HAVING achieved the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships qualifying time for the 200m in her second outing of the season at the Jamaica College 200m Sprint Fest on Friday, Wolmer’s Girls’ Coach Michael Carr says his athlete Mickayla Gardener is even more focused and determined now to do great things this season.

The 17-year-old Gardener clocked an impressive 24.67 seconds to win section two comfortably and ahead of her main rivals to emerge as the overall winner of the timed final event. Jamara Patterson of St Catherine, who won section one in 25.19, was a distant second overall in the event.

Hannah Charles of Wolmer’s, who finished second behind Patterson in 25.27, was third overall in the event.

Gardener, who finished fifth in the 100m and fourth in the 200m in Class Two of her events at Champs last year, flew out of the blocks on Friday before cruising past the finish line to win her event by about 10 metres.

Carr told the Jamaica Observer that Gardener has worked very hard on her preparation this season and is now a lot more focused this year.

“She is feeling good and she is feeling confident,” said Carr. “She has the potential to do well and she can do well. The time that she would have done at this would easily [have] qualified for Champs, and that time will keep her among [the] top 200-metre qualifiers.

“She is a lot more determined and I think that she is a little bit more mature now, which makes a world of difference. She is more conscious now, and this year she has her [CSEC exams] to do and so that is added pressure on her and so that is why I am just taking it day by day, stride by stride,” Carr said.

Gardener currently has a personal best time of 11.67 for the 100m and 24.12 for the 200m. Carr shared that once his charge stays healthy and disciplined throughout the season then she is definitely going to do well in both events this season. He also added that he was quite pleased with her performance in Friday’s race.

“I am comfortable with it [Friday’s effort] but of course there is room for improvement — which we will be going to the training ground to look at,” Carr said.

“One of the things that we have to work on is the starting because it is something that has plagued her over the years and so we have to look closer at it. However, all things being equal and if she stays healthy, then she could have a good season.

“I personally am not putting any pressure on her to do anything because all I want her to do is to go out and do the best that she can do on the day,” he noted.

— Robert Bailey