Since 2018, the 27-year-old Forte has been fighting a raft of injuries that have stunted his performances on the track. He suffered three different injuries in 2018. He suffered a back injury at the start of the season. A knee injury kept him from competing at the Commonwealth Games and he tore his hamstring at the national championships.
In 2019, while still suffering from ‘niggles’ of those previous injuries, he hurt his groin.
So far this year, Forte has been experiencing much better fortune and it has been showing on the track. At the Velocity Fest track meet at Jamaica College on July 18, Forte ran the 100m in 10.03s, the third-fastest time in the world this year behind Michael Norman’s 9.86 and Akani Simbini’s 9.91.
It was also his fastest time since he ran a personal best 9.91 in Berlin in August 2017.
The weekend before, July 11, at the first Velocity Fest meet, he clocked an impressive 20.71 while running into a stiff headwind of -2.9m/s. The times, he said, are an indication that he is getting back to his best form in three years.
“Basically, I am fully fit. I would not say 100 per cent. There are still some little niggles and a little pain from my groin injury from last year, so I am not at 100 per cent but much better than last year,” he said.
“I can tell where I am from how I feel in training that I am getting back to where I want to be. I don’t think I am there yet but I am in good shape.”
Looking ahead, Forte said he is focused on avoiding injury.
“Injuries have been a big concern for me over the last two years, so I just want to stay fit, execute and continue to produce quality performances.”
That confidence was on display on Saturday at the third and final Velocity Fest meet at the Ashenheim Stadium at Jamaica College on Saturday when the 2016 double Olympic champion sped to a win in the 100m in 10.73 leaving Sprintec’s Shashalee Forbes (11.05) and MVP’s Srabani Nanda (11.51) in her wake.
The only disappointment was that the time was aided by a trailing wind of 3.0 m/s but it was still the fastest time by a female sprinter under all conditions for 2020.
The time was an improvement on the 11.19s she ran on July 18 at the same venue.
“I have never lost confidence in myself. I always pray for health and fitness,” she told Sportsmax.TV, highlighting that pandemic lockdown has had her craving competition.
“It feels great to return to the track,” she said. “You develop that hunger being not being able to compete after you’ve been training for so long. This helps to put more perspective on training and preparation as well as give benchmarks for the coach to work from,” she said.
Thompson-Herah was not the only standout at the meet on Saturday.
Her MVP club-mate, Julian Forte, followed up his impressive 10.03s while the 100m a week ago, broke through the 10-second barrier for the first time in three years, with 9.96 while defeating his celebrated compatriot Yohan Blake who was timed in 10.07s.
The times were aided by a trailing wind of 2.1m/s just above the legal limit of 2.0 m/s.
Nesta Carter, who ran in a separate heat, had the fastest wind-legal time of 10.18s (1.6m/s).
The Women 200m also produced solid performances as Bahamian Anthonique Strachan of MVP stopped the clock at 22.72s to defeat Natasha Morrison (23.68) and Michae Harriott of GC Foster (23.90).
Janieve Russell also seemed to be returning to full fitness as she ran 51.67 to win the 400m ahead of Shericka Jackson, 51.87. Rushell Clayton, the 2019 World Championship 400m hurdles bronze medallist was third in 52.67.
The four-time world 100m champion clocked 10.86 lowering her own season-best and world lead of 10.87 set on August 8. Elaine Thompson-Herah, running in a separate heat, clocked 10.92, the second-fastest time on the day.
Fraser-Pryce, who has a personal best of 10.70, was a comfortable winner over sprint hurdler Megan Tapper (11.82) and Melaine Walker 12.85. She revealed afterwards that in the days leading up the meet there were challenges.
“I am excited about the time because the last two weeks since I ran the last Velocity Fest things haven’t been going well with my knee and my toe so I am just careful to come out here and put together a solid run, so I am very happy for that,” she said.
That being said, the two-time Olympic champion indicated that Saturday’s run might be her last for 2020 as she looks forward to the possibility of the Olympic Games in the summer of 2021.
“It’s something that I am contemplating. As I said, this year there is nothing much to prove. Next year, hopefully, there will be an Olympic Games and you don’t want to risk anything at this point, so for me it’s something that is definitely on the books.”
Fraser-Pryce won section two of the event, getting the better of Sashalee Forbes, 11.20, and Kasheika Cameron, 11.56.
Thompson-Herah won section three of the event, clocking an equally quick 10.88 seconds to get the better of Natasha Morrison, 11.25, and Anthonique Strachan, 11.46.
When all the times were collated, Fraser-Pryce led from Thompson-Herah, while Forbes was third overall.
Coming into the race, Fraser-Pryce had clocked 11.28, while Thomson-Herah had 11.41.
In the men’s event, the returning Nesta Carter clocked 10.20 to win section 5, just ahead of Oshane Bailey, 10.24.
Carter’s sectional win was only good enough for second, as Tyquendo Tracey’s 10.20 in section four, saw him finish just ahead, while Romario Williams’ 10.21 and second place in that heat saw him third overall.
Chief among them are the likes of Olympic medalists Hansle Parchment, Shericka Jackson and Stephenie-Ann McPherson.
Parchment, who is set to compete at the 2022 Drake Relays next week, will shake off some rust in the 110m hurdles where he will line up against rising star Rasheed Broadbell, Tyler Mason and Michael O’Hara, who is returning from an injury that ended derailed him last season.
