EVERY failure is a stepping stone to success, and Chase Academy’s Claudrice McKoy is currently looking ahead as she prepares to perform at this year’s CARIFTA Games, returning after a not-so-good performance at the event last year.
Last year the National Schools Championships record-holder was among Guyana’s CARIFTA Games lineup, in the youth category, but like many on the 15-man team she was unable to medal. More so McKoy was not at all proud of the timings she produced in the events.
A distance runner, endurance and strategy play a big part in how McKoy maps out her race tactics, and she believes it was her strategy that failed her last year when she competed in the Girls’ Under-18 1500m and open 3 000m, finishing sixth in both events.
“How I ran the 1500m race was that I started extremely hard, and I followed the person who had won the year before. I thought this was the person I had to look out for, so I kept running down this person, but in the end when I realised it, the Jamaicans ended up picking up and because I started off hard I had nothing left at the end.” McKoy explained when we caught up with her training at the National Park earlier this week under coach Julian Edmonds.
The Running Brave’s athletics club athlete added, “I’ve learnt a lot (since then). I learnt that never again to go out that hard, and that I have to learn to judge the race better.
Her timings came in at over five minutes in the 1500m and in the 3 000m it took her almost 11 minutes. Though she had participated at other regional events, it was her first time being at the prominent CARIFTA Games, so although she was disappointed about the performance she’s already looking ahead at all the opportunities she will have to redeem herself in the coming years.
“Even when I’m at home I would sit down in my bed draw the track, look at where I’m supposed to relax, where I’m supposed to accelerate and just visualise it, and get it in my head, so that when I go out there, I look at the track and know what I’m supposed to do where.” she expressed.
As it pertains to medalling prospects this year, she’s keeping her eyes on the prize.
“I just want to keep calm and when I go out there just think about winning,” she said.
Continuing past the struggles is nothing new to the Inter-Guiana Games multiple silver medallist. Running is something she has been doing almost all her life, recalling her days of competing even during her nursery school days.
When she moved over to F. E. Pollard Primary School, McKoy had continued to run at school sports always hoping to make it, to compete at the esteemed Nationals, but always ending just short.
It wasn’t until she was eleven years old, during her first year at Central High that she made it to Nationals. That first year was everything that she had hoped it would be.
“I felt great because at primary school I had always wanted to make it to Nationals; I had always wanted that experience.” She said.
McKoy went on to eventually join a club, hone her skills, and last year she not only attended the meet, but left a mark by clinching a few records.
She’s now hoping to one day see similar improvements as she continues preparations for the CARIFTA Games.