in previous interviews any title there is to attain I definitely want to go there and give it a shot, no matter how big or how small it may be. Once I get the opportunity to represent Trinidad and Tobago it's definitely something that I cherish. We need to give God thanks.”

While Olympic men's javelin champion Keshorn Walcott was in Canada adding Pan Am champion to his resume, T&T's other global senior athletics champion was in T&T doing therapy for the sports hernia.

As a home-based athlete, Gordon is often under scrutiny as he goes about his daily business.

“It's like 'hey Jehue, how yuh going?' It's not like a paparazzi thing where every minute I need to be walking around with security. People watch you in a different light now. They expect more of you, so it's not to say you could carry about yourself in the way that you would want to sometimes.

“You can't just wake up and put on an old jersey and go down in the mall, or have on a short bust up pants and it's dirty, and a slippers. You need to watch how you're carrying about yourself. Sometimes, little kids come up to you, and they ask you certain questions. You need to be that role model. There are also other opportunities with sponsors and people wanting to come on board to support the journey.”

Gordon hopes to make a successful journey round the Bird's Nest track here in Beijing next Tuesday, August 25, in the IAAF World Championship men's one-lap hurdles final. American Bershawn Jackson is the 2015 world-leader at 48.09 seconds, and is likely to be the main barrier in Gordon's way as he bids to repeat as global champion.

“I know the personalities in my event. Knowing their running styles and the types of races they run, you would kind of have an expectation of what to expect from them. I don't think I focus on anybody per se, but it's just to be wary of the way that they run…ready for the challenge.”

At the end of the day, however, Jehue Gordon is only in control of his own race.

“Jehue, and whichever lane they draw me in.”

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