Walker finds little joy in the 400m hurdles

Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer

MELAINE WALKER may be the Olympic 400m hurdles champion and record holder, but she has no great love for the event.

Walker, at the Beijing Olympics, won the 400m hurdles in a Games' record 52.64 seconds, beating Greece's Fani Halkia's mark of 52.77.

The mark is also a Central America and Caribbean (CAC) record, beating the previous best (52.82), which fellow Jamaican Deon Hemmings-McCatty ran for gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Not fired up

"I am victorious in it (the 400m hurdles), but I notice I am not fired up when I win an event," Walker said.

"I want to celebrate but I always forget to. Probably it's not the passion for me ... that's why you don't see the whole victory celebration or enjoyment coming out," said Walker, who is the fourth-fastest ever in the event.

Only Yuliya Pechenkina, the world-record holder of Russia (52.34), Americans Kim Batten (52.61) and Tonja Buford-Bailey (52.62) are faster than Walker, but not even that makes her happy.

Walker, who is the silver and bronze medallist in this same event at the 2002 and 2000 World Junior Championships, said she is happy to be winning, but continued: "I am not satisfied with the event."

Walker, one of Jamaica's most successful junior athletes, had in her earlier days run the 100m, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles.

She has more passion for the shorter sprints, especially since she defeated Veronica Campbell-Brown for the Class Two sprint double in 1999.

Personal best

"Probably somewhere along the line I might sprint again," said Walker, whose personal best of 11.63 came in 1999 when she got the better of Campbell-Brown (11.65).

Walker, who ran 23.71 to complete the sprint double, again ahead of Campbell-Brown (23.90), said for now, "I just have to continue doing what I am good at ... until I find something else along the way".

Walker was forced to do the 400m hurdles by her high school coach Raymond 'KC' Graham after a run of injuries which she suffered in the shorter sprints.

However, according to the national champion, her coach Stephen Francis believes this event was made for her.

She said she spoke to coach Francis about running the 100m hurdles.

100m hurdles

Walker, who has a personal best of 12.75 for third at the NCAA in Sacramento two years ago, said she would want to run the 100m hurdles "just to keep myself happier than just competing for winning's sake".

"If he (coach Francis) doesn't feel it's the time for me to do sprints, I have to be disciplined about that and listen to what he says," she said.

But, Walker, who has a personal best of 23.51 (200m) and 51.61 (400m) said, if it the choice were up to her, she "would choose the sprint hurdles and the 100m".

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