For several years, Global Athletics & Marketing did an interview day for track & field media in the late fall. It was one of my favorite occasions each year. Global Athletics has a plethora of fine athletes, and the chance to get to chat with them post-season was a spectacular opportunity.
This is part of an interview with Jereem Richards, the 2017 London bronze medalist at 200 meters, gold medal at 4x400m, 2018 Commonwealth Games gold at 200 meters, and 2022 gold medal, at 400 meters indoors at World Indoors.
Jereem Richards, photo by Trinidad & Tobago Athletics
I have interviewed Jereem several times. He is a fun interview, great sense of humor, and a total class act. Jereem honored of his teammate Deon Lendore, who had died early in 2022, from an auto accident, in taking the World Indoor Championships at 400 meters, in a new NR
This interview was done in October 2018. Special thanks to Mark Wetmore and his team at GAM on giving us access to fine athletes. In this current era, for some reason, managers and agents seem to give media less and less access to the athletes.
RunBlogRun interviews 4-6 athletes a week. We are ever thankful to the athletes and coaches who speak to us, and the brands, agents and managers who give us those opportunities.
I liked this transcript because Jereem speaks about the importance of his 4x400m relay team win.
Transcript of interview, October 2018, Jereem Richards
Larry: Hey sports fans, it’s Larry Eder again and we’re in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood, and we’re with Jereem Richards, who won the gold medal in the 200 meters of the Commonwealth Games. I love the Commonwealth Games. I didn’t get to go this time. I went to the one in Glasgow. It’s just fun. It’s got a great feeling. Tell us about that gold medal.
Jereem: Well, (NA) it was something I was working for since off-season in 2017.
Larry: Uh-huh.
Jereem: To be able to have worked that hard and achieve something that precious, especially when the last Commonwealth Games in 2014, I didn’t even make it out of the heats. And, to be the champion four years later, you know, that’s something really special and it goes to show that hard work definitely can’t be off. Now, I did not win the medal the way I wanted to because, obviously, if you do your research and you look at the race, I won by default. But, you know, I’m still really doubtful that I came through with a win that day. That the officials made the right decision, and even with that, I still came up with a victory.
Jarrin Solomon, Machel Cedenio, Lalonde Gordon,Jereem Richards, TTO 4x400m, London 2017, photo by Mike Deering / The Shoe Addicts
Larry: Sure. TTO had some fantastic athletes. I love your four-by-four hundred teams. They’re awesome. What makes you guys so good at four-by-four?
Jereem: What makes us so good, I would say, we have a really good connection. As a team, very good chemistry. What also makes us a little bit unique is that two of the athletes on that relay team are actually from Tobago and the other two were from Trinidad. You know, in this one country, two different islands, you know —
Larry: — sure —
Jereem:— so, we bring a level of diversity into the relay team and Trinidad and Tobago has always been known to have really good quarter-milers. Really good relay runners, you know, so to be able to achieve the medal and to come out there and beat the US was, you know, something really —
Larry: — it was amazing. When did you know you had a shot at beating the US? Did you focus on trying to beat the US for the whole year?
Jereem: I wouldn’t say it was something we focused on, but when I specifically looked at how the US ran their heats, and I think we — if we didn’t beat them in the first run, I think we were really close. And factor in the people that the US had, and factor in the people that we had, I knew we had a really good chance. But it was all going to come down to the legs run. And, to come home with our victory, it was expected, but it was so unreal when it happened, you know? Sometimes —
Larry:— yeah —
Jereem: — you know you could win, but there’s a possibility that —
Larry: — sure —
Jereem: — you can’t. It was that kind of moment for us. And, to make history, to bring back gold to Trinidad and Tobago was a feeling unlike any other.
The Trinidad & Tobago Men’s 4x400m relay team, after winning gold! photo by Mike Deering / The Shoe Addicts
To view our #socialingthedistance, on Jereem Richards, please check out: https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/04/socialing-the-distance-jereem-richards-adidas-sponsored-athlete-200m-4x400m.html
