Posted: June 7, 2006

Athletics: For Jackson, 'Mission Impossible' Par For The Course

By Bob Ramsak
© 2006 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved

After a four-leg flight and a pair of three-hour layovers that took 22 hours, one could forgive Bershawn Jackson for losing track of time after his race at the Golden Spike Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic last week.

“I just competed yesterday at the Prefontaine in Eugene, so I just wanted to get the best performance I could,” the 400m hurdles world champion said on Tuesday night after his 48.76 win in the eastern Czech city’s evening chill. The Prefontaine Classic was of course the previous Sunday afternoon, but the only time that ultimately mattered was his 21/100s of a second victory margin over Commonwealth champion Louis Van Zyl.

Whenever one speaks with the affable 23-year-old, he’ll speak plainly about his simple but time-tested belief that hard work pays off. His journey from Eugene that took him to airports in San Francisco, Munich and Vienna before he reached Ostrava where a bath and masseuse were awaiting him, just seems par for the course for the athlete now poised to become the event’s dominant force.

“It inspired me to do it because people said I couldn’t do it,” said Jackson of his Ostrava itinerary. “People kept telling me it was ‘Mission Impossible,’ but I feel like nothing’s impossible when you put your mind to it.” He was the only athlete competing in Eugene who kept his appointment in Ostrava.

“I was very tired before the race, and it was very cold, and it was cold in Eugene. I just wanted to stay close to everybody and have a strong kick coming home. And that’s what I basically did. I’m very pleased. I didn’t think I was going to run that good. I though I was going to run 49 high, or 50 point. But I’m very determined.”

In late April, the Miami native opened his season with a dominating 48.34 win at the Kansas Relays, his quickest season’s debut ever. He followed up with a 47.60 win in Osaka on May 6, still the fastest performance of the year. He admitted the performance was a surprise.

“I didn’t think I could [break 48 seconds] so early. I knew I was in shape and I knew I was ready for it, but didn’t think it would come so early.”

He followed up with wins in Doha, Eugene and Ostrava, and again last night in Turin (48.73) to remain undefeated in six races this spring while extending his unbeaten streak to 13 finals. His last loss came at last year's national championships, when he finished runner-up to Kerron Clement's 47.24, last year's fastest performance. Jackson, who produced his personal best of 47.30 to claim the world title on a rain-soaked track in Helsinki last summer, will now return home to prepare for the upcoming U.S. championships.

His stated goals for the rest of the season are as seemingly simple as his work ethic: “Just to stay consistent and keep winning, and keep proving to the world that I’m one of the best hurdlers in the world.”

Not particularly complicated too is the method with which he approaches his discipline. The world’s best full-lap hurdlers strive to achieve and perfect a certain stride pattern between hurdles. Jackson admits that he doesn’t even know what his pattern is.

“In training we work on keeping consistent and keeping our rhythm going. I’ve got a pretty good rhythm,” he explains. “I just go out and compete, go out and run, and whatever happens, happens. I’ve done well at doing it so far, so I’m not going to change it.”

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