Weir to try pro 110m hurdles in 2014
By Dania Bogle
HE may be the second best athlete in the world over 200m but now the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships silver medallist Warren Weir looks set to return to the event which made him a star during his Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys’ Championships days at Calabar High School in Jamaica.
While he didn’t specifically name the 110m hurdles, Weir, the 2013 IAAF Diamond League winner, in an exclusive interview with MilesplitJa, said he would be trying a new event in 2014.
“(For 2014) I maybe want to try a new event... try an old event. I won’t say what,” Weir said cryptically, adding that the decision came from a discussion between him and his coach Glen Mills.
“I want to try a new event at this level. It’s just talks with me and my coach and we see that I’m getting stronger and maybe want to try something and see what comes of it, seeing that next year is an off year we can try something next year.”
Weir, who has a personal best of 19.79 seconds in the 200m, was an outstanding 110m hurdler in high school where he was vice-captain of the Calabar track team. Weir has a personal best time of 13.65 seconds in the 110m hurdles and won a silver medal in the event as a junior at the 2008 Carifta Games in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
Weir was eighth in the semi-finals at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland and did not finish at the 2008 Pan American Games in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2007.
However, after joining the Glen Mills-coached Racers Track Club after leaving high school, he had stopped the event due to a number of injuries he suffered.
The move to the 200m paid big dividends. The 24-year old Weir shot to instant stardom in 2012 after claiming a bronze medal in the 200m at the Olympic Games in London following behind winner Usain Bolt and silver medallist Yohan Blake.
He said it’s a major change from his days starring at Calabar High. “It’s a big change because people know you. People would have to follow ‘Champs’ to know you in high school but at this level on the world stage people know you.”