Doha, Qatar — Jamaica’s Danielle Williams begins the hunt for her second IAAF World Athletics Championships gold in the 100m hurdles, in which she leads Janeek Brown, Meggan Tapper and Yanique Thompson into action on the penultimate day of the meet today.

Long jumpers Tissanna Hickling and Chanice Porter will also make their championships debut, while Jamaica will be in the two 4x400m relays looking to secure spots in tomorrow’s finals.

A lot of expectation will be on the shoulders of Williams to increase Jamaica’s gold medal tally in a race in which she is expected to win.  

Williams won the 100m title in Beijing in 2015 and has improved leaps and bounds under the guidance of Lennox Graham to be the hot favourite, with most to fear from World record holder Kendra Harrison of the United States of America.

Williams is Jamaica’s national record holder with 12.32 seconds, and current World leader coming into the championships on a high, aiming to add an eighth medal to the nation’s tally in this event.

In 1997 Jamaica got its first medal courtesy of Michelle Freeman, who won bronze in 12.61 seconds. Then in 2003 Brigitte Foster was second in 12.57 seconds. Delloreen Ennis-London won silver in 2005 and bronze in 2007 and 2009. Brigitte Foster-Hylton won Jamaica’s first gold in 2009 in 12.51 seconds, and Williams gave the country its second gold in 2015 in 12.57 seconds.

Williams will line up in heat three alongside Phylicia George of Canada, who has a personal best of 12.65.

Not to be outdone, Jamaica’s other entrants could make their mark as Brown had an outstanding season in college, though not much was seen of her after the Jamaican Championships and it is left to be seen how she will perform. Brown, with a personal best of 12.40, will be in heat five with Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan.

Both Megan Tapper and Yanique Thompson will be thereabout but will have to improve significantly in order to make the final.

Tapper was placed in heat one and will face American Nia Ali, while Thompson lines up in heat two with American Brianna McNeil.

It will be hard going for Tissanna Hickling and Chanice Porter in a long jump event in which Jamaica have never had a finalist in the history of the championships.

Hickling is the two-time national champion with a personal best of 6.82m and is ranked 13th in the world. She won bronze at the Pan American Games in August and could just create history by becoming Jamaica’s first finalist in the long jump.

The 25-year-old Porter, who won gold at the Under-18 World Championships in 2011, has a personal best of 6.75m. She was seventh at the Pan Am Games in August with 6.44m, then placed second at a Madrid Meeting in 6.51m. She is on the improve and will gain valuable experience.

Germany’s Malaika Mihambo is the howling favourite for gold, having gone unbeaten in nine competitions. She has jumped over seven metres on five occasions with a best of 7.16m. American Brittney Reece could be her biggest threat.