TOKYO, Japan — Jamaica’s Amoi Brown made a memorable start to her World Athletics Championships experience by advancing to the semi-finals of the Women’s 100m hurdles in Tokyo, Japan.

The 26-year-old debutante admitted her performance in the heats was far from perfect but said qualifying for the next round represented a triumph in itself, given recent struggles.

“It could have been better but I think I did quite well just to move onto the next round,” Brown told the Jamaica Observer shortly after her race.

Brown’s path to Tokyo has been anything but straightforward. She revealed that she battled injuries to both hips earlier in the season and had just two weeks of training going into the Jamaican trials.

“It’s mostly about having to deal with injuries and the mental challenges that come with that, and also keeping a steady mindset when everything around you is chaos,” she said.

Brown added that her world championships debut has given her a chance to focus not just on her physical preparation but on developing resilience.

“I am not only training my body to be better but also my mindset going forward, not only in track but in life, because things are always going to happen but you have to get yourself ready,” she explained.

With her health now intact, the young hurdler believes she is in the best possible shape to compete.

“Physically I am feeling great, no injuries, my body is fine, my head space is where it needs to be. It’s just to recover and come again,” she said in reference to the semi-finals, which take place on Monday at 9:06 pm (7:06 am Jamaica time).

Looking ahead to the semi-final, Brown was realistic about her chances but remained optimistic about leaving her mark on the championships.

“It might sound like an underachievement but just being in the final would be a great achievement because you are among the best of the best. It’s all the cards you can pull and at that point any card can play, so it’s just to advance, represent Jamaica, leave your best out there and hopefully that’s good enough,” she reasoned.

The Kingston native also noted that nerves were never an issue in her first World Championships race; instead, her focus was on staying healthy and fighting her way into the next round.

“Honestly I didn’t have any nerves; it’s more so finishing healthy because I have been struggling with that. So it’s not really to shake off the nerves, but for the next race it’s to get the mind right and hopefully the body will follow,” Brown said.

(From left) Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, Japan’s Mako Fukube and Jamaica’s Amoi Brown compete in the women’s 100m hurdles heats during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday. Photo: AFP