Jamol James already had quite a decorated résumé before he became a Sun Devil.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, he competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games for his country in the men’s 4x100 meter relay.
Now a junior transfer from the University of Tennessee, James is making a big splash on the men’s outdoor track team.
After skipping the indoor season, James competed in his first meet as a Sun Devil at the Baldy Castillo Invitational on March 20.
He won the men’s 100 in a time of 10.47 seconds, one of the fastest times in the country this year. He also finished third in the long jump by leaping a personal-best 7.44 meters.
James attributes much of his success to the lack of support he received in his previous track ventures.
“Growing up, what made me compete at the level I do right now are the amount of doors that have been closed for me," James said. "I’ve been injured and a lot of times when I was supposed to be out there, I was injured. My country never helped a lot. … I had to be in the shadows doing my thing by myself.”
In Trinidad, the focus was mainly on the stars of the team and almost no consideration went to the development of young, upcoming athletes.
If an athlete got injured, they had to either pay for their own therapy or treat the injury themselves.
“I used to go in the pool and swing my legs," James said. "If I turned and it hurt, I said to myself ‘all right, I’m going to work that muscle,’ because I had to do a lot of self-therapy.”
The one positive that came from running in Trinidad was the knowledge James acquired while being in the spotlight. The Trinidad and Tobago team on which he competed won the bronze at the 2012 Olympics.
Although he made the team, James was a reserve and therefore did not run in the medal-winning final heat. Yet it was the learning experience that became a major factor in his determination to get better.
“It feels as though all eyes are on you, which is an atmosphere that I truly like being in," he said. "You are the star of the show. It just made me a little more hungry. It made me also realize that I need to step up what I’m doing in order to be with these guys. To be on their level so you can be respected as such and they can see you eye to eye not you looking up to them.”
After his stint in London, James ran at the University of Tennessee for two more seasons but was not happy with the direction the program was headed in. The constant coaching switches along with the lack of appreciation for improvement were two of the main factors that drove him away from Tennessee.
“It felt as though nothing you did mattered. Only winning mattered,” James said. “It felt like the little progress you did make was overlooked.”
The weather and facilities were also a big aspect of changing schools. Tennessee has no indoor area for track athletes to compete when it is cold or snowing outside. Much of their training outdoors was done in heavy sweats.
The only other indoor facility, Stokely Athletic Center, had been torn down to put up residence halls and expand the football team’s practice field. James felt disrespected and chose to leave because he believed Tennessee did not care about its track and field program.
After researching schools, James found that the weather, facilities and coaching staff at ASU were much more acclimated to support his budding track career.
“One thing I admire is the laid-back mentality of not just the coaches here, but the conference itself," he said. "It is almost as if I have practiced, reached the track, and now I’m about to have fun. That’s what it felt like. Everyone is more laid-back, they have a free spirit and they make you enjoy what you’re doing. It feels more like a family.”
To date, the move has paid off. James has top-three finishes in both of his 100 races this year and a few top-five finishes in the long jump. The family atmosphere and relaxed mentality has worked well for him in Tempe so far.
While his passion is track and field, James is not just an athlete. He produces his own music in his spare time along with designing things on his computer.
If his feet are hurting, James will design a shoe to fix the problem. If he is losing grip on his starts, James will create new starting blocks on his computer.
The creative side comes out in both music and design, which is his major at ASU. He does computer-aided design on anything and everything, including landscaping. James is a jack-of-all-trades.
If he isn’t making music or creating projects, you can find Jamol James out on the track, leaving his competitors in the dust.
Reach the reporter at tjwilkin@asu.edu or follow @Twilkins23 on Twitter.
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