With the women’s 400m hurdles event expected to be one of the most thrilling races at next month’s National Championships, Paul Francis, coach of veteran runner Janeive Russell, is backing his charge to come through when it matters.

The championships, to be held at the National Stadium from June 27-30, will be used to select Jamaica’s team for this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Russell, a five-time national champion in the event, has had a slow start to the season, and has been affected by a foot injury.

The 30-year-old Russell, who is the defending national champion in the event, posted a season’s best time of 55.82 to finish sixth in the event at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational last Saturday at the National Stadium. The event was won by her compatriot Rushell Clayton in a world-leading time of 53.72. Russell’s time makes her the fifth fastest Jamaican in the world so far, behind Clayton, Shiann Salmon (54.57), Gabrielle Matthews (55.12), and Andrenette Knight (55.33).

Francis, who coaches Russell at the MVP Track Club, said she has had a very patient preparation build-up and is slowly getting into her stride.

“She is progressing well, and she is a tough warrior, so she continues to plod on for herself and country despite the challenges. You can only expect the best from her,” said Francis.

“If you take a look at her career, we usually open slow and then progress as time goes on in an attempt to be at our best when it matters most. So 55.82 last week, I expect that she will improve on that during the next meet because she is a very positive person,” he said.

Francis said the women’s 400m hurdles at the National Championships is going to be a mouthwatering affair, and therefore the pressure will not only be on Russell but also on the other competitors who will be vying for one of the top three spots on the team for the Olympic Games.

“I don’t think that there is any more pressure than usual. Jamaica has a competitive level of athletes who run this event. Jamaica has potentially four women who could be finalists in any global games, so there is always going to be a challenge making that team,” he said.

“If you are observant of the sport, Jamaica has one more [Gabrielle Matthews] who won a division in the NCAA with a run of 55.12, and she will be very competitive as well. So it continues to be one of the competitive events at the Jamaica Championships. I don’t think it being an Olympic year, or World Championships year, is going to be any different,” said the vastly experienced Francis.

“The competition will be hard, and one just has to be at their best to achieve their particular goals. Somebody good, at least one good person, is always going to be left off the team,” he said.