sprinter
SARASOTA −Before he entered seventh grade, Jozell Bing was competing in track and field for an AAU team, the AMP Athletics Track Club in Sarasota.
The program was looking for hurdlers.
“I was real hesitant at first, but I thought it was fun,” Bing said. “I took the chance to try it and I ended up liking it.”
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In his first two hurdle races of the 2019 season, Bing finished first in 16.37 and 16.44 seconds, respectively, in the 100-meter hurdles at the AAU District Qualifier and the AAU Region 9 Qualifier.
Naturally, Bing drew a liking to the event.
They were his only two hurdle races until attending Palmetto High School.
Bing took on a big load as a freshman, running in the 200-meter dash, 400, 800, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and 400 hurdles for both the Tigers and his AAU team.
“My freshman year was real tough,” Bing said. “Coming into high school. There are a lot of faster people. You get down because I’m not that fast. It all works out. It comes with being a freshman.”
Bing did not win any hurdle races as a freshman. He finished seventh at the Class 3A-District 10 Meet in the 110 (18.32) and 300 (44.71).
Since then, Bing has emerged as one of the top hurdlers in the area, if not the state.
Thursday at Riverview High, Bing won both the 110 in 15.51 and the 400 in 56.87.
The key to his success and rise in the events?
“Mental. It’s very mental,” Bing said. “If you are not there mentally, you’re going to end up falling or you are not going to get the best race.”
Along with the mental aspect, establishing timing on the steps between each hurdle is key.
“Steps are a big thing. For the 400 hurdles, 300 hurdles, steps are very important,” Bing said.
And that does not always come easy.
When I used to do them, I used to stutter step a lot, because I used to get scared when I’d come up on a hurdle,” Bing said. “So you take off from there.”
In four 110 hurdle races this season, he has firsts in the Lakewood Ranch Invitational, Larry Richardson Memorial Invitational, and the Ram Invitational, and a fourth at the Dunbar Tiger Classic. In the 400, his better event, Bing has three firsts and a third at the Dunbar Tiger Classic.
“I am better at the longer hurdles,” he said.
Bing picked up a sixth-place finish in the 400 hurdles last season at the FHSAA Class 3A State Finals in a personal-best 56.02. He did not qualify for the states in the 110 hurdles, coming in fourth in the regionals in 15.83.
His goal is to qualify in both events during his senior season. Bing also set a goal for his time in the 400 hurdles.
“Low 55 or mid 54, high 54,” he said.
After high school, Bing plans to attend FAMU in Tallahassee.
“I’m working on the scholarship part right now,” he said.
Blured