Caymanian athlete races for trip to Rio Olympics
Olympic hopeful Jamal Walton
(CNS): One young Caymanian track athlete is working toward booking his ticket to compete in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio, as he continues his training in Miramar, Florida. Jamal Walton, who has been running since primary school, is determined to achieve that goal. Towards that end, he will be competing in the Cayman Invitational on 14 May at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
“It would mean a lot to represent the Cayman Islands,” Walton said. “Just making it [to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games] and [being able to] show the world that the upcoming track star is from a small island called the Cayman [Islands]”.
Walton, who runs the 200m and 400m, began his career when he was only 7 years old.
“I was the fastest kid in elementary school on field day,” Walton said, “and my uncle decided to see if I was really fast by putting me into a track-and-field club, and that’s how my track career started.”
As a 17-year-old, he was filmed breaking Usain Bolt’s U-17 record for the 400m by .05 seconds at the 2014 CARIFTA Games in Martinique.
Never thinking he would get this far, Walton said, “With my hard work and patience, anything in life is possible.”
To make the point, he has a lofty goal: “Win gold in the Olympics and get the world record in the 400m.”
Walton added: “[To get to Rio I have to] believe in myself and constantly pray for success.”
Category: Sports, Track & Field
