The sprint events were always anticipated to be the highlight of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/Puma National Junior and Senior Championships, and they are certainly living up to those expectations, as there were a number of explosive performances, particularly in the men’s 100m on Thursday’s opening day of action at the National Stadium.
Aside from a few sub-10 second and personal best clocking, one of the biggest shockers of the night came when 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake –who many hoped would have rolled back the clock and produce a top performance –false-started and will now have to possibly turn his attention to the 200m, if he is to make the country's team to the World Athletics Championships next month.
The 33-year-old Blake was the defending national champion as he produced a timely sub-10 clocking in victory at last year's championships.
Still, the moderate turn out in the grandstand didn't leave disappointed, as MVP's Kishane Thompson and Kadrian Goldson of GC Foster College, announced themselves in a big way with massive personal best times of 9.91s and 9.94s respectively to lead all qualifiers into the semi-finals.
Thompson, 22, running in heat one, surprised favourite Ackeem Blake of Titans Track Club, storming to his new lifetime best in a 0.6 metres per second wind reading, as he lowered his previous best of 10.21s set last year. Blake, who was ahead of the pack at one point, seemingly eased up off the accelerator too early and settled for second in a flat 10.00s, with Ryiem Forde of Adidas, taking third in a new personal best 10.01s.
Meanwhile, Goldson, running in heat three, maintained his focus despite two early false starts by Rasheed Foster of Cameron Blazers and Yohan Blake of Titans Track Club.
The 26-year-old Goldson powered his way to his new lifetime best in a 0.7 metres per second reading, to lower his previous best of 10.08s achieved last month. MVP’s Rohan Thompson also had a new personal best 9.98s in second, with Julian Forte (10.10s) of Elite Performance, in third.
Prior to that, another favourite for the national title Oblique Seville, cruised to a flat 10.00s while smiling all the way to the line in a 0.3 metres per second reading. That just about signals that the Glenn Mills Racers Track Club charge is fit and healthy to turn back all challengers at the decisive end of the event on Friday.
MVP’s Ramone Barnswell with a personal best 10.13s, Tyquendo Tracey (10.22s) of Swept Track Club, Nigel Ellis (10.07s) of Elite Performance, Michael Campbell (10.10s) of MVP and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie (10.21s) of Dr. Speed, will also line up in the semi-finals on Friday.
On the women’s side of action, there were no surprises as the inform Shericka Jackson of MVP seems set to retain her title, after easing to 10.99s in a 0.0 wind reading, following what was one of her most efficient starts in recent times. Her MVP teammate Jonielle Smith (11.19s) and Briana Williams (11.19s) of Titans Track Club, were second and third respectively.
It was not so smooth for two-time Olympic Games sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who is still working her way back to form, as she had to dig deep to win her heat in 11.12s in a 0.3 metres per second reading. The New Era Track Club representative held off Ashanti Moore (11.15s) of Adidas and the fast-finishing Shockoria Wallace (11.19s) of MVP.
National Under-20 record holder Alana Reid (11.14s) of Nike, Sprintec’s Remona Burchell (11.20s), Natasha Morrison (11.00s) of MVP and another Sprintec representative Shashalee Forbes (11.09s), also safely progressed to the semi-finals.
Texas A&M’s Lamara Distin won her second Jamaican high jump title on day one of the JAAA/Puma National Senior and Junior Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion’s best clearance was a height of 1.91m, the same height she cleared to win the NCAA Indoor title in March. Distin also took silver at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June with 1.87m.
Kimberley Williamson, a seven-time national champion, was second with a best clearance of 1.85m.
Tissanna Hickling is Jamaica’s national long jump champion for a third time after taking the event on day one of the JAAA/Puma National Senior and Junior Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.
The 25-year-old, who entered Thursday’s competition with a personal best of 6.82m set back in 2019, bettered that mark by .03m to add to her 2018 and 2019 crowns, achieving the automatic qualifying standard for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest later this year in the process.
Hickling produced a consistent card, bettering 6.50m with all her jumps.
