Goule in right frame of mind for Tokyo
Published:Monday | June 28, 2021 | 12:10 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
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After a recent win over a key rival and with her training going well, Natoya Goule is in line for a shot at an Olympic medal in the 800m. A day after she won her event at the National Senior Championships, Goule agreed that a win over top American...
After a recent win over a key rival and with her training going well, Natoya Goule is in line for a shot at an Olympic medal in the 800m. A day after she won her event at the National Senior Championships, Goule agreed that a win over top American Ajeé Wilson, the 2019 World Championship bronze medallist, had boosted her confidence.
The former Manchester High School star launched a powerful second lap to annex the national title in 1:57.84 minute and a day later, the ever bubbly 2018 Commonwealth third-place finisher said, “I’m feeling extremely happy. I’m feeling good, feeling I could run another 800m.”
Her mindset turned a corner when she beat Wilson in a 600m road race at the Boston Boost Games in May.
“You know, Ajeé is not an easy person to beat, and when you go against someone like her and you’re able to beat her, then you know that you can do it as well,” Goule said. “You can be up there winning and doing what you have to do. You just have to believe in yourself and trust the process, trust your coach, and trust God.”
Jamaica’s last Olympic medal in the two-lap event came from George Kerr, who was third in 1960. Goule believes that she can break the drought. Told that Jamaica’s 2008 Olympic finalist, Kenia Sinclair, thinks she can race her way to the podium, the 30 year-old star asserted: “I know that. Listen, I was supposed to medal at World Champs, so I know that. My coach knows that. My husband knows that. Everybody that’s around me knows that because they see how much I train, the type of workouts that I do, the times I put out there, so they know that.”
PLEASING RUN
Mark Elliott, who has guided her training for almost a decade, was pleased with her run on Saturday.
“I think yesterday was the first time she executed the way we wanted her to all year,” Elliot said of a run where Goule produced lap times of 58.4 and 59.4 seconds, respectively.
Noting her form in the 400m and her recent 1,500m personal best of 4:08.66 minutes, he said: “She’s in the best shape. Her 400m is the best since 10 years ago, probably, and her 1,500m, as you see, 4:08 is not slouchy, so I think everything is fitting. We’ve just got to stay focused and keep at it.”
In the 2019 World Championship semi-final, Goule was jostled by eventual champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda. With the Olympics in mind, Elliott strategised, “She’s got to execute, stay out of trouble. You know how running goes. It’s slightly a contact sport, and she’s small, but she’s a lot stronger this year, so, hopefully, not easy to push off kilter anymore, but we’ll see.”