Newly minted Jamaica 800m record holder Navasky Anderson says he is feeling fresh and confident as he prepares to bow into battle against the best of his compatriots at the Jamaica National Senior Championships set to get underway at the National Stadium in Kingston Thursday afternoon.
Anderson, 22, who attends Mississippi State University, won the SEC 800m title on May 14, clocking an impressive 1:45.89. Less than a month later, on June 10, he created history while finishing second at the 2022 NCAA National Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon where he clocked a personal best of 1:45.02, breaking the 45-year-old national record established by Seymour Newman in 1977.
Heading into the national championships this weekend, Anderson believes he can go even faster as he bids for a spot on his country’s team to the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in mid-July.
“I’m all about God’s timing. I’m readily equipped with the right tools necessary for success but I must stay extremely confident and stay healthy while gearing up for the world championships,” he told Sportsmax.TV earlier this week.
Anderson said running a lifetime best in the biggest race of the season has boosted his confidence that he hopes will yield a performance this weekend that will further inspire the next generation of half-milers from Jamaica.
“Confidence is my team for the season. I’m just here to stand as a true motivation to prove that hard work and determination can lead to tremendous success on and off the track. I hope I can use this as a means to put forward confidence in the lights of the younger athletes,” he said.
“It’s definitely a great knowing that my name will forever be in the history books, but that’s just the first step of many great accomplishments to come. I put all my faith and full trust in God and I’m confident that I’ll continue to do great.”
At the NCAA Championships, Anderson drafted behind winner Texas Tech’s Moad Zahafi (1:44:49) but following a storming finish down the stretch that saw he him edge out Texas A&M’s Brandon Miller (1:45.09) for the silver medal, the former St Jago runner said he was pleased with his performance overall.
“Both my races at the NCAA championships were great races,” he said. “Strategy plays a huge role while racing in the 800m but sometimes you just have to throw your race plan through the window and use the experience to put yourself in the top position.”
Now that he has taken his place as Jamaica’s best-ever 800m runner, Anderson said he is buoyed by the support he has been receiving from his countrymen and women.
“I run every day that’s mostly what I do. I enjoy competing and I love the continuous love and support I’ve been getting from entire Jamaica. I know they love to see a confident runner so I’m going to continue to be the people’s champion and pull along my brothers with me,” he said.