National Trials: Kimberly Williams wins 7th high jump title
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Kimberly Williamson won her seventh women’s high jump title at the JAAA National Senior Championships on Thursday’s first day of the four-day event, upsetting world number three ranked and national record holder Lamara Distin.
The 28-year-old Williamson won the event with 1.88m, after achieving a personal best 1.93m earlier this year and is ranked number 13 in the world, as Distin cleared 1.85m, while Daniella Anglin of the University of South Dakota was third with 1.80m.
Distin, who earlier this year set the national record 1.97m and won the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles, was in shock when she spoke to OBSERVER ONLINE.
“I literally don’t know what happened today,” noting that it was neither anxiety or over-confidence, and that she never got her run up properly.
Distin, who was the world leader for a long time, said her aim was to clear 2.00m but conceded “I feel like it was just one of those days, it was my first real bad day of the season and it is good that it happened here and hopefully not at the World Championships.”
Ackelia Smith won her first national senior long jump championships with a mark of 6.56m (-0.9m/s) beating three -time champion Chanice Porter- 6.52m (-0.7m/s) with Velecia Williams third with 6.29m.
Paul A Reid