In quest for victory, Brown embracing lessons from defeat

PARIS, France:

For Janeek Brown, the first phase of her comeback is complete. Now, after an unexpected trip to the Olympics and making it to the semi-finals, she feels that next season will be her time to show her full potential.

Brown's first major global campaign since the 2019 World Championships ended with a seventh-place finish in the women's 100 metres hurdles (semis).

Admittedly, the athlete experienced a year where she didn't expect that she would be back on the global stage so quickly. As a matter of fact, she was merely a civilian last November and missed background training before having to literally fight to make the Olympic team, much less get close to a place in the final.

After two years in exile, Brown restarted her career with MVP Track Club and now believes that she is going through a process that her coach, Stephen Francis, warned her about; learning from defeat before tasting victory.

"It was poor (Olympic semi-final execution), but it's just a part of the process. I have learnt patience and losing, but still being confident in your upcoming performances and capabilities," said Brown, the former Wolmer's Girl's School alumnus who was at the peak of her career in 2019, when she also set the national record.

At the time, she recorded a personal-best 12.40 seconds while representing University of Arkansas at the United States' National Collegiate Athletics Association Division 1 championships.

In Paris, Brown advanced past the first round, placing third in her heat in 12.84 seconds. Running in semi-final two, Brown finished seventh in 12.92 seconds.

She says that she still has much to be grateful for, given the journey that she has endured over the last five years. This involved personal challenges that knocked her career off course. Now refocused and renewed, she feels that her first Olympic experience has changed her for the better.

"In 2019, that was the last time I ran the 100m hurdles. So to be running here (Paris Olympics) it is just a step up, honestly. I know that this isn't the result that my country wants because we love winners. But you have to lose before you can get the victory," the 26-year-old said.

She believes that the victory will come next year, in a campaign that will be highlighted by the World Championships in Tokyo. Brown has set that championship as a target that will measure how far she has come.

"People have been telling me that talent has been bringing me this far," Brown said. "Next year when I put in the work I'm supposed to be (better)."