Chanice Porter, also a three-time national champion, was second with a best jump of 6.72m while the University of Texas’ Ackelia Smith, the current NCAA champion and world leader with 7.08m done in May, was third with a best jump of 6.66m.
Jamaica secured an early lead in the CWI Men’s Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over tournament with a six-wicket win over Trinidad & Tobago at Arnos Vale on Thursday.
The Trinidadians first posted 158 all out from their 50 overs. They recovered from being 87-6 thanks to a late 57-ball 28 from Abdurrahmaan Juman including one four and a six.
Earlier, opener Nick Ramlal made 22. Michael Clarke took his second consecutive three-wicket haul for the Jamaicans with 3-30 from his 10 overs while Reon Edwards also picked up his second three-wicket haul in a row with 3-36 from nine. The Jamaicans also got a pair of wickets from Tamarie redwood and Deshawn James.
Jamaica then made quick work of their target to get their second win in as many games. Jordan Johnson led the way with an unbeaten 57 off 67 balls including two fours and three sixes. Adrian Weir also contributed 36 as the Jamaicans finished 159-4 off 33 overs.
The Windward Islands got their first win of the campaign when they beat Barbados by four wickets at Sion Hill.
Barbados, the defending champions, managed only 137 all out off 39.4 overs batting first. Gadson Bowens led the way for Barbados with 49 against an excellent 5-28 off 10 overs from Kirt Murray and 2-16 from 4.4 overs from Ackeem Auguste.
Captain Stephan Pascal then scored a composed 43 to lead the Windwards to 138-6 off 44.1 overs. Nathan Sealy and Saurav Worrell both took two wickets, each, for the Bajans.
The Leeward Islands also got their first win of the tournament with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Guyana, who slumped to their second straight big defeat.
Guyana, who were dismissed for 78 in their opening game against Jamaica, didn’t fare much better against the Leewards, making just 108 off 35.2 overs at the Cumberland Playing Field.
Only Thaddeus Lovell was able to provide any real resistance with 37 against Onaje Amory’s 3-21 off eight overs and Nathan Edwards’ 2-16 from six overs.
Malique Walsh then led the way for the Leewards with 52* as they reached 109-2 in 31.4 overs.
Jaydon Hibbert, the reigning NCAA Indoor and Outdoor triple jump champion, is set to showcase his extended run-up of 14 steps on Sunday, July 9, the final day of the highly anticipated Jamaican National Championships this weekend.
After a remarkable season that saw him shatter records, the 18-year-old Hibbert is now determined to fine-tune his technique and timing before the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month.
Hibbert, who previously achieved extraordinary results using a 12-step run-up, stunned the athletics world with his extraordinary performances. The young talent leaped to a record-breaking NCAA Indoor distance of 17.54m, setting a new world under-20 indoor record in the process. He continued his dominance by achieving a world-leading distance of 17.87m, which also secured him the world under-20 and Jamaican national under-20 records. His exceptional achievements led to him being named NCAA Field Event Athlete of the Year and SEC Field Event Athlete of the Year.
Heading into the national championships, Jaydon Hibbert's coach, Travis Geopfert, spoke about the transition to a longer run-up. Geopfert emphasized that the focus would be on perfecting Hibbert's rhythm and timing, rather than aiming for immediate spectacular results. The coach expressed his satisfaction with the progress made so far and highlighted the importance of competition experience in fine-tuning the new technique.
On a recent Zoom call, Geopfert explained, "You can expect him to work on his rhythm and timing. That's what you can expect. He's excited to give the 14-step approach a try. It's about finding that timing, and this championship provides a great opportunity for that."
When asked about Hibbert's limited number of jumps this year, Geopfert emphasized the calculated decision made to prioritize the athlete's freshness and long-term well-being.
The former Kingston College long jumper executed just 20 of a possible 45 jumps in an unbeaten run during the collegiate season.
With the triple jump being physically demanding, coupled with Hibbert's age and potential in the long jump, the decision was made to limit his competition appearances.
