World champion Keshorn Walcott says maintaining his composure played a vital role in his success in the men's javelin at this year's World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Tokyo, Japan on September 18. His winning distance measured 88.16 metres.
Walcott prevailed over a quality field final, which included two Olympic champions (India's Neeraj Chopra-2021 & Pakistani Arshad Nadeem-2024) and three World champions (Chopra - 2024, Anderson Peters of Grenada-2019/2022 and Kenya's Julius Yego - 2015).
"For me, qualifying (round held on September 17) is the hardest part. That is why I am nervous because you have a mark to reach. Going into the qualification, everyone is nervous. You have that feeling that you have to do well, you have to execute but going into the finals, you are relaxed, you have to party here. It is time to have fun and really throw."
The multiple First Citizens "Male Sports Personality of the Year" added that he was confident of excelling once he qualified for the medal round.
"After my second throw, I told my coach I am ready to fight. If somebody was to throw further, I will respond. That feeling-whatever you do today I can do better."
Walcott highlighted the vital role of mental strength played in his success, saying, "It is the most important part. Without the mental, the physical cannot follow. I myself had moments where I would think I am in peak physical form but the mental state was not there."
He added, "I would always suggest to people to talk to a sports psychologist. They are not there to (just) listen to your problems. They are there to give you the tools to be able to perform."
Speaking on the Grand Slam Morning show on 100.5 FM, one day after his return home from Tokyo on September 23, the national junior and senior javelin record-holder is encouraging athletes to be more mentally prepared for competition.
He said, "I always advocate for this. The same way you train your body, the same way you have to train your mind. When you have a disappointing competition, allow yourself to feel what you need to feel in that moment because you do not want to carry that disappointment with you. At the moment, you are a silver medallist (winner), whatever, just feel what you have to feel. It will come as it comes. We, as people and athletes, try to get control. I would say let go of the control."
Walcott's World gold is the fourth for T&T. Ato Boldon (men's 200m-1997), Jehue Gordon (men's 400m hurdles-2013), men's 4x400 (Jarin Solomon, Jereem Richards, Renny Quow, Machel Cedenio and Lalonde Gordon - 2017) were the athletes to climb the top of the podium. Walcott joined Gordon as the winners of both World Junior and Senior titles following Gordon's victory at the 2010 World Under-20 Championships in Moncton, Canada.
Jereem Richards, who won silver in the men's 400m finals in Tokyo on the same day of Walcott's golden throw, is calling on fellow athletes to pay more attention to getting into the right frame of mind.
He said, "I think it is something athletes and people do not take into consideration, how important the mental aspect is, not just in life but sports also. The one thing I have a problem with is to decompress after the season. It is the hardest thing to do, getting back to normal. You went up the mountain. You saw the peak and now you have to come down. I do not know how to come down, how to deal with it. Even now, I am still locked in and I am trying to disconnect myself from the goal because it is already gone."
Richards shared his experience with coping with anxiety when competing.
"As an athlete, you are going to be nervous. Nerves are going to be there. As athletes, we train all year for this moment and we have one opportunity to make the best of this moment. You can not let the moment get bigger than you. I have learnt that your body experiences when you are scared and when you are excited is the very same chemical reaction so you just have to decide and decipher in your brain where you want to go with it. I take it as excitement. I feel like the pressure added is what helps me as an athlete to perform and to go beyond my limits. I embrace it. I convince myself that 'I love this feeling'," said the Point Fortin resident, who added, "If I am too relaxed or I am too lazy, I am like 'I am not there', but if the nerves are there and I know I'm feeling it inside, I know I am ready."
Richards raced to silver in Tokyo in a national record of 43.72 seconds, eight years after he won bronze in the 200m and gold in the men's 4x400m relay at the 2017 World Outdoor Championships.
