ELEVEN YEARS, one month and 24 days.
That is how long Jamaican sprint hurdler Tyler Mason had to wait between finishing second at the World Junior Championships and his first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.
“It’s been a long couple of years,” Mason said. “Usain once said it took him four years to run nine seconds. It took me 11 years to make a team and medal, so I have to give thanks.”
He added, “A lot of ups and downs, but I prevailed.”
“It’s a major, major win for me, but it’s been a long time coming,” he continued.
“Definitely, it’s all worth it. But it’s just a sigh of relief. I came here and I actually produced what a lot of people said that I couldn’t do.”
Mason had risen to prominence as a junior athlete during his time at Jamaica College (JC) where he won the silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the then-named IAAF World Junior Championships.
However, it would take over a decade before the sprint hurdler would return to the global stage as a senior, making his international debut for Jamaica at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
Capitalising on his chance, Mason was a man on fire throughout the rounds of competition, and qualified for his first major final.
He would then set a new personal best of 13.12 seconds to claim the bronze medal in the final, his first senior medal.
Mason also completed a Jamaican two-three finish, as teammate Orlando Bennett finished second in 13.08.
Speaking after the race, Mason said he was determined to leave with a podium finish following his long wait to make a national team.
“I always told myself that, once I’m on the Jamaica team, I won’t come back without a win. I always stick to that, so that’s what I did tonight,” he said.
“It’s a great feeling to be on the podium. You just have to be bold and keep going. As a Jamaican team, we are doing well. We added some more medals to the table and I think Jamaica is on top right now.”
Now a world bronze medallist, Mason believes he can continue to grow in the sport and is hoping for further success.
“It’s not about confidence, as I said before, it’s just about execution for me right now, because I’ve done the work. I don’t see anything else that can stop me right now.
“Now it’s just really to rest and let loose, because there’s been a lot of tension. I just have to give God thanks at the end of the day,” he said.
