KINGSTON, Jamaica — Three athletes have been added to the Jamaica’s team for the IAAF World Championships in London, set to start next Friday, August 4, OBSERVER ONLINE has been reliably informed.

Shot putter, Gleneve Grange, high jumper Kimberly Williamson and 800m runner Kimarra McDonald have all accepted invitations from the International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to the 10-day extravaganza, despite not making the automatic qualification standards.

This brings to 32 the number of female athletes and 57 overall on the team.

Grange, a junior at Florida State University, set her personal best 17.29m this year on her way to qualifying for the NCAA outdoor championships and will join national record holder Danielle Thomas, the sixth ranked thrower in the world with 19.15m.

Williamson, who is ranked 28th in the world in the high jump, has a lifetime best 1.91m set in May this year and just missed the qualifying height of 1.94m. She will be the only high jumper in the Jamaican team in London.

McDonald was fourth at the national championships but has a personal and season best of 2:02.07 minutes and joins Natoya Goule and Jazmine Fray on the team.

Team manager Ian Forbes confirmed the news to OBSERVER ONLINE this morning and said an official release would be sent later today.

OBSERVER ONLINE has also been reliably informed that further additions could also be made to the team.

There is a targeted number of athletes in each discipline at the championships and in event that the fields in each event is not filled out, ie the quota is not met, the IAAF has the right to invite athletes to fill it out.

“As a result of being one of the best ranked athletes at the end of the qualification period to fill the remaining quota places by event. This does not apply to the 10,000m, Marathons and Race Walks where entries will continue to be administered by Entry Standards only” the IAAF website explained.

Paul Reid