JAMAICAN Olympic hopeful Peaches Roach-Findlay got off to a slow start on yesterday’s first day of the two-day Pan-American Combined Events Cup in Ottawa, Canada, scoring 1,924 points from her first two disciplines, the 100m hurdles and high jump in the heptathlon event.

Roach-Findlay, who is the only Jamaican taking part in the championships, will have to surpass her personal best tally to achieve the Olympic B standard in the event which ends today.

She clocked 14.05 seconds for third in the 100m hurdles heats, but eighth overall out of 16 contestants from nine countries for 971 points, then cleared 1.78m for 953 points in the high jump, one of her strongest events.

She was fourth overall after the first two events, jumping from eighth after the 100m hurdles behind Nigeria’s Uhunoma Osazuwa, 2074 and the Cuban duo of Yorgel Rodriguez Garcia, 1956, and Yillian Durruty Perez, 1936 points.

Four of the seven events — the high jump, shot put and 200m — were to be contested on the opening day, with the long jump, javelin and 800m to be contested today.

After two events, the former Alpha Academy and University of Iowa student is almost 100 points off the pace that saw her score 5,709 to win the heptathlon at the Drake Relays in April — her second best behind the 5,780 set in Puerto Rico in 2010 on her way to winning the CAC title.

The 5,780 is, however, 170 shy of the B qualifying standard of 5,950, while the A standard is 6,150 to make it to London.

Roach-Findlay, who is married to former Jamaican 400m hurdler Adrian Findlay and was fourth at the Commonwealth Games in India, is seeking a berth at her first Olympic Games this summer.