Bahamian 400m hurdler Jeffery Gibson has admitted to losing focus last season which resulted in him failing to build on the success he achieved during the 2015 campaign.
Gibson enjoyed a breakout season in 2015 where he broke the national record four times over the 400m hurdles and finished with a personal best of 48.13 seconds to win a bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.
Besides that, he ran eight of his 10 fastest career times in 2015 and won 10 races during his highlighted campaign that year.
Gibson was expected to build on that success in 2016 with many pundits and coaches even selecting him as one of the top contenders for a medal at the summer Olympic Games in Rio.
However, the 26-year-old never really got going last term, despite running a year-best of 48.96 secs, which he used to win at the Jamaica Invitational in May.
At the Olympic Games in Río de Janeiro, Gibson was shockingly eliminated in the heats after finishing seven in his opening round race in 52.77.
Gibson, who ran 50.24 and 50.22 in the build up to the Olympics, revealed that he “fell down” and picked up an injury during a training session in London, prior to the Müller Anniversary Games and didn’t get enough time to get ready for the Games.
The talented Bahamian cited the injuries as a setback last season but noted as well that several off-the-track distractions contributed heavily to him failing to deliver the kind of season he was hoping for.
“This year could have been one of my best seasons, but I didn’t build off of the success I had in 2015,” Gibson told The Nassau Guardian in an interview.
“I got distracted and I think that happens when you see a bit of success in certain areas. You just lose focus, and I think that it’s unfortunate to pay such a big cost to get a reality check that you need to focus.
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“After my race in Jamaica I felt I was at a place where I could redeem myself and recover, but it didn’t play out. Then I fell down in London, and that really put the nail in the coffin.
“I felt as if I had no options, and I thought to myself that I really hadn’t done nearly as much as I should have this season. I returned home for about two weeks ahead of Rio, and I used that time for recovery.
“I was at a point where I couldn’t run. I couldn’t even stride, and although I had a few good days of training, my legs were gone.”
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