Spence looks to 400m

[Exile]

Spence looks to 400m

Published: Sunday | October 30, 2011 0 Comments


Lansford Spence - File

Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sports
Guadalajara, Mexico:Pan American Games 200 metres silver medallist Lansford Spence said yesterday that he will campaign in the 400 metres next year in a bid to be on the plane to London for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Spence, who also won silver in the half-lap event at last year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, says he enjoys running the 200 metres but thinks the 400m is his better event.
The 2005 national 400m champion, who represented the country in the event at that year's IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, said: "I plan to try and win the 400 metres at the 2012 National Championships and then move along from there. I think the 400m is my better event, although I have not excelled (won as many medals) in it as much as the 200m."
Coached by Maurice Wilson at G.C. Foster College of Physical [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Education[/COLOR][/COLOR] and Sports, Spence, who has a personal best of 44.77 seconds in the one-lap event, declined to comment on whether he thinks the other top Jamaican [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]athletes[/COLOR][/COLOR] are too far ahead of him in the 200m.
"I am not going to say that," he said.
Satisfied
A graduate of Auburn University in the United States, Spence, who has been home training under Wilson since 2009, has expressed great satisfaction with his overall performance here.
"I feel pretty good, as I got a personal best in the 200m (20.33 seconds) and came second in the final, and that's a great achievement for me," he said.
At the 2011 Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association/Supreme Ventures Limited National Senior Championships, Spence placed third in the 400 metres in 45.46 seconds. He was just edged out for second by Leford Green, with both being awarded the same time. The upset winner was Riker Hylton in 45.30.
Spence did not compete in either the 200m or 400m in Daegu. He ran the third leg in the heats of the 4x400m and the team clocked 2:59.13 in placing second to the United States.
He, however, was replaced by Jermaine Gonzales in the final and Jamaica collected the bronze medal in 3:00.10 behind the United States (2:59.31) and South Africa, 2:59.87.

[Historian]

Good For Him (Spence)!

So, while he has been quite correctly recognized in this article as the 2005 Jamaican national 400-meter champion, I guess that the writer (and, presumably, editor) Elton Tucker is of the view that Lansford Spence’s 2005 senior CAC 400-meter gold medal doesn’t warrant inclusion as well? For heaven’s sake, the guy not only won, but he grabbed that gold medal while running in Lane 1.

On a personal level, I hope that Spence becomes a factor next year, although aside from Jermaine Gonzalez and Usain Bolt, we really do not have anything much to boast about in the quarter mile event since around 2005 (the year when Davian Clarke anchored us to our first defeat of the USA in the 4x400-meter relay at the Penn Relays, if my memory is correct). The Yohan Blake fans might want to join in this debate here and now?

My question, however, is this: Is Lansford Spence merely another Sanjay Ayre?

And speaking about [FONT='Times New Roman','serif']“anything to boast about,” the last time that any Jamaican senior 4x400-meter men impressed me was in 1999 at the Pan American Games in Canada with a team that featured the great Davian Clarke on anchor, and other greats like Greg Haughton and Michael McDonald and…. Damn! For the life of me, I cannot recall right now who was the fourth member on that 1999 Pan Am team! I know it was not Roxbert Martin, but I am quite honestly very tired right now and not in the mood to search anything.[/font]

Following 1999’s success (a Pan Am Games record), in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games, Danny McFarlane couldn’t hold on, and so Nigeria passed us to get the silver behind Michael Johnson and the USA men. A similar thing happened at the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, when again, Danny failed to capitalize on his lead and so was passed by the Bahamas’ Tim Munnings. So, for the second consecutive year we were able to hold on for a mere silver medal.

I could go on and on, including the Michael Blackwood 4x400-meter era which was highlighted by the Michael Blackwood-led fiascos in 2002 (Commonwealth Games in Manchester, 2003 (IAAF World Championships in Paris), and 2004 (Olympic Games in Athens), and on to today when we are hardly a factor anymore. The irony is that our relay greatness was built on the 4x400-meter men, and I’m speaking here about the 1952 Olympic Games!

Fire away, my friends! I look forward to a robust 4x400-meter relay Jamaica-underachieving-performance debate, including those massive Carifta Games improvements and incursions by Trinidad and the Bahamas!

[Exile]

I guess we have underachieved in the gold medal area for the men's 400. I also notice that everyone want to run the 100m these days...
Let's talk about the 800m tooo (mens) Since Kerr and Newman our World class has not been there....can't understand why...

[Sickko]

Spence might be past his best, sorry to say. He promised much while at Rusea's High and even at GC Foster but never seem to be able to get over the top, so to speak.

Right now at best he is a relay runner and I was surprised when he did not get into the team for the finals in Deagu but I have no problem with the final team used.

I recalled one year at Penn Relay after he ran a blistering leg in the heats and one coach, Maryland Eastern Shore I think, handed me a package to give to him, offering him a full ride but he never took it up.

BTW Historian, I dont think it is necessary to list every single award won by an athletes every time you write about them...I notice some people still refer to VCB as IAAF Youth and Junior champion.

[Jangle]

Yes man!!!! A long time me a seh some of these athletes need to take up different event instead of wasting away trying for the shorter distances. He could also consider the 100m or 400m hurdles.

[Willi]

He is a 400m man, plain and simple.

The 200m was speedwork for the time when he lack 400m strength...

[Karl]

Were we also a threat in 1948...but faltered when Arthur Wint 'pulled up'?