The time, the 14th fastest in the world this year is the fastest by a Jamaican and is just over half a second shy of Seymour Newman’s national record of 1:45.21 set back in 1977.
The former St Jago athlete held off Sam Whitmarsh of Texas A&M and Georgia’s Claymore Pender, who each ran personal best times of 1:46.09 and 1:46.71 for second and third, respectively in the race where the top-six all produced lifetime best performances.
However, for Anderson, a junior at Mississippi State, this is where his quest to go beyond Newman’s 45-year-old record begins.
“My job here is just now getting started,” he told Sportsmax.TV on Sunday.
“My goal is not only to be the best 800m that passes through Jamaica but also to bring the awareness and the spotlight to the younger generation letting them know that we can be dominant in the 800m as well.
“I will stay humble and work, my times will speak for themselves in due time.”
The 21-year-old Anderson has had to put in the work over the past few years to get to this point where he is within touching distance of the long-standing national record that only a few other Jamaicans like Clive Terrelonge (1:45.44), Mario Watson (1:45.58) and Alex Morgan (1:45.58) have got close to.
“To be great in the 800m there has to be a constant shift in mechanism, being able to run a fast 400m or 200m repeats today and being to hit a steady 10 miles the next morning,” said Anderson who stands at a wiry 1.93m (6’ 4”).
“Not everyone has the same body type or is built the way I am. I stay fit with morning runs and coordinate with my strength coach to get workouts that are going to help me move forward at least two to three times weekly.”
The journey to this point has been difficult but he has never given up hope nor lost sight of his goals as an athlete even when things were not going according to plan while he was at St Jago.
“I started high school running the 400m and the 1500m, taking on the 1500m at champs for my first two years. I made the finals both years but it was constant downhill after that,” he said, explaining that he believes “It was just not my time. I was training to the best of my ability but I wasn’t able to compete at a high level at Champs.”
Notwithstanding those early disappointments, Anderson never gave up and his fortunes began to change when he moved on to Essex County College in the United States.
“I stayed motivated and worked with Coach Andrew Kidd, who helped me develop a strong endurance background. I then went to Coach Lionel Leech at Essex County College. From 1:57-mid, coach got me down to 1:52-low is less than two years,” he said.
“I then made a great decision to attend Mississippi State, the right 800m university where Coach Chris Woods worked tirelessly to get my time down from 1:52 to 1:45 and still in progress in less than two years. That is spectacular.”
He said he has no plans to rest on his ‘spectacular’ progress with his goal now clearly in sight.
“I’ll keep working and I’ll keep working,” he concluded.
Peters, who at 23, is already a two-time NCAA champion, Pan American champion, NACAC champion and World Champion, wants an Olympic title to add to his burgeoning trophy case. However, had the Olympics been held in 2020 as scheduled, he might have had to wait until 2024.
During his preparation for the 2019 World Championships in Doha, the Grenadian injured his knee in training and was forced to battle through the discomfort to pull off the surprise win in Doha. He told Sportsmax.TV that immediately following the World Championships, an MRI on his knee revealed the extent of the damage.
“I had bone splinters around the knee and some were even poking into the muscles surrounding my knee,” he said.
He underwent corrective surgery on October 17, 2019, and says he is now fully recovered.
“Training is going good,” said Peters who trains at Mississippi State University under Coach Paul Phillips.
“I have been putting up numbers that I never have before. I am stronger but the task is now on me and my coach to transition that strength into my throws."
Without the postponement of the Olympic Games, he said, he would not have had enough time to recover from the surgery. Now that he has, he is looking forward to competing against the likes of Johannes Vetter, the 2017 world champion, who threw an incredible 97.76m, the second-longest throw in history in Poland in September 2020.
Peters, who has a personal best of 87.31m, says he has no fear of Vetter or the other elite throwers of the world because in every competition it comes down to one basic thing.
“It’s all about the day. From the first throw you know what is going to be like,” he said. So, it's all about what happens on that day."
Peters, 23, who is eager to add an Olympic title to his World, Pan American and NACAC titles, admits to Sportsmax.TV that he is concerned about his safety, especially against the backdrop of news of recent spikes in Japan that have organizers questioning whether the Games that were postponed from last summer, should go ahead this year.
However, according to the Grenadian national record holder, he believes “there is no reward without great risk.”
“I am concerned about my safety but if we take the vaccine and take the necessary precaution we are going to be fine,” he said.
“Who would pass up the chance to compete at the Olympics. I can’t have Covid for the rest of my life but I will be Olympic champion for the rest of my life.”
Peters said he is stronger than ever after recovering from knee surgery done in October 2019, and under the guidance of Paul Phillips at the Mississippi State University (MSU), he has been putting up numbers in training like he never had before.
“I am stronger. The task is on me and my coach to transition that strength into my throws,” he said.
Anderson, who became the first and only Jamaican man to go sub 1:45.00 when he ran 1:44.70 at the DC Track Championships in July, began his collegiate career at the Essex Community College in 2019 before transferring to Mississippi State in 2020.
“My time at Mississippi State University has been nothing short of transformative, thanks to the exceptional support from both the athletics and academia staff,” Anderson said in an Instagram post on Friday.
“Juggling the demands of coursework and the rigor of track and field requires a delicate balance, and it’s collaboration between the athletic and academic realms that allowed me to thrive,” he added.
During his time at MSU, Anderson claimed 800m silver at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships and represented Jamaica for the first time, with his best result being a bronze medal at this year’s Pan American Games in Chile in November.
The 23-year-old former St. Jago student also donned the Jamaican colors at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships in Eugene and Budapest, respectively, as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where he placed fifth in the final.
“As I stand here today, wearing the cap and gown that symbolizes the culmination of years of hard work, I extend my deepest gratitude to Mississippi State University Athletics and the academic faculty. Their unwavering support and commitment to my holistic development have been the driving force behind this significant achievement,” Anderson said.
Throughout his career, Horsford battled shoulder and elbow injuries, which ultimately prevented him from realizing his full potential on the track. Despite his immense talent and dedication, the relentless pain proved too much to overcome.
Horsford leaves behind a remarkable legacy, particularly in the realm of Carifta Games athletics. As a five-time gold medalist in the javelin event, he dominated the competition for years, capturing the hearts of fans across the region. His achievements at the Carifta Games, including multiple meet records, solidified his status as one of Trinidad and Tobago's greatest Carifta athletes of all time.
Coming from a family of athletes, with cousins excelling in long jump at both national and international levels, Horsford's athletic prowess was evident from a young age. His journey continued at Mississippi State University, where he aimed to further hone his skills and pursue his Olympic dreams.
In his retirement announcement, Horsford expressed gratitude to his coaches, mentors, and supporters who guided him along his journey. He encouraged aspiring athletes to cherish every moment in the sport and to relentlessly pursue their dreams.
Reflecting on Horsford's retirement, his longtime coach Wade Franklyn expressed sadness at seeing such a promising career cut short by injury. Franklyn had coached Horsford since he was just eight years old, recognizing his exceptional talent early on. Despite the setback, Franklyn remained hopeful that Horsford's legacy would inspire future generations of athletes.
