LOCKED ON TOKYO
JAAA targets relay teams’ World Champs qualification
With just over three weeks remaining before the cut-off date for qualification for the relay events at this year’s World Athletics Championships, there remains confidence within the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) that the country will secure spots for both the women’s 4x400m and mixed relay events.
The final date for countries to secure qualification is August 24. The World Championships is set to be held in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13-21.
In a bid to qualify Jamaica for both relay events, JAAA will be assembling teams to compete at the NACAC Championships, scheduled for The Bahamas August 15-17.
“I am pretty confident in their abilities and once they are able to execute on the day, I think we should qualify for the World Championships in both events,” said JAAA First Vice-President Ian Forbes.
He, however, added that it is not going to be an easy task, and therefore, the association will be aiming to field very strong teams for both events.
“Of course, it will not be easy because it is going to take a lot of commitment, hard work and dedication to come through,” he said. “But I think they are up to it and they are very motivated to qualify and we are throwing all our support behind them 100 per cent,” Forbes noted.
The team of Rohan Watson, Oblique Seville, Kadrian Goldson, and Kishane Thompson clocked a season’s best 37.80 seconds at the London Diamond League last month to qualify Jamaica’s 4x100m men for the World Championships.
Jamaica’s time is the third-fastest in the world so far this year, behind South Africa and the United States. It moved them into 15th place in the World Championships qualifying rankings, pushing the Netherlands into 16th and Nigeria out of a qualifying spot.
Forbes said the JAAA is very pleased with this achievement and is now optimistic about the chances of the remaining teams.
“We are very happy that our men recently qualified in the 4×100 metres relay and the mission is to qualify all the outstanding teams which will include the mixed relays and the 4x400m women,” he said.
Jamaican women’s 400m runners Stacey Ann Williams (left) and Nickisha Pryce (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
