After winning the gold medal in the 400 meters at the first World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland in 1983, Jamaica’s Bertrand Cameron was the favorite to win the same event at the Los Angeles Olympics the following year.
But an injury in the semifinals ended his chances of winning his first Olympic gold medal.
“When I went to the Los Angeles Olympics I was the favourite to win gold in the 400m so I was super happy and having the time of my life,” Cameron told The Gleaner.
“All my competitors were familiar to me and I knew I could beat them, so I was very confident,” he added.
According to Cameron, things started off well.
“I took it very slowly the first two rounds. The conditions were great so I knew I was ready and there were four rounds at the time so I was looking forward to the semi-finals and finals,” he said.
But Cameron admitted he started slowly and then pushed himself too fast in the second half of the semi-final.
“I was doing well in the semi-finals but most of the guys got ahead of me so I decided to step up the pace. I wanted to get a good lane in the finals so I wanted to run a fast time,” he said.
“I was running really fast, trying to catch up and pass the others, but halfway through I felt pain in my leg and knew something was wrong. After I crossed the finish line I was in a lot of pain, but I was happy to make it to the final,” Cameron said.
“I woke up the next morning in so much pain I could barely walk so I knew this wasn’t good,” he said. The injury forced Cameron to miss the final.
“That Olympics was bittersweet for me. I know it was my best performance and the worst performance of my career at the same time. But with the pain I was feeling (in the semifinal) and just making it to the final, it was awesome.”
Cameron said he used the moment to inspire the young athletes taking part in the sport.
“I was the flag bearer for the team at the time so it was an amazing feeling to be a part of the Olympics and I’ve tried to use that experience to inspire the younger and up-and-coming athletes at the tournament,” Cameron said.