Williams-Mills targets 400-m medal in Doha

BY KAYON RAYNOR Senior staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com

Saturday, March 13, 2010

NOVLENE Williams-Mills, the 2007 world outdoor 400-metre bronze medallist from Osaka, Japan, is on target to win Jamaica's first medal the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, on today's second day of competition.

Williams-Mills, who placed fourth at last summer's World Championships in Berlin, has been drawn to run in lane three of the six-lane final at 9:30 am Jamaica time.

She booked her place in the championship decider yesterday by clocking a season-best of 51.77 seconds to finish second in semi-final one behind Russia's Tatya Firova 51.36s. Williams-Mills, who enters the medal round with the second fastest time, had earlier placed second in her heat with 52.73secs.

"Running two 400m in a day, that's hard," she said. "I wanted to make it to the final, so I just kept going with the race, whatever time it would take. Hopefully I can get a PB in the final, now," Williams-Mills added. Williams-Mills is seeking to join Sandie Richards (gold, 1993; silver, 1995; silver, 1997; gold, 2001) as the only Jamaican woman to win a 400m medal at the World Indoor Championships.

Her teammate Bobby-Gaye Wilkins returned 52.59 to finish fifth in the other semi-final won by Jamaican-born American Debbie Dunn in 52.08, and did not make the final six.

In the male equivalent, Edino Steele, who placed fourth in semi-final one with 46.84secs, and Ricardo Chambers, who posted 48.02secs to place sixth and last in semi-final two, also failed to make the final.

Six of the seven other Jamaicans, who were in action on yesterday's opening day of competition, progressed to their respective semi-finals today. They are sprinters Veronica Campbell-Brown, Sheri-Ann Brooks and Nesta Carter, as well as hurdlers Maurice Wignall, Vonette Dixon and Lacena Golding-Clarke.

Two-time Olympic 200m champion Campbell-Brown easily progressed to the semi-finals of the 60m after winning heat one in 7.21secs.

"I was absolutely looking forward to this competition. I love competing indoors, but I had not since 2006 , so this was a good opportunity," Campbell-Brown added. "I feel self-confident and consistent as always and will do my best." The decorated Jamaican remains the only athlete -- man or woman -- with 100m titles at the World Youth, Junior and Senior Championship levels.

Brooks, who was recently cleared of doping charges by the IAAF, joined Campbell-Brown in the semi-finals after posting 7.32secs to place second in the fifth and last heat.

"It was an easy race," a confident Brooks said. "People have had problems with the gun, so I just focused on completing the race. The semi-finals will be tougher so I have to give my best shot," she added.

Carter, who ran the first leg on Jamaica world record setting 4x100m team at the Beijing Olympics, will contest the men's 60m semi-finals today after clocking 6.69secs to place second in heat five of seven. His compatriot Lerone Clarke placed fourth in heat six with 6.78secs and failed to progress from the preliminary round. "I had a poor start, but I was still hoping to make it to the sem-ifinals," a disappointed Clarke said. "It is a privilege to represent Jamaica here, but I could not execute a good race and 6.78 was simply not enough," added Clarke, who ran the first leg of Jamaica's winning 4x100m team at the Berlin World Champions last year.

Daniel Bailey of Antigua, who trains in Jamaica with Usain Bolt at the Racers Track Club, enters the semi-finals with the sixth fastest time of 6.70secs done to win heat seven.

Wignall, the bronze medallist from Budapest in 2004, clocked a season-best 7.71 to place second in heat four of five to move into the semi-final of the 60m hurdles. Dwight Thomas did not start his heat.

However, Dixon with 8.04secs and Golding-Clarke 8.02secs both advanced to the women's semi-finals after placing second in their respective heats.

Jamaica ended the last IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia in 2008 with one medal -- the silver in the men's 4x400m relay.

J'can medallists at the World Indoor Championships

MEN:

60M Michael Green, silver, 1997

400M Devon Morris, gold, 1991 Danny McFarlane, bronze, 2001 Davian Clarke, silver, 2004

800M Clive Terrelonge, gold, 1995

60M Hurdles Maurice Wignall, bronze, 2004

High Jump Germaine Mason, bronze, 2004

Long Jump James Beckford, silver, 2004

4x400m Relay Linval Laird, Michael McDonald, Dinsdale Morgan, Greg Haughton; silver, 1997

Lueroy Colquhoun, Danny McFarlane, Michael Blackwood, Davian Clarke; silver, 2003

Gregory Haughton, Leroy Colquhoun, Michael McDonald, Davian Clarke; gold, 2004

Michael Blackwood, Edino Steele, Adrian Findlay, DeWayne Barrett; silver, 2008

WOMEN:

60M Merlene Ottey, bronze, 1989; silver, 1991; gold, 1995

200M Merlene Ottey, silver, 1987; gold, 1989; gold, 1991 Grace Jackson, bronze, 1987; silver, 1989 Juliet Cuthbert, silver, 1997 Juliet Campbell, gold, 2001

400M Sandie Richards, gold, 1993; silver, 1995; silver, 1997; gold, 2001

60M Hurdles Michelle Freeman, gold, 1997; silver, 2001 Gillian Russell, silver, 1997

800M Kenia Sinclair, silver, 2006

4x400m Relay Deon Hemmings, Beverley Grant, Cathy Rattray-Williams, Sandie Richards; gold, 1993 Charmaine Howell, Juliet Campbell, Catherine Scott-Pomales, Sandie Richards; silver, 2001

Ronetta Smith, Catherine Scott, Sheryl Morgan, Sandie Richards; silver, 2003

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