News04 Jul 2008


US 400m Hurdler Anderson balances Football and Athletics

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400m Hurdles US champion Jeshua Anderson (© Kirby Lee)

Jeshua Anderson isn’t ready to trade his American football cleats for athletics spikes yet.

The US 400m hurdler has managed to strike a balance between the sports thus far as a receiver on the Washington State football team and on the track.

Anderson, who will compete in the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 8-13 July, won the NCAA and USA Track & Field Junior titles and has clocked 48.69 in his first season in the event.

Last week, Anderson advanced to the semi finals of the US Olympic Team Trials in Eugene as a final tune up to the World Junior Championships.

Last fall, the lanky 1.87m Anderson played in all 12 games as a freshman receiver for the Washington State football team. Upon his return from Bydgoszcz, Anderson, who turned 19 on 22 June, plans to begin preparation for his sophomore football season.

Anderson, who attends Washington State on a football scholarship, participated in football and athletics in high school and believes that the disciplines complement one another.

“I am getting stronger from football and the speed in track helps my turnover to be able to be run better routes,” Anderson said.

Competing in both sports at the college level, though, has been particularly demanding. Anderson wasn’t able to begin training for track until January because of football. He didn’t participate in spring football drills because of track.

“It took awhile to get back into track shape and I got beat in a lot of meets indoors,” Anderson said.

International debut at World Junior Championships

The World Junior Championships will be the first international competition for Anderson.

Anderson used the US Olympic Trials as a practice run for what to expect in Bydgoszcz. He won his first-round heat in the US Olympic Trials in 49.05 before suffering his first loss of the season in placing fifth in the semi finals in 48.92.

“I am anxious and ready,” Anderson said about the World Junior Championships. “The Trials were just kind of an eye-opening experience. I wanted take it all it in and be humble and just and let God handle it.’’

Anderson attended Taft High in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, Calif. – the same school that produced 1992 Olympic 400m champion Quincy Watts. Watts coached Anderson during his freshman season at Taft before accepting the coaching position at neighbouring school.

As a senior at Taft in 2007, Anderson went on to set a U.S. high school national record of 35.28 in the California State championships to break George Porter’s mark of 35.32 that had stood since 1985.

Anderson, though, missed an opportunity to compete in the 2007 IAAF World Youth Championships last summer when he was unable to compete in the USA Track & Field Junior Championships.

Anderson arrived late to the airport for a flight from Los Angeles to Indianapolis when he got caught in rush hour traffic from high school graduation in the San Fernando Valley.

“I was kind of upset that I wasn’t able to because I was in training and had performed so well in the California state meet,” Anderson said. “To come back and win World Juniors would be a blessing for me.’’

Rapid progression in the 400m Hurdles

Instead of running in the World Youth Championships, Anderson competed in all-comer meets at a local high school. He had never run faster than 52 seconds in the 400 hurdles before this season.

“The 300 hurdles is like a sprint,” Anderson said. “The 400 hurdles is a technical race.”

Anderson has made a steady progression under Washington State Hurdles coach Mark McDonald, who coached American 110m Hurdle record holder Dominque Arnold to the 1996 NCAA title at WSU.

The long-striding Anderson has been able to maintain a 13-step stride pattern through eight hurdles with a left-leg lead before going to a 14-step approach and alternating lead legs over the final two barriers.

Anderson’s primary goal this season was to break 49 seconds, which he accomplished for the first time in the NCAA Championships and again in the U.S. Olympic Trials, and make a U.S. World Junior Championships team.

“I wanted to come into the season and set my goals high,” Anderson said. “I put a list of things that I wanted to accomplish this year. I am doing pretty good thus far.’’

Kirby Lee for the IAAF

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