KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Melaine Walker said she had no immediate plans to switch to the flat 400 metres ahead of the Olympics in London.
The Jamaican is the reigning women’s Olympic 400m hurdles champion and switching to the flat 400, a far less gruelling event to contest and for which to prepare, might attract some athletes.
“I’m not sure,” Walker told the Jamaica Observer newspaper. “I’m not a lover of the flat 400, neither the 400 hurdles, but it’s working for me and I’m grateful for the 400 hurdles, but I don’t think I’ll be a great 400 flat runner.”
“Over the years, I have run 4×400 relays and run really great, but that’s when I was a sprinter. Now, it is different. I haven’t run it in a while, so I don’t know what my potential is.
“But I’m thinking about doing a couple this year and see what it looks like, then I will know if I’m able to run 4×400 or not.” The question about Walker’s form in the flat 400 has arisen, following the national team’s narrow failure to clinch gold at the last three major global events.
Jamaica’s women’s 4×400 team finished with the bronze medal at the last Olympics four years ago in Beijing, China, and were runners-up to the United States at the last two World Championships two years ago in Berlin, Germany, and last year in Daegu, South Korea.
“I’m always open to run a relay leg, but it’s for the people who made their spots and vow not to give it up and I’m not going to bear the burden of knowing that someone wanted to compete and I actually didn’t run a flat 400 and given a spot, then I’m being envied for that spot,” she said.
“I always said if there is a spot I can take, please have that person who wants me to take their spot tell me that it’s OK, then I will run.”
Walker, who turned 29 on January 1, said she is looking forward to defending her Olympic title after losing the World title last year to American Lashinda Demus.
“I can say all things going well so far and I’m very pleased,” she said. “I’m not having too much problems and I’m dealing with it and…training well.
“Times are not really an issue for me; I don’t like to predict times. It’s just about going out there and doing exactly what you can do and let the clock speaks for itself.”
