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Dah youth good beyond word...I think he is a great 200 ms runner...But what he did at Moscow was beyond words...6th to Second..... in a world class field...Better performance than bolt.....
Javon Francis Unmasked
Published: Sunday | September 29, 20130 Comments
Javon Francis (right)
Hardware: If you follow Javon all he wants to eat is porridge and bread
Leighton Levy, Sunday Gleaner Writer
Few will forget Javon Francis' heroics in Moscow this past August. The 18-year-old student of Calabar High and who is blessed with an abundance of sprinting talent played a major role in Jamaica winning an unexpected silver medal in the mile relay and thrust the youngster into the global spotlight.
The world now knows about the talent that he possesses but what they don't know is that the youngster draws his motivation from some of Jamaica's greatest quarter-milers. Francis has always admired the talents of Arthur Wint, Jamaica's first ever Olympic gold medallist who took gold in 1948 in the 400-metres; Herb McKenley, arguably Jamaica's most famous Olympian and the first man to break 46 seconds over 400m, as well as Bertland Cameron, the first-ever IAAF World Champion over 400 metres.
"He has read about them. He Googles them and YouTube their races very often," reveals Andrea Hardware, the team manager for the Calabar High School champs team for the past few years and the woman who has been Francis' guardian for the past three years.
"Leading up to Moscow, Javon would sit in front of the computer and he would be watching those races. And when you talk to him those are the names that come up. He wants to be as good as they were."
At a recent ceremony held at Calabar to honour the youngster who now calls her 'mother', Hardware spoke of how committed the sprinter is to his craft and to his
climb towards success. At the ceremony, she spoke of how he refused to be intimidated by World Champion, American LaShawn Merritt, in Moscow and how during training, he always strives to silence the criticisms levelled by his coach Michael Clarke by working even harder.
She later admitted that when Clarke first brought him to her, she had no idea how good he was.
"The coach Michael Clarke would say it," she remarked. "He would say, 'Boy, Andrea that's a gem you know. A super talent," I'm like, 'Michael he's a child.' I didn't think he would be this successful so early."
determination
Now that she has come to know him a lot better, she has discovered the depth of his determination and how much he loves his event. "Sometimes I say to him, 'Javon, you're sure they won't influence you to do the 200 metres and he would respond, "No man, no man, no man. The 200m is too short. In a 400m you have time. If you get a bad start in the 100m you come last, with the 400m you can actually recover and run a good race," she said with a chuckle.
She has also discovered other equally important characteristics about the youngster who last year won the Class One 400m at Champs for his famous high school.
"Javon is full of fun. Javon knows when to be serious but he also has this playful side to him. He's so happy doing the things he enjoys. So he is happy when he is in training. He is learning to drive now so he is happy doing that. He enjoys when I sit with him and go through his school work. He enjoys building things with his hands but he doesn't take himself too seriously," she said. "That's the kind of individual he is. If at any time we choose not to prepare something for Javon, he will say, 'Mom, no worry man, I will find something to eat. Don't worry about me, I am okay'. If you follow Javon, all he wants to eat is porridge and bread. He is very humble, very respectful, very appreciative. He never forgets to say thank you. That's just the kind of individual he is."
Should he go on to greater things at the next World Championships in Beijing in two years, the next Olympic Games in Brazil or beyond, Hardware says there a few things she would love people to know about the runner who came within fractions of a second of the national junior record (45.21) when he finished second at the national senior championships last June.
"I want people to remember him as this humble person, as this person who believes in the event and believes in his ability to be as good as the Herb McKenleys, the Arthur Wints, or Bert Camerons. I want him to be remembered as the individual who goes into his 400-metre race convinced that he can win and deliver
Javon Francis Unmasked
Published: Sunday | September 29, 20130 Comments
Javon Francis (right)
Hardware: If you follow Javon all he wants to eat is porridge and bread
Leighton Levy, Sunday Gleaner Writer
Few will forget Javon Francis' heroics in Moscow this past August. The 18-year-old student of Calabar High and who is blessed with an abundance of sprinting talent played a major role in Jamaica winning an unexpected silver medal in the mile relay and thrust the youngster into the global spotlight.
The world now knows about the talent that he possesses but what they don't know is that the youngster draws his motivation from some of Jamaica's greatest quarter-milers. Francis has always admired the talents of Arthur Wint, Jamaica's first ever Olympic gold medallist who took gold in 1948 in the 400-metres; Herb McKenley, arguably Jamaica's most famous Olympian and the first man to break 46 seconds over 400m, as well as Bertland Cameron, the first-ever IAAF World Champion over 400 metres.
"He has read about them. He Googles them and YouTube their races very often," reveals Andrea Hardware, the team manager for the Calabar High School champs team for the past few years and the woman who has been Francis' guardian for the past three years.
"Leading up to Moscow, Javon would sit in front of the computer and he would be watching those races. And when you talk to him those are the names that come up. He wants to be as good as they were."
At a recent ceremony held at Calabar to honour the youngster who now calls her 'mother', Hardware spoke of how committed the sprinter is to his craft and to his
climb towards success. At the ceremony, she spoke of how he refused to be intimidated by World Champion, American LaShawn Merritt, in Moscow and how during training, he always strives to silence the criticisms levelled by his coach Michael Clarke by working even harder.
She later admitted that when Clarke first brought him to her, she had no idea how good he was.
"The coach Michael Clarke would say it," she remarked. "He would say, 'Boy, Andrea that's a gem you know. A super talent," I'm like, 'Michael he's a child.' I didn't think he would be this successful so early."
determination
Now that she has come to know him a lot better, she has discovered the depth of his determination and how much he loves his event. "Sometimes I say to him, 'Javon, you're sure they won't influence you to do the 200 metres and he would respond, "No man, no man, no man. The 200m is too short. In a 400m you have time. If you get a bad start in the 100m you come last, with the 400m you can actually recover and run a good race," she said with a chuckle.
She has also discovered other equally important characteristics about the youngster who last year won the Class One 400m at Champs for his famous high school.
"Javon is full of fun. Javon knows when to be serious but he also has this playful side to him. He's so happy doing the things he enjoys. So he is happy when he is in training. He is learning to drive now so he is happy doing that. He enjoys when I sit with him and go through his school work. He enjoys building things with his hands but he doesn't take himself too seriously," she said. "That's the kind of individual he is. If at any time we choose not to prepare something for Javon, he will say, 'Mom, no worry man, I will find something to eat. Don't worry about me, I am okay'. If you follow Javon, all he wants to eat is porridge and bread. He is very humble, very respectful, very appreciative. He never forgets to say thank you. That's just the kind of individual he is."
Should he go on to greater things at the next World Championships in Beijing in two years, the next Olympic Games in Brazil or beyond, Hardware says there a few things she would love people to know about the runner who came within fractions of a second of the national junior record (45.21) when he finished second at the national senior championships last June.
"I want people to remember him as this humble person, as this person who believes in the event and believes in his ability to be as good as the Herb McKenleys, the Arthur Wints, or Bert Camerons. I want him to be remembered as the individual who goes into his 400-metre race convinced that he can win and deliver
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