Paris, France — Having failed to win a medal at her two previous Olympic Games, national triple jump champion Shanieka Ricketts is hungry and mentally focused on breaking that drought in Paris this year.

Ricketts, 32, did not qualify for the final of her event in her first Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio, Brazil, but she finished fourth at the last Games in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021. Ricketts will enter the championships in Paris with the seventh-best jump of 14.68m in the world this year. Despite this, she said that once she is able to properly execute her jumps, a podium finish will definitely be on the cards for her.

“I am hungry, determined, and focused going into this championship,” Ricketts said. “I think that when it comes to the triple jump at the Olympic Games, it doesn’t matter what happens before; it is just all about who shows up, and that is what I have been focusing on, making sure that I show up at the Olympic Games.”

Thea Lafond is the world leader in the event this year with a mark of 15.01m. In fact, she is the only woman in the world this year to jump over 15 metres. Ricketts, the 2019 World Championships triple silver medallist, who has a personal best effort of 15.03m, said that it is going to take 15m and beyond to win the event, and based on her training this year, she is confident that she will be able to achieve that mark.

“I think to be on the podium, you have to jump at least 15m — 14.9m might be on the podium, but I think the safe distance is 15m, so that is definitely what I am targeting for the Olympic Game,” she said.

“I think that training has been going exceptionally, but not all of that shows in the competition. However, coming into the Games, I am confident and I am ahead of where I was last year in training, so I am definitely looking forward to just going out there and putting my best foot forward.”

Despite her confidence, Ricketts says she will not get carried away as she is focusing on executing properly throughout her event.

“I am ready and I am excited, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself and I am just taking each day as it comes,” she said.

“Tonight [Friday] I am carrying the flag as one of the Jamaican flag bearers, and next week Friday and Saturday, I will be competing. So, I am just taking it day by day and trying not to get too overwhelmed so that I can stay composed and compete to the best of my abilities.”