Despite missing out on an individual spot in the women’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships next month, Olympic finalist Tia Clayton says she’s looking forward to winning a relay medal with Jamaica’s 4x100m team in Tokyo.

Clayton, the fourth-fastest woman in the world this year with a personal best 10.82 seconds, was a favourite to compete in the 100m but was unable to book one of the three automatic spots at the National Senior Championships in June after going down injured in the final.

Her twin sister, Tina, took the national title, while sprint superstars Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce confirmed their spots on the team.

However, Clayton had another opportunity to make the individual 100m as the winner of the Diamond League final in Zurich, Switzerland, would earn a wild card to the World Championships. Despite 10.84 seconds on Thursday, Tia placed second behind St Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred, who clocked a season’s best 10.75 seconds.

Clayton, who finished seventh in the 100m Olympic final in Paris last summer, says she’s gutted that she won’t be competing for an individual honour this year.

“I’m feeling disappointed knowing that I trained for this,” she told Tiara Williams of Real Talk With Tee. “I was training my butt off a couple of months ago to get the wild card for the world championship because I got hurt at the trials, but, unfortunately, I didn’t.”

Clayton, however, looks set to make the team as the Sunday Observer understands she’s set to be named to Jamaica’s 4×100 women pool with Tina, Jackson, Fraser-Pryce, and Jodean Williams.

While not officially confirmed, Clayton says she’s excited by the addition to the relay team.

“It’s going to be a very happy moment knowing that I’m going to compete in the relay,” she said. “Although that’s not what I want, it’s going to be a great moment.”

Though Tia won’t line up with the world’s best in the 100m, she has proven to be a force over the past year, with eight sub-11-seconds clockings.

Clayton says she’s a bigger threat after overcoming self-doubt.

“I know that I’m a good athlete, so every time I show up to the line, I have to just go there and do my best,” she said. “Last year I wasn’t confident enough a lot of times when I went to the line, but this year I’m just confident enough to know that I can face anyone and not to fear anyone. That was my biggest downfall last year.”

The Tokyo World Championships will run from September 13 to 21, with Jamaica’s team set to be named in the coming days ahead of their training camp in Tottori, Japan.

TIA…I was training my butt off a couple of months ago to get the wild card for the world championship because I got hurt at the trials but unfortunately I didn’t