"We felt it was in his best interest to focus on one event this year. With growth spurts and transitioning into college, it was crucial to manage his workload and reduce the risk of injuries. Jaden has been incredibly coachable and executed the plan with precision," Geopfert said, expressing gratitude for his athlete's commitment.
Looking ahead, Jaydon Hibbert's remarkable performances have placed him in a commanding position as he prepares for the world championships in Budapest. Although his world-leading status remains intact, the competition he faces at the world championships – assuming her qualifies - will feature athletes who possess the potential to challenge his marks.
That has not been a concern for the coach, who also conditions Hibbert’s compatriots, long jumpers Wayne Pinnock and Carey McLeod.
“We haven’t talked specifically about that. We talked about execution of what he’s trying to do,” Geopfert said. “You cant control what other people are going to do and he’s off the mindset to just go out there and compete.
“I mean that is what makes these athletes great. All these athletes that we’re coaching, they’re elite and they not only have talent but they have the ability to compartmentalize and focus on the task at hand. That’s the only way you really become elite.”
Should Aidan O’Brien win the Coral-Eclipse for a seventh time with Paddington on Saturday, he will have created yet another piece of Turf history.
Currently he shares the record with Alec Taylor Jnr, famed as the ‘Wizard of Manton’ due to his success in the early 20th century, and Sir Michael Stoute.
O’Brien admitted the Eclipse – a race named after the horse whose footprint on the sport is still around today with his long-distance descendants – was vitally important in his early career.
His first winner, Giant’s Causeway, is regularly brought up in discussions of O’Brien’s best horses.
It was already his fifth race of the season and his first against older horses and 10 furlongs, having just won the St James’s Palace Stakes, and O’Brien is clearly keen to take advantage of the weight-for-age concession the Classic generation receive, given four of his six winners have been three.
“The Eclipse is obviously a very prestigious race for a stallion. It’s the first time the generations really meet and everybody gets a feel of where they all are,” he said.
“The people gone before us have always got it fairly right with the weight-for-age scale. Obviously a three-year-old is not usually as mature as the older horses yet, but as the year goes on it levels up.
“The Eclipse is a very prestigious race to win, Sandown is a good track that is always very well maintained and you get a good picture of where you’re going after.”
Paddington is following a similar route to the Eclipse as Giant’s Causeway, having taken in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes before running at Sandown.
“Paddington is a three-year-old and he’s running in a lot of the races that Giant’s Causeway ran in as well, but it’s just the way it worked out,” said O’Brien.
Another three-year-old to score for Ballydoyle two years ago was St Mark’s Basilica, who was also by the same sire, Siyouni.
“Paddington is out of a Montjeu mare whereas St Mark’s was out of a Galileo mare, but they are both by Siyouni,” said O’Brien.
“Paddington can quicken, he’s a miler that can quicken but then St Mark’s did that as well.
“I think he’s only the second Siyouni we’ve had this far among the colts, we’ve a few more two-year-olds by him but they are the only others.
“We’ve won the Eclipse with some of great horses. So You Think was an unbelievable horse really, and he’s still at stud now and doing very well.
“Hawk Wing was a big powerful horse who had run in the Guineas and Derby, St Mark’s was very good and obviously Giant’s Causeway was very important to us.
“He was our first really good horse at that level and I remember George (Duffield) giving him an unbelievable ride. Pat Eddery was riding Kalanisi for Sir Michael and they were second, a great race.
“They are the days you don’t forget and they were very important days for us.”
When asked how early in the season he would identify a horse for the Eclipse, O’Brien said: “We enter them in all the big races. In Paddington’s case we were going to Goodwood (Sussex Stakes), but he was so fresh and well after Ascot, he started doing a few bits of work.
“The Eclipse is always an option. When the lads discussed it with us we said he could probably take it in with his well-being and when we spoke to Ryan (Moore) we decided to let him do it.”
