by Rebecca Bryan
EUGENE, Oregon, June 27, 2009 (AFP) - Chasing mischevious twin toddlers hasn’t deterred hurdler Lashinda Demus from chasing her dream of World Championship gold in Berlin.
Demus, 26, improved on her 2009 world’s best time in the 400m hurdles Saturday as she won the US title in 53.78sec.
She booked her place on the US team for the World Championships in August, along with runner-up Sheena Tosta and third-placed Tiffany Williams.
Demus, who earned World Championships silver in 2005, took a year off in 2007, giving birth to twins Duaine and Dauntay on June 5 of that year.
She returned to competition in 2008, missing a Beijing Games berth when she finished fourth at the US trials.
Given how little time she’d had to prepare, Demus said, I should have been happy with that. But I wasn't.'' Now, she has a simple mission. I would like the gold medal,’’ Demus said of her hopes for Berlin.
If she gets it, she’ll have proved herself not only a master of fast running and jumping, but also of juggling.
I'm an athlete/babysitter and he's an agent/babysitter,'' she said of the demands on herself and husband Jamel Mayrant. Her coach and mother, Yolanda Demus, also chips in on the babysitting front from time to time, along with Demus's grandmother. It has to fit in,’’ Demus said of her training. Because just like everybody else this is a job. this is how I provide.'' She said the twins often accompany her to the track. They kind of cry because they can’t catch me,’’ she said. They think they should be able to.'' While the boys are not identicial, they look alike and draw a lot of attention wherever they go, Demus said. They certainly keep her running. They get into anything and everything,’’ she said. ``You can tell them ‘no’ and they say ‘OK, let’s do it again!’’’