When Tiffany James stormed to 51.32s in the Girls 400m final at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz last year, she became the first Jamaican female to win gold in the event at a global meet.

Less than a year on, the Mico University College student is bracing for a tough first year as a senior athlete.“My achievement from last year has given me a lot of confidence coming into this, my first year as a senior. I know it won’t be easy, but I am patient and I am willing to work. I know a lot of people are looking out for me so I just want to stay focused and work hard, so I can make them proud,” James stated.Her first year as a senior athlete has come with its fair share of challenges, and James has had to overcome early-season injuries which affected her performance at the Intercollegiate Championships last month.“I had some setbacks earlier in the season which had me out for quite a while. I had knee and abdominal problems, but I managed to pull through because I keep reminding myself that a setback is a set-up for a major comeback. Now I am fine, thanks be to God.”While at Papine High, the 20-year-old trained mostly alone and has become accustomed to doing that, but at Mico she also has the benefit of a training partner in Dawnalee Loney, another athlete hoping to breakthrough into the senior ranks this year.“I enjoy training by myself; I think I do better that way. I don’t know if it is because that’s how I started out at Papine High, when it was just me, but I know how to push myself. But we (herself and Loney) have been working together in training and pushing each other since I have been back fully,” she explained.James has an idol in the sport who she hopes to emulate, but surprisingly it is someone just a little bit older than herself.“I really love Kirani James,” she admitted. “I so admire all the top Jamaican female 400m athletes; I love seeing them compete on the world stage and win medals. It motivates me because I know soon that will be me, doing just as well or even better.”Maybe her love for Kirani James, the Grenadian Olympic and World Champion who is just 24 years old, comes from the fact that they share the same last name, in addition to his achievements in the sport over the last five years.Disappointed at not being given a run at the recently held World Relays in The Bahamas, James still enjoyed being a part of the occasion.“I was in the relay pool but wasn’t chosen in the top four to run. I really wanted to compete, but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to, but it was good being with all the senior athletes and watching them all compete. I love to see the Jamaican colours out front,” she said with a huge grin.The second staging of the JN Bank/Racers Grand Prix is already on the lips of track and field athletes and fans alike in Jamaica, but the sophomore student is going into that meet with a level head instead of huge expectations.“I just want to execute my race properly. I am not setting any time because I know with proper execution a good time will come,” she noted.The World Championships in London is the ‘big ticket’ items this year, and like everyone else, the physical education major has her sights set on being there.This will require breaking through into the top six female quarter-milers in the country, not an easy task to accomplish, but James believes she has what it takes to make it.While James is prepared to wait her turn, she already has an end game in mind.“I always tell my mother, — ‘Mommy I am going to be an Olympic champion’. And she always smiles and say, ‘Yes Tiffy, I know.’ I have my eyes set on 2020. I believe in myself and I am working hard, so expect great things,” she assured.With her achievements in Bydgoszcz as a constant source of motivation for her, few will doubt that Tiffany James is capable of winning gold in the Olympics for Jamaica.—Dwayne Richards