For the first time since 2019, the West Indies will battle India in the game’s longest format with the first Test of India’s tour of the Caribbean set to bowl off on July 12 in Dominica.
Since that 2019 series which India won 2-0, also in the Caribbean, the West Indies have played 12 series. Out of those 12, they have won four, drawn two and lost six. Three of those series wins have come in their last five series.
On the other hand, India, have won eight out of 12 series since then, including three of their last five.
West Indies vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, hopes the West Indians can step up to the plate against the mighty Indians.
“India is the number one team in the world right now,” Blackwood told SportsMax.tv.
“We, as a team, for the past year or two, have been playing some good cricket and now we just want to take it to another stage,” he added.
From an individual standpoint, the middle order batsman has had a rough time of it against his upcoming opponents.
In five matches, Blackwood has scored 184 runs at an average of 28.26 with a pair of fifties.
The Jamaican says he’s hoping to rectify that in this series.
“That’s why I’m here working so hard. Me and the captain spoke about wanting to lead the team with the bat and we’ve been doing that for the last year or two. That will be more important now playing against a team like India,” Blackwood said.
Brathwaite has also had a tough time of it against India, averaging just 22.40 in 11 matches.
With all that in mind, the pair will have to come good for the West Indies to have any chance of knocking off the number one Test team in the world, a sentiment which Blackwood echoes.
“We have to make sure we score the bulk of the runs. I know that we’re going to play against a tough opponent and I know that I want to score some runs for myself and the team,” Blackwood said.
“Whenever I score runs, the team normally feeds off that so that is the mentality I want to take into this series,” he added.
Aidan O’Brien has mapped out a three-race plan for his unbeaten juvenile River Tiber.
The Wootton Bassett colt looked something out the ordinary when scoring by 10 lengths on his racecourse debut at Navan in April and doubled up at Naas the following month.
Having completed his hat-trick in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, River Tiber heads ante-post lists for next year’s Qipco 2000 Guineas and looks set to step up in trip before the season is out.
For now, though, O’Brien is happy to stick to six furlongs, with the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on August 12 next on his star two-year-old’s agenda.
“Everything is good and the plan at the moment is to go to the Heinz (Phoenix) at the Curragh,” said the Ballydoyle handler.
“He’s just having a little bit of an easy time, but that’s what we’re thinking at the moment, staying at six furlongs, and if everything went well then he could step up to seven in the National Stakes.
“If that went well, he could go on to the Dewhurst, so they are the three races that are on his programme at the moment. Obviously it can all change very quickly.”
O’Brien also provided an update on Luxembourg after connections decided against allowing him to join stablemate Paddington in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday.
He added: “He was only going to be a possible for the Eclipse if Paddington didn’t run, he is in the King George and he’ll be trained for that, I think.
“We’re looking at that for Auguste Rodin as well obviously and I would imagine if Auguste is going there Luxembourg might have to stand back again.
“We’ll wait and see, but at the moment he (Luxembourg) is on the King George programme.”
Al Kazeem may not have been owner-breeder John Deer’s first Group One winner, but there is little doubt he is the finest to graduate from his Oakgrove Stud.
He won 10 times during an intermittent 23-race career, but it is 10 years since the strapping son of Dubawi was arguably at his peak and went on an imperious winning run, collecting a trio of Group One prizes.
This Saturday marks a decade since the final act of that successful streak as having downed Camelot in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then bravely landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, Al Kazeem was sent off the 15-8 favourite to bring up a big-race hat-trick in the Coral-Eclipse – a mission he completed in fine style.
It was a victory that was not without the odd moment of worry as Al Kazeem hung right-handed just as a dominant charge to the line seemed inevitable. But despite the protestation he badly hampered eventual third Mukhadram, there was no denying the clear-cut nature of the two-length triumph.
“It was a brilliant year, fantastic really,” said Deer. “It was one of those times where you just can’t believe it. You breed a lot of horses and they are good, but nothing like what it takes to win a Group One. So when it happens it is very special.
