Exclusive interview with Ned Azemia - ‘Always bet on yourself to succeed’ |22 June 2017

He recently returned to the country carrying a gold medal, won at the Southern Region Senior Championships and he is the holder of the national 400m hurdles record. Ned Azemia has made great strides in his short time on the scene and today we present you with an exclusive interview with the man whose record future hurdlers will be aiming to beat.

Sports Nation: Firstly, how is your year going?

Ned Azemia: From January I can say that training was going great and I was performing well, but then it dropped, for some reason, so then I went on a training camp in France and now I feel I’m getting back to my best.

Sports Nation: So, tell us, how did athletics come into your life?

Ned Azemia: Since I was in primary school I started running in events such as egg and spoon and sack race, but I never won any medals. I was like that until I reached S4, which is when I started winning a few races and setting new records and that is what motivated me.

Sports Nation: You have few records to your name, how did it feel when you broke your very first record?

Ned Azemia: Yeah, I remember that day well. I was running against Giovanny Bouzin at that time and he was beating me most of the time. So, I trained and trained and eventually beat him. For me, that first record was a real honour for me. It was in the 400m sprint.

Sports Nation: What would you say has inspired you on your way to becoming a top athlete?

Ned Azemia: My inspiration came mostly during the national schools championship itself as when you see other athletes celebrating their wins, you also want to bask in that feeling. So I trained harder to get the wins. International competitions have also been a huge motivator for me as I have always wanted to get to the highest level.

Sports Nation: And how was your first international experience?

Ned Azemia: It was really great actually as my first international competition saw me win three gold medals and one silver, which was at the CJSOI games in Reunion. I had trained really hard for that competition as I did not want to let anyone down, so to win medals there was truly great.

Sports Nation: Last year you competed at your first ever Olympic games, how was it?

Ned Azemia: It was an amazing experience. You know, you always see these big personalities on TV, so to meet them in person was incredible.

Sports Nation: And how did they react to you especially as you come from such a small nation?

Ned Azemia: Well, obviously there were those that looked at me like I did not belong, but most of them were okay as all over the world there are young athletes who have achieved extraordinary things, so I managed to blend in easily.

Sports Nation: Aside from athletics, is there any sports that you have dabbled in?

Ned Azemia: Uhm… Judo. Judo has always been the first sport that truly lifted and helped me get to where I am.

Sports Nation: You were perhaps drafted to the national team after your exploits at the National Athletics Championships, do you feel there is sufficient follow-up from the federation towards athletes who shine at these championships?

Ned Azemia: Yes there is. But, you have to perform for the coaches to recruit you and I feel there is a lot of support especially from the older athletes who provide motivation.

Sports Nation: How challenging was it for you, while you were still in school, to balance you academic activities with athletics?

Ned Azemia: It was very tough. I spent three years at SIT and during my first year I struggled a lot as there were many international tournaments, so in my second year I put my feet down and decided not to travel to every tournament. Then when I did travel I took my school notes with me. I actually owe a lot to my classmates at that time as they helped me a lot, by sending me notes and assignments when I was away.

Sports Nation: You are now a hurdles specialist, a discipline where there is frankly very few people actually, what pushed you to pursue hurdles?

Ned Azemia: Honestly, my coach Ms Linda has always encouraged me to take up hurdles. There was an exercise we were doing once for 400m sprint, where we used hurdles and I think she saw I had a lot of potential and asked me to try hurdles. I took her advice and here I am.

Sports Nation: How much more demanding is running hurdles compared to sprint?

Ned Azemia: It doubles the training as for sprint you are only running and learning the techniques, but for hurdles you have to jump as well and also learn proper technique to time your jumps. So it is more demanding.

Sports Nation: Why do you think there are not more athletes doing hurdles in Seychelles?

Ned Azemia: I honestly don’t know. I love it though. There are actually two athletes training with me and I think they will keep on doing it.

Sports Nation: Last year you broke a very old hurdles record, does holding such a record now put added pressure on you to succeed?

Ned Azemia: Yes. I mean, I set this record at a young age, so now I have to always live up to it and it is quite a burden for me if I can’t get near this record again, so I will keep giving my best to continue to lower it.

Sports Nation: How did it feel to break such a record?

Ned Azemia: I was really happy as it was not something I had expected to achieve, but it is something that showed all my hard work was worth it.

Sports Nation: What are your targets for this year?

Ned Azemia: I have the Jeux de la Francophonie coming up and I am preparing hard for it and hopefully I will bring back a medal. In the long term though, I am hoping to join an American college with the hope of getting better.

Sports Nation: Any advice for the youth?

Ned Azemia: I will say that it is very difficult to succeed nowadays, so I want to urge all the youths to work hard and never give up. You should always bet on yourself to succeed and in the end you will.

S.N