Posted: July 2, 2006

Athletics: Jackson-Clement: Track's 'other' Rivalry?

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

While the eagerly anticipated showdowns between Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell in the 100 meters has set the athletics world on fire this season, there is another fledgling rivalry in the sport’s background that is also on the verge of rewriting the history of another event: one between American 400 meter hurdles aces Bershawn Jackson and Kerron Clement.

The pair don’t appear to be ready to challenge Kevin Young’s 14-year-old world record of 46.78 just yet, but both are among the fastest the event has ever produced, and like the sprinters Gatlin and Powell, with Jackson 23 and Clement just 20, both are about to enter their prime at virtually the same time.

Both are among the event’s 10 fastest ever, Clement seventh all-time after his 47.24 performance to win the U.S. title in 2005, and Jackson ninth after a 47.30 performance on a wet track in Helsinki en route to his world title last year.

But unlike Gatlin and Powell, whose face-off status seems to change daily, Jackson and Clement will be taking to the blocks side-by-side on several occasions this season, three times alone in the next 13 days.

Jackson, the reigning world champion, has won five of their seven meetings since their first clash at the 2004 Penn Relays. But like Powell, Clement has displayed the ability to run very fast. At the 2005 U.S. championships, Clement produced his 47.24 to end a six-race win streak by Jackson. A week ago in Indianapolis, Clement overtook Jackson in the final straight en route to his 47.39 world leading performance, this time ending a 13-race undefeated streak Jackson pieced together since his last loss to Clement.

Both were precocious talents, with Jackson racing to a bronze medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships while the Trinidadian-born Clement followed up with gold at the 2004 edition of the championships.

Clement however has shown better raw speed. He was still a teenager when he broke the world indoor record in the 400 last year, clocking 44.57 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. With his win at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York Earlier this season, Clement lowered his best outdoors to 44.71.

For his part, Jackson, who has a more modest 45.45 personal best in the flat race, has clearly illustrated his better finishing strength and technique –with the exception of the two most recent U.S. championships finals. With his hectic travel schedule --he was the only athlete to travel from the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., to the Golden Spike in Ostrava, Czech Republic, to contest and win the unlikely Sunday-Tuesday double in late May-- Jackson has experience on his side. But Clement, with a full plate on his summer table, is quickly catching up.

After Jackson begins the second part of his season with an appearance at the Tsiklitiria – OPAP IAAF Super Grand in Athens on Monday, the two will meet at the Gaz de France Golden League meet in Paris on Saturday, July 8, at Lausanne’s Athletissima on Tuesday, July 11, and again the following Friday at the Golden Gala in Rome, the third Golden League stop of the season.

Comment on this story.

Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest