Tyriq Horsford enjoyed his best-ever season in 2019. In his final year as a junior athlete, the Tobago thrower captured his fifth straight Carifta Games javelin title. And in his freshman season at Mississippi State University, he secured National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outdoor Championship bronze.

In stark contrast, 2020 is turning out to be a year completely devoid of highpoints. Horsford, though, is not to blame. The 20-year-old was fine-tuning for what promised to be a very successful US collegiate campaign when the Covid-19 pandemic stepped in and changed the course of history.

“Training was going fantastic,” a confident Horsford told the Express. “I was roughly two weeks away from starting my outdoor season.”

In 2019, Horsford improved on his personal best by nearly nine metres, jumping from 69.82 to 78.78. In total, he bettered 70 metres at eight meets last year. Following his successful 2019 campaign, the five-time Carifta champion had surgery on his left foot to address a condition known as Haglund’s deformity. Horsford has declared himself fully recovered.

“It has been a tough journey, but I’m glad I got over it.”

Horsford was anticipating significant progress during the 2020 season.

“I have definitely made improvements technically, which would have increased my distances.”

Like many other athletes on scholarship in the United States, Horsford has been attending online classes. He explained that the authorities at Mississippi State have made every effort to facilitate continued education.

“If anything was needed, we spoke to our track and field academic personnel and they did their best to assist. They are trying to keep every athlete healthy and safe.”

The novel coronavirus outbreak has prevented Horsford from engaging in a full training programme.

“As all the facilities are closed, I’m doing more body weight exercises at home. Currently, I’m training to stay fit and healthy.”

Horsford was hopeful of achieving the 85.00m Olympic qualifying standard, and representing the Red, White and Black in Tokyo, Japan, this summer. Tokyo 2020, however, has been postponed to July/August, 2021. The Tobago thrower welcomes the additional time to prepare for his anticipated Olympic debut.

“It’s just the matter of me doing the necessary things to better myself in the event discipline.”

Horsford believes that postponement of the Olympics could level the playing field for all athletes.

“That should be the case, once facilities are safe and up and running for everyone. It’s just the matter of how disciplined and serious they are towards training.”

Horsford said the unexpected downtime in the wake of Covid-19 has allowed him an opportunity to reflect.

“I’m managing good at the moment. This has given me time to think about how I’m going to move forward as a person and as an athlete.”