Joshua Mance of USA (© Getty Images)
American Joshua Mance, earlier this year, has given up playing basketball because he has found a new love in track & field.
Mance named basketball athletes LeBron James and Dwayne Wade as his favourite sports stars, although he admires fellow American and top 400-metre runner Jeremy Wariner.
"I originally like basketball more, but I love track & field more now. I am better at track and field," he said after his 46.22 seconds run for second in the boys’ 400m final behind Grenadian Kirani James, who posted a Championship record 45.24 to win on Friday.
"I liked basketball, but track & field is my sport from now on," he said.
Asked why he stopped playing basketball, one of America’s most popular sports, Mance replied: “I stopped because I move and you have to work from the bottom to the top again in basketball, whereas and in track, you don’t have to because if you run a good time, you are on the team.”
"Track & field is about you, nobody else, basketball is a team," said Mance, who sees himself as an Olympic and World champion in the not too distance feature.
"I want that real bad," he said.
On his achievement, Mance said the only disappointment was not breaking the 46 seconds barrier.
"I wanted to run 45 more than how I wanted to win," he explained. "I lost the race off the backstretch," he said.
However, in the end, he said he has learnt a lot of the race.
Now, he said: "I am going for the gold at World Junior next year. I am going back home to work harder, because I want to be on the top in Moncton Canada."
Anthony Foster for the IAAF
