Kerron Clement interviwed on 24th of July 2009
KERRON CLEMENT is a massively talented athlete, having run 47.2 for 400 hurdles in 2005 and, wiping Michael Johnson's 44.65 Indoor 400m World record off the books with 44.57 in Arkansas.
Yet when Alastair Aitken spoke to him in London, on the 24th of July, before he won his race in the Crystal Palace Grand Prix in 48.85 from Bershawn Jackson (48.99) he declared "I am just 23 so I had been running against really good runners who were older and more experienced than I was"
kerron Clement was born on the 31st of October 1985 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and moved to Texas in 1998, becoming a citizen of the USA in 2005. His interest in athletics started when he was very young " My older brother Charles and I liked to chase each other on the road or at night. I guess from there I kind of built my endurance back then"
He went to La Porte High School before being a student at the University of Florida. He did not train till he entered High school. " I really started training and getting serious about athletics at high school. When I was a Freshman there was an older kid who beat me. I did not like that at all so, I trained harder so he would not beat me again. I became competitive. That gave me the determination to get better and try and continue to get better. At High School I was doing high hurdles in around 13.48.
Clement was USATF Youth Champion at 110/400 hurdles.
He went on later to win the IAAF World Junior Championships at Grosseto in 2004 in 48.51
What made him turn to the 400 hurdles ' I was kinda tall (1.88) and more endurance based as I ran cross-country at High School so there was more purpose to graduate to the 400 hurdles.'
Kerron Clement has posted personal best time for 100/200 of 10.23/20.49. It was interesting to hear what he said regarding his World Junior victory in 2004 " I had a chance of going to the Olympic Trials but I said no because I was not ready to compete on that level. I said if I went to the Olympics I would want to win a medal and just did not want to go to the Olympic Games just to say I had been to the Olympic Games. I don't want to say that. I wanted to go to the Olympics to get a medal.
In 2006 he won the World Cup 400 hurdles in Athens in 48.12 but he proved his point about the Olympics when they were in Beijing in 2008 (First 4 in the Final were 1 Angelo Taylor (47.25), 2 Kerron Clement (47.98), 3 Bershawn Jackson (48.60 4 Danny McFarlane (48.30). " 2nd place is better than nothing. A lot of people went to the Olympics and did not get a medal. I was very fortunate although, the United States did not have a really good year at the Olympics. I was happy with that medal and there was more motivation for me to come back. Although I wanted the gold, of course, there are the World Championships in Berlin and there is the London Olympics of 2012. I'll be hungry. I love a challenge.'
Regarding the 400 hurdles he did not enjoy doing as much at college as he does now " In college you run more races and you really don't focus on one particular race but now I focus on one race and I enjoy it. I have a new coach Bobbie Kersee. He is a great help.'
Kerron Clement is a well rounded individual and besides athletics he likes modelling, which he does in Los Angeles. His Mother Brenda is a great supporter of his and will be attending the World Championships in Berlin and he has many friends on the circuit too.'
His feeling about being competitive is strong " It is all about winning competition at major Championships. When I went to College I liked defending my NCAA titles. Back to back."