KJ Nembhard has plenty of speed but it was fortitude that earned him junior boys 400-meter dash gold medal at OFSAA recently.
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“Running the 400 is painful,” Nembhard, a Grade 10 student at Simcoe Composite School, said. “At about 250 meters you really start to feel it in your legs.
“The lactic acid build up starts and it’s just a matter of pushing through that pain to get to the finish line first.”
Nembhard pushed through the pain in a big way to win the gold in a time of 48.67, a personal best and just shy of the OFSAA record of 48.46.
It’s the first provincial track and field gold medal won by a Simcoe Composite School athlete since the mid-1980s. Nembhard just started running the 400 meters this year and was competing against the best 400 runners in Ontario.
He also endured an injury last year.
“I went to CWOSSA last year in May, my Grade 9 year, and I did pretty well,” Nembhard said. “I came second in the 100 (meters) and first in the 200.
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“But I also ran track for the Brampton Racers and the week after CWOSSA I was at a meet with my track club.”
Nembhard was competing in the 100 meters and 15 meters into the race he felt something tug. Nembhard had hurt a hamstring muscle and missed OFSAA.
“It was disappointing and at first I doubted myself, feeling that I was so close, I could have won the 200, won the 100,” Nembhard said. “But I feel like I have the mentality to be able to push through that and to just keep going.
“I realized that I had Grades 10, 11 and 12 to make myself shine.”
Nembhard took some time off racing to recover and by the end of June, early July was back to training.
When Nembhard decided to give the 400 meter dash a try he didn’t know what to expect.
“I thought I was 100 and 200 meter runner,” he said. “But it really worked out for me.”
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At CWOSSA this year, Nembhard finished first in the 100 and 200 meters and third in the 400. From there, he went to OFSAA West in Windsor where he finished first in the 400 meter race.
“That was a big deal for me and everyone else, because it was unexpected,” Nembhard said. “But I was feeling great, I was in my mode and ran really well.”
That earned him a trip to OFSSA in London where he captured the gold medal.
“The last two years have been incredible,” said Nembhard, who hopes to one day compete at the Olympics. “It really has been quite a ride.”
A resident of Caledonia, Nembhard attends Simcoe Composite because of the school’s French immersion program.
Nembhard thanked his teachers and classmates for their support. He said the most important people in his life are his mother, Suzette Grant, his father Kula and his aunt Audrey Brown. He also cited his spirituality for being a strong influence in his life.
“I thank the Lord every day and my mom has been the best person in my life, she has helped me go through everything,” Nembhard said. “My aunt, she’s the helper, she carries me spiritually and I have a lot of great talks with my dad.
“Those are the four who have been supporting me every step of the way.”
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