One of Jamaica’s most promising athletes, Jhevaughn Matherson, has admitted that he wishes he was able to lift the Mortimer Geddes trophy, which Kingston College won a year after he left the institution for Florida State University (FSU) in the United States.
The 21-year-old rose to prominence in Jamaica with his breathtaking performances at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Athletic Championships as well as on the international scene while representing Jamaica at youth level at the CARIFTA Games and World Youth Championships.
Matherson, who spoke to 876Stream during an Instagram Live interview on Saturday, confessed that he did feel slight regret not being able to lift the Champs trophy with his former school but also mentioned that he was proud of the team and happy they could achieve that remarkable feat.
“It was a long time coming,” he said with pride. “They deserved it and for me, I knew I left my impact on the team. I still spoke to a few of the guys so I felt like I was still a part of the team.”
Kingston College won their first Championship trophy in 2019 in record points, ten years after they won their last title. During Matherson’s time at the institution, he was unable to help them disrupt the reign of Calabar, who had been enjoying a dominant streak of seven consecutive championships.
The major impediment to Matherson’s inability to dominate consistently at the championships was down to his injuries, which he also spoke about, mentioning how it left him frustrated but never defeated.
“I realized that even though I have gotten hurt, my mentality stayed the same and that’s down to having good people around me.”
The persistent injuries also stopped him from smashing a record that would have definitely propelled his career further, one which everyone believed he could achieve. For him, it was more than possible to run a ‘sub-10’ time in the 100 meters event.
“That was the year (2018) for me to do it but I was about 80% – 85% at Champs. Prior to Champs I got a little niggle but it was nothing serious. But a lot of things also came into play during my race, I got cold and that probably had a role to play but it was just one of those things.”
Matherson is now studying Engineering at FSU and does have his aspirations set on turning pro soon. Whether he can fulfill the hype and live up to his well-known potential still remains to be seen but he has no doubt in his mind he is willing to prove the doubters wrong.