For rising British athlete Jake Odey-Jordan, the phrase ‘it’s not over til it’s over’ has never reigned more true.
After leading the pack for most of the men’s 200m race at the European Athletics U18 Championships, the 16-year-old slowed down far too early, so half of his competitors caught him up and beat him to the finish line.
Commentators speaking over the race in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, called the youngster’s performance a “disaster”.
“He has eased up way too early,” the European Athletics commentator is heard saying, adding: “This is going to be a lesson learnt the very, very hard way.”
Odey-Jordan eventually finished in fourth place, eliminating him from the championships, but the athlete remained upbeat about his performance afterwards.
“It is all right. I mean, it is my fault so I cannot be sad about anything but myself,” he said, according to European Athletics.
“It is what it is. It felt good, it was not the fastest run but it felt good. For sure, it could have been sub 21. But it is all good though.
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“I am just out here, it is my first race on this meet, I just tried to get on my legs, nothing hurts me or nothing like that.”
The sprinter is currently ranked 194 in the world in the men’s 200m event. Last month, he won the national title at the New Balance Nationals event in Boston in the US.