The 2022 African 400m hurdles bronze medallist Wiseman Were believes his experience at the Paris Olympics will be the key to securing a spot at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships.
Were’s Olympic journey ended in the semifinals after he clocked 49.22 seconds to finish fifth in his heat—missing out on the two automatic final slots.
“I pushed myself to reach the semifinals and learned a lot about self-belief, perseverance and the importance of a strong mindset in global competitions,” Were reflected.
The 26-year-old also highlighted that lowering his time would be the key to going up against the world’s best hurdlers.
“Now I know the times I need to be running to compete against the very best athletes in the world,” he added.
The Paris Olympics saw USA’s Rai Benjamin take gold in 46.46 seconds with Norway’s Karsten Warholm (47.06) and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (47.26) rounding out the podium
He, however, believes there is still a lot of work to be done before the Tokyo World Championships.
“There is still a lot of work I need to put in place but I am confident the experience I gained from Paris will help me as I prepare to meet qualification for the World Championships,” Were remarked.
The qualifying mark for the 400m hurdles at the World Championships is 48.50 seconds with the qualification period slated for August 1- 24.
In Paris, Were missed out on the qualification by just eight milliseconds after he clocked 48.58 in the heats for fifth place.
Reflecting on his Olympic debut, Were emphasised the importance of global competitions in honing his skills as a hurdler.
“Paris was an incredible experience, especially as it was my first Olympic Games. As a hurdler, I needed this exposure to elevate my performance,” he said.
Now, his focus shifts to recovery and preparation for Tokyo 2025. “It’s time to rest and spend time with family. After that, it’s back to training, improving my speed and hitting the qualification mark,” Were concluded.
