National champion Kimberly Williamson looks to go higher
Kimberly Williamson could not be happier to be headed to her first major championships and can hardly contain herself.
“I feel awesome,” she told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday after winning the women’s high jump at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium.
Williamson, who holds the national junior record at 1.88m, won her seventh senior title with 1.88m in an upset over world number three-ranked Lamara Distin.
Both Williamson, who is ranked 13th in the world after her personal best 1.93m set two weeks ago, and Distin, who set a national record 1.97m earlier in the year, will represent Jamaica at the World Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene.
While Distin has achieved the qualifying mark of 1.96m, Williamson is still short of the mark, but with the qualifying period set to end on Sunday, it is unlikely that she will miss the cut off of the top 32 in the world.
“I will be at the World Championships,” she said, “I can’t see how anything will happen to prevent that.”
Williamson, who is being coached by Marlon Gayle, told the Observer.
“I am feeling really good, feeling confident, things are finally coming together, thank God.”
The former Edwin Allen High and Kansas State standout said the last year has been great for her.
“A lot has changed, to be honest. One of the major thing this year, I feel, is that I have been able to compete more as I have been able to travel overseas so I feel that has been the key difference.”
Having Gayle travelling with her she said was also a factor.
“He is able to see the mistakes I was making to fix them right away, so I think that has also made a major difference.”
Williamson will have a busy summer as she has opted to compete at the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, as well as the NACAC Senior Championships in The Bahamas.
“That was the goal, to be qualified for all the major championships and to continue to improve and end the summer with a big success,” she said.
Asked what it will take for her to go higher, Williamson said: “Just tidying up on the little things. Two weeks ago when I jumped 1.93m I had good attempts at 1.96m, so I just need to fix some small errors.”