“I had already won Group Ones with Patavellian and Avonbridge, so I had a flavour of it, but Al Kazeem was different, he was very special.
“He was a gorgeous looking horse who was very strong. I was pleased with the way he got on with Roger Charlton and we had some very exciting days with him.”
It is not just Deer who holds fond memories of Al Kazeem, but also Roger Charlton who trained the bay both before and after his brief interlude at stud.
The Beckhampton handler, who now trains in conjunction with his son Harry, has great memories of that 2013 season and was delighted that Al Kazeem could provide him with the Eclipse victory he always craved adding to his CV.
“He was on a roll that year wasn’t he,” said Charlton.
“It was a very rewarding effort to beat Camelot in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, then his performance at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes was good. There was a little bit of controversy in the Eclipse as to whether he interfered with Mukhadram but he battled on up the hill there.
“It was very pleasing and like most people the Eclipse was a race I always wanted to win. It’s a special race and it is normally at the time of the year where the best horses can go there if they want.”
He went on: “If I remember rightly it was always the plan to go there as long as he was OK after Ascot. He was a very tough and very sound horse and he was very suited to going right-handed rather than left-handed.
“As I remember it, he was well on top at the end and he was a pretty classy horse in those days.
“He came back from a broken pelvis to do what he did and as we all know he then went off to stud and then came back to win another Group One so he was a pretty special horse and he would rate pretty highly on my list anyway.”
A third key component of the Al Kazeem story is his big-race pilot James Doyle who partnered the son of Dubawi for all of his major moments on course.
Now one of the leading riders in the weighing room, Doyle was stable jockey to Charlton at the time and had only the one really recognisable success to his name when winning the Dubai Duty Free aboard Cityscape.
However, Al Kazeem would soon change that and helped put Doyle firmly in the spotlight.
“Cityscape was the catalyst when he won the Dubai Duty Free in a course-record time and then it moved on to Al Kazeem,” said Charlton.
“I do slightly remember going to the Curragh with James for the Tattersalls Gold Cup where we were taking on Camelot who was nearly a Triple Crown winner.
“James ran round the course and then won on Al Kazeem and then on the way home I asked him ‘how many times have you ridden at the Curragh?’ and he said only once, as an apprentice over five furlongs. So he had never actually ridden over the trip there at that stage and it just shows how young and inexperienced he was in those days.”
Deer added: “I felt very lucky because he was such a young jockey, but lucky because he was such a good jockey. He was brilliant on the horse really and it kind of shows how lucky I was now doesn’t it, with the way he has developed and his career has progressed.”
After an unsuccessful first attempt at stud duties following the 2013 season, Al Kazeem would return to the track to add a second Tattersalls Gold Cup during his swansong season of 2015.
He now stands at Deer’s Oakgrove Stud in Wales where he is very much part of the family and his legacy lives on having provided the owner-breeder with another Royal Ascot champion in the form of Wokingham hero Saint Lawrence.
Deer said: “He was special in as much as in he coped with being a stallion and when he came back into training you got the impression he had forgotten all about it. He knew his job of racing and settled in and did beautifully.
“It’s lovely to have him back, that is really special. I sold him to the Queen and he wasn’t exactly out of my life because I did have some nominations to him, but to have him back at the stud is really special and everybody loves the horse, it’s amazing. He is a bit of a star and I watch him sometimes being taken out to his paddock and he is full of himself.”
An Animal Rising activist has been spared jail after running on to the track at the Betfred Derby a minute before the horses galloped past.
Ben Newman, 32, was filmed running on to the course at Epsom as the premier Classic began on June 3.
After pleading guilty at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday to causing public nuisance, he was criticised by the judge for “endangering” the lives of police
and security guards who managed to drag him off the track just before the horses ran past.
Newman was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years and fined a total of £1,356.
The protest happened after the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs, was granted an injunction banning the Animal Rising group, which Newman was a part of, from intervening in the event.
He was produced from custody and appeared in court dressed in a grey sweatshirt.
He was one of 31 people arrested on the day of the race, including 12 on the racecourse grounds.
