TOKYO, Japan — Samantha Hall made history at the World Athletics Championships, becoming the first Jamaican woman to compete in the discus final at a global championship. And while her performance did not match her expectations, the 32-year-old left the Japan National Stadium proud of what she achieved and eager to build on the experience.

“It was my first final and even though I expected a lot more for myself, I can’t beat myself up nonetheless,” Hall said. “I made history, being the first Jamaican woman to make the final, so all I can say is I am proud of myself nonetheless.”

Hall admitted she felt sharper in qualifying than in the medal round, where her throws fell short of her best marks.

In the final, Hall only managed a best throw of 60.69m, shorter than the 63.32m she threw in the qualifying round and her 64.97m personal best mark, done a few weeks before the start of the championships.

“All I can say is based on my energy, I think in the qualifiers I was more prepared to get to the final and then in the final my energy dropped,” she explained. “So I don’t know if it had something to do with my diet or maybe I wasn’t mentally prepared for this but all I can say is my energy just wasn’t there for the final. I was trying to push through but I just couldn’t find the strength for it.”

Still, the multiple national champion is not allowing the disappointment to overshadow what has been her best season yet.

“I am happy overall, I am excited, I am grateful because I have accomplished a lot this year,” she reflected. “I had two personal bests, I became four-time national champion, I became NACAC champion, so I have accomplished a lot — making the final. I am happy for all those accomplishments even though I wanted to add one more like making the top 8 or pushing for a medal. But you can’t get it all and nonetheless I am quite happy.”

For Hall, the biggest takeaway was learning how to handle the demands of a long season and the mental shift required for competing at this level.

“Big lesson is, it’s a long season, it’s my first time competing this long,” she said.

“I am trying to see where I am at, how I can perform, work on my technical cues, so coming next year and the years after, I just have to work on those — and especially being mentally prepared for a final. It was my first final so I really didn’t know what to expect, so for the coming years, that will be what I need to work on — how to be mentally strong whether the energy is there or not.”

Hall now stands as a trailblazer for Jamaican women in the discus, and she will be hoping to create more firsts in the years to come.

— Andre Lowe