July 16, 2002
KINGSTON, Jamaica – In the opening day of competition at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, Gamecock rising sophomore Jonathan Fortenberry will compete in the first round of the 400m.
Gamecock signees Kenneth Ferguson and Bershawn Jackson will compete in the men’s 400m hurdles later in the day.
The opening round of the women’s 400m hurdles was cancelled so Gamecocks Tiffanry Ross and Lashinda Demus will automatically advance to the next round.
On Monday, July 15, reigning World Junior 400H record holder Lashinda Demus and 2002 U.S. Junior 100H champion Tiffany Ross met with the media in Kingston, Jamaica. The press conference came on the eve of the 9th IAAF World Junior Championships. Demus and Ross are members of the Team USA 4x400m relay pool. Here’s what they had to say to the media in Kingston.
Lashinda Demus on time prediction for 400mH:
“I would like to get a PR out of my race, as long as I finish safe and without any injuries. As long as I have a good race, I won’t complain about that and I will be satisfied.”
Lashinda Demus on talk of Team USA breaking the 4x400m World Junior record:
“We came to run to the best of our abilities. We don’t know what we are going to do, we just want to go out there and do our best.”
Tiffany Ross on competing at South Carolina:
“I believe that when you train with the best athletes, that helps you become better. Training with the caliber athletes that we work with at Carolina, I think that it has just made me better as an athlete, individually and team wise. Coming on this team, we have a lot of great athletes like Monique (Henderson), Lashinda (Demus), Sanya (Richards) and several other people that are not here, but are also great athletes. I believe that when you get around great athletes and they all come together and good things come out. That’s what we are hoping to do this week. To have a lot of positive things come out and to represent the United States.”
Demus on future – Olympics, world record, etc:
“I think about all those things and I just take them as they come. Right now, I’m here in Jamaica, so I really don’t have time to think about any other U.S. meet I’d like to be in. When it comes to that day, that’s when I’m worry about what I can do and what I want to do in those meets. Right now I’m just worried about what I’m here to do in Kingston.”
Demus on being the World Junior 400H record holder:
“I don’t think about me setting the mark, everybody else thinks about it. When I get on the track, I get on to win and compete with the top athletes that are going to be there.”
Ross on competing in Jamaica and the track tradition it carries for sprinters:
“I believe that the United States has just as well a good reputation as Jamaica. It’s two great countries that are going to just go out there and do our best.”