Footage played at court showed Newman running on to the track as police and security guards darted after him before wrestling him to the ground and dragging
him to one side.
About a minute later, the horses sprinted past, prosecutor Wendy Cottee told the court.
She said: “The Derby was due to start at 3.30pm. Horses were let out just after that.
“This defendant then ran across the track. The horses were around a minute away.
“He was apprehended and taken off the track.
“The defendant admits that the public were angry with him – several were jeering at him.”
On Wednesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman held a summit at Downing Street with police and sports bodies including the Lawn Tennis Association, the Premier
League and the England and Wales Cricket Board to discuss plans to step up security at summer sporting events.
That afternoon, Just Stop Oil protesters threw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces on to court 18 at Wimbledon, stopping play twice.
It came after members of the group invaded the pitch at Lord’s last week during the second Ashes test.
Emily Upjohn and Paddington remain on course for a mouthwatering clash at Sandown on Saturday with the pair among just four runners declared for the Coral-Eclipse.
Following a dominant success in last month’s Coronation Cup, John and Thady Gosden’s Emily Upjohn will drop back in trip under William Buick, who takes over in the saddle from the suspended Frankie Dettori.
She has already won over Sandown’s 10 furlongs, but faces a far from straightforward task on her return as she must concede 7lb to a top-class three-year-old colt in Paddington.
Aidan O’Brien’s charge is four from four this season, including a Classic triumph in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and confirmed himself the best of his generation over a mile with a brilliant victory over Newmarket Guineas winner Chaldean in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The son of Siyouni now tests the water over a mile and a quarter for the first time in a race his trainer has already won on six occasions.
With Anmaat a significant absentee, the small but select field is completed by the William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour and West Wind Blows from Simon and Ed Crisford’s yard.
Dubai Honour has enjoyed a profitable year on foreign soil, winning back-to-back Group Ones in Australia before finishing third in the QEII Cup in Hong Kong.
West Wind Blows is a dual Group Three winner and was runner-up to Hukum in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting last month, but will be the outsider of the quartet.
Anmaat has been ruled out of Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse at Sandown due to a foot abscess.
Winner of the John Smith’s Cup last summer, the Owen Burrows-trained five-year-old went on to land the Group Three Rose of Lancaster Stakes and the Group Two Prix Dollar before being given a winter break.
He chased home Adayar on his reappearance in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket before returning to France to break his Group One duck in last month’s Prix d’Ispahan.
Connections had been looking forward to seeing him test his powers at the highest level on home soil this weekend, but he will not line up at the Esher venue.
Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell, said: “It looks like a foot abscess and we sort of hoped it was going to burst overnight, but it hasn’t and he’s just not 100 per cent sound this morning.
“It’s just a matter of timing, he’ll be fine next week hopefully. Like all of these things you can’t fight them, that’s nature’s way and he just isn’t right to run on Saturday.
“It’s a big blow to Owen and the team there and obviously Sheikha Hissa and all at Shadwell. It was going to be interesting to see him against the best mile and a quarter horses in this country and Ireland, but there’s no point making a fuss about it – those are the cards we’ve been dealt.”
Anmaat holds an entry in next month’s Juddmonte International, but Shadwell are targeting that race with Prince of Wales’s Stakes hero Mostahdaf and it seems unlikely both will head for York.
Gold added: “That (Juddmonte International) is the obvious one, except for the fact that if we’re lucky and get there in one piece we have Mostahdaf lined up for that.
“Off the top of my head we could look at something like the Irish Champion Stakes (for Anmaat), but that is obviously a while away yet (September 9).
“The Eclipse was his prime summer target, but there we go. We’re just digesting it, so we haven’t sat down with the programme book yet, but the Irish Champion would certainly be an option.”
As Jamaica's national championships approach, all eyes are on Ackera Nugent, the reigning NCAA 100m hurdles champion, who is expected to shine in the absence of the injured Britany Anderson, the 2022 World Championships silver medalist.
