Reigning world champion Antonio Watson is all the way down to compete within the males’s 400m race throughout the Jamaica Athletics Invitational on the Nationwide Stadium. (Picture: Naphtali Junior)
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s 2023 400m World champion Antonio Watson will make his long-awaited seasonal debut on the Camperdown Traditional on Saturday, February 8 contained in the Nationwide Stadium.
The 23-year-old Watson has not raced since pulling up injured on the Jamaican Championship on June 27, 2024 which ended his Olympic desires.
Watson, alongside along with his Racers teammates can be out of their numbers on Saturday and can be severely examined. Working in Warmth E, he’ll face the likes of Demish Gaye (44.46), Malik James King (45.22), Delano Kennedy (45.27) and Jeremy Bembridge (45.55).
Watson, who has a private better of 44.13 within the 400m and 20.49 for the 200m, shocked the world in 2023 when he struck gold on the World Championship in Budapest and ended a 40-year gold drought within the occasion for Jamaica.
The legendary Bert Cameron was the final Jamaican to win gold in 1983 in Helsinki, Finland within the first version of the World Championships.
Cameron adopted within the footsteps of Arthur Wint and George Rhoden, who received Olympic gold medals within the 400m in 1948 and 1952, respectively.
However Watson was no stranger to profitable as he received the Beneath-18 world title in 2017 and confirmed his versatility being part of the NACAC Beneath-23 relay that received gold within the 4×100.
A lot is anticipated of Watson as he carries the hope of a nation in a 400m occasion loaded with world-class opponents operating some excellent occasions.
Watson, who’s from Trelawny, starred for Petersfield Excessive earlier than becoming a member of Racers in 2021 beneath the tutelage of Glen Mills, the person who guided Usain Bolt, and his enchancment was speedy.
In 2023, he received 9 out of ten 400m races, setting a number of private bests, culminating in victory on the World Championships. He suffered his solely defeat on the Jamaica Nationwide Senior Championships a month earlier.
The eyes of the world can be on Watson to see what sort of type he returns in and they’re going to know late Saturday night.
— H W
