Former 400m hurdler wants to help others reach the top in track and field

July 19, 2024
Kemar Mowatt .... now a coach at the University of Arkansas.
Kemar Mowatt .... now a coach at the University of Arkansas.

Pan American Games bronze medallist and former national 400 metres hurdles champion Kemar Mowatt is now a sprints/hurdles coach at the University of Arkansas.

Mowatt, who retired two years ago, says he is excited that he is now able to help other athletes reach their optimum potential in the sport.

"Being an Olympian is every athletes' dream, I was blessed enough to achieve this feat. Now I am able to work with several Olympians aiding them in their quest at Olympic glory and it is very humbling and satisfying. The best way I can explain it is I get to live my Olympic dreams all over again but now through their lens," he said.

Although not limiting himself to the position of a coach, Mowatt said he is enjoying the role he is playing in the sport.

" I think there's always other roles to be played in the sport of athletics, but as of right now I'm loving the process and the journey of coaching. I think I'll continue to stay locked in this accept of the process and continue to produce and grow," he stated.

Mowatt, who is also the owner of Island Vibes food truck, says managing his business and coaching will not be an issue.

"Managing a business gets easier with experience and having the right team around you. My fiancee, Jada, has really made sure that we have all the right things in place for everything to run smoothly and be as successful as possible," he said.

The 29 year old said he has achieved all his goals in track and field as an athlete, and now wants to add a few accolades in the administrative aspect of the sport.

"I stopped track and field after the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. I had outdone myself in track. Growing up I wanted to be a professional athlete and wanted to represent my country at the highest level. You write stuff down, you work towards it and you believe that there's possibility that it might happen, but for that to actually come to past that in itself was God's greatest blessing. I had done everything in track and field that I wanted to accomplish. I competed in three World Championships and also the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I was a finalist in the 2017 World Championships (fourth place) and achieved a medal at the Pan American Games," he said.

Mowatt said he is grateful to have been given the opportunity to now use his mind to help others run faster.

"I decided to take on the mantle of coaching because after retiring from track, I was still invested mentally. Funny enough coach Boogie Johnson, my mentor, asked me this very question and I said to him that track and field has a way of pulling you back in even when you think you are done with it," he said. "Now I want to help and see others with similar or even bigger aspirations than I had reach the pinnacle of the sport," the former University of Arkansas athlete said.

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