However, the University of Arkansas junior remains unfazed by the pressure of expectations, emphasizing that she focuses solely on her own goals and well-being as an athlete. Nugent will be going up against Danielle Williams, the 2015 World Champion, Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper, and World U20 Champion Kerrica Hill among others battling for a place on Jamaica's team to the championships in Budapest next month. She remains unfazed by the unofficial 'favourite' tag that she now bears.
"For me, I don't live up to the expectations of what people have for me," Nugent expressed during a recent Zoom call. "At the end of the day, they (the fans) don't know what I am going through as an athlete, the whole background plan that me and my coach have, and expectations from each other. I can only live up to my own expectations and, as I always say, to finish healthy."
Nugent's mindset revolves around her readiness and confidence. With one of the best coaches in Chris Johnson, guiding her, she prioritizes following his instructions and ensuring she completes each hurdle event without injury.
"The most important thing for me is that I know that I'm ready,” she declared.
“I have one of the best coaches there is, and the most important thing for me is to follow the instruction that he gives me and also finish the hurdles healthy.
"I'm not afraid to compete. I don't care what you have accomplished, what you have done. I know how good I am, and I have to remain confident in myself and just go out there to compete to the best of my ability."
Nugent's victory in the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, where she ran a wind-aided 12.25, the fastest time ever run under all conditions on the American collegiate circuit, provided her with a significant confidence boost.
It came after a second-place finish at the SEC Championships, fueling her determination to prove herself in a highly competitive field.
In the women's sprint hurdles final, Nugent faced formidable opponents Alia Armstrong of Louisiana State, who beat her at SECs and Masai Russell of the University of Kentucky.
However, Nugent's unwavering focus and belief in her abilities propelled her to victory.
"What I would have known since I've been hurdling, it just takes, no matter what lane you are in, no matter who you are up against, it just takes the person who's more focused on their lane," Nugent revealed.
"Going down that track, I was like, 'They will not beat me today. I'm the best in the field, and I'm going to prove that I am the best in the field.'"
Embracing the underdog role further fueled Nugent's motivation.
"I feel for me, going into the event as the least favorite to win was a little motivation... because I was like, 'I have accomplished so much.' I was like, 'I am better than these ladies.' And because I know, and because coach always tells me that it's good to have somebody behind you, and I'm like, 'I have people that are counting on me,' and it was just me against these hurdles."
Throughout the race, Nugent remained focused on her lane and executed her coach's instructions flawlessly. Her disciplined approach paid off, leading to a memorable victory.
As she prepares for Jamaica's national championships, Nugent's confidence remains unwavering, driven by her dedication, talent, and the support of her coach.
For most of his illustrious career, Yohan Blake ran as an Adidas athlete. With them as his shoe sponsor, Blake won the 100m world title in Daegu, South Korea to become the youngest man ever to do so.
That year, he ran a 200m time of 19.26 to become the second fastest man over the distance behind his then training partner Usain Bolt. The following year, he ran 9.69 becoming the second-fastest ever in the 100m. Only Usain Bolt’s 9.58 is faster.
However, this weekend when he takes to the track at Jamaica’s National Athletics Championships in Kingston, Blake will be competing in Puma gear.
The announcement was made on Puma’s Instagram page on Wednesday.
“A new chapter begins. Welcome, @yohanblake to the PUMA family” was the simple post under a picture of the man once known as ‘The Beast’, who this weekend will be attempting to win a spot on Jamaica’s team to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The 33-year-old ‘Beast’ a veteran of three Olympiads and four World Championships will face a brigade of rising stars of Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, De’Andre Daley and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie and hungry lions like Julian Forte, Nigel Ellis and Michael Campbell, who are among the 25 entrants vying for a spot on the Jamaican team.
So far this season, Blake has run a season-best time of 10.05 set at the FBK Games in Hengelo. The time makes him the fifth-fastest Jamaica this year behind Ackeem Blake (9.89), Seville (9.95), Nkrumie (9.99) and Forte (10.03).
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