Jackson, who has run a couple of 400m races this season, steps down to the half-lap sprint where she will match times with McPherson, who will also step down to the 200m for this meet along with fellow quarter-miler Tiffany James.
Also down for the 200m is the speedy Natasha Morrison, Anthonique Strachan and Sasha Lee Forbes.
2014 NCAA 100m champion Remona Burchell is in the line-up for the 100m along with long jumper Tissana Hickling, Kashieka Cameron as well as 2008 Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist Melaine Walker.
The men’s 100m will feature Julian Forte, Tajay Gayle as well as Waseem Williams, Yohan Blake, Chadic Hinds and Antonio Watson.
The Women’s 400m event promises to be compelling as it should have Janieve Russell, Candice McLeod, Anastassia Le-Roy, James, Junelle Bromfield and the veteran Christine Day among the participants.
The 19-year-old sprinter is excited to demonstrate his current form and fitness, hinting at potentially running either the 400m or the 200m at the Velocity Fest meeting. Clarke's recent performances have been promising, with a strong 400m season opener of 46.05 on February 10 and an identical time two weeks later. He has also run a nippy 20.69 over 200m in mid-March.
"I’m running fast. I ran my first race with a personal best as a season-opener. I repeated that exact time again so I am pretty confident, I am being consistent," Clarke shared during launch of the Racers Grand Prix on Tuesday. "I am running the 400m or the 200m this Saturday so I am just going there to enjoy myself and better my season’s best."
Clarke, who will turn 20 on July 1, is determined to lower his national record and challenge the world's top athletes like world-record holder and three-time world champion Karsten Warholm of Norway, the USA’s Rai Benjamin and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, the 2022 champion. These formidable competitors have all clocked times under 47 seconds in the 400m hurdles.
"In Paris, the big three won’t go any slower than 46 so I am stronger now," Clarke explained. "My speed is very much improved right now, probably if I contest the 200m this weekend I will probably shock myself, again and my coach with how fast I am in training."
With high expectations for himself and a focus on execution, Clarke is poised to make waves and as he fine-tunes his skills at the Velocity Fest meeting, fans and competitors alike eagerly anticipate his performance and potential for achieving new personal milestones.
Editor's Note: It was erroneously reported that the Velocity Fest meeting on Saturday, April 20 would be held at the National Stadium in Kingston but it, in fact, will be held at the Ashenheim Stadium at Jamaica College.
Thompson, 28, led down the home stretch in the 200m before World Championship 400-metre bronze medallist Shericka Jackson overhauled her late to cross the finish line in 22.89.
Thompson clocked 22.98 for second while Sprintec’s Shashalee Forbes was third in 23.45.
Though she may have been disappointed at losing, Thompson seemed quite content if her Instagram is anything to go by.
“Back on the track after 9 months is a good feeling,” the 2015 World Championship silver medallist said.
“I am a little rusty but a girl is to take on any obstacles in her way.”
The 200m race was also her first race since she married track coach Deron Herah on November 2, 2019. “Am racing as a wife for the first time am so happy,” she said.
“Lord you are worthy. I hope for nothing but health and healing.”
Illness and injury have blighted the career of the 2019 Pan Am Games 100 champion. Along with MVP teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser, Thompson was among the favourites to win a medal in the 100m finals in Doha. This was especially true after she stormed to victory at the Jamaican National Championships in June.
Her winning time of 10.73 was the fastest in the world and was only surpassed by Fraser-Pryce on her way to an unprecedented fourth world title in Doha. Thompson, meanwhile, aggravated a long-running Achilles-related injury and finished fourth in 10.93.
She will be hoping that she will find better fortune at the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for July 2021.
So far this season, Jackson has only competed in the 60m where she ran a personal best 7.04 to finish sixth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March.
Jackson, who lowered her 100m personal best to 10.76 last season, was also a bronze medallist in the 400m at the 2015 Beijing World Championships, 2016 Rio Olympics and 2019 Doha World Championships. The former Vere Technical standout hasn’t run a 400m race since a sixth-place finish at the Gateshead Diamond League on May 23 last year.
However, she will be competing in Section B of the Women’s 400m and her main competition could come from Candice McLeod, a finalist at the Tokyo Olympics and Rushell Clayton, the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist in the 400m hurdles.
Tajay Gayle, the 2019 World long jump champion will open his season facing strong competition from Shawn-D Thompson and Emmanuel Archibald.
Elsewhere in the field events, Fedrick Dacres, the silver medallist from the 2019 World Championships will compete in the discus alongside Chad Wright and Traves Smikle.
The Men’s 100m is also expected to be an exciting affair.
There will be five semi-finals and then A, B and C finals that will likely feature Yohan Blake, Zharnel Hughes, Oblique Seville, Tyquendo Tracey, Ackeem Blake, Jevaughn Minzie and Antonio Watson.
The meet is expected to run from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm Jamaica time.
Jackson was the toast of the meet with a stirring run down the home stretch to clock a meet record and season best 50.92, her fastest time ever in March. The reigning world 200m champion has her eyes set on going faster than the 21.45 she ran to win her first ever global title in Eugene, Oregon last summer and on the evidence of what she has accomplished so far this season building on her endurance, she is well on track.
Coming off the final turn, Jackson running in lane six, found herself trailing Elite Performance’s Stacey-Ann Williams, the Olympic 4x400m bronze medallist and simply shifted gears to surge past the 24-year-old quarter-miler towards the finish line.
Williams ran a creditable 51.59 for second place while Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles champion Janieve Russell finished third in 52.77.
The men’s race was equally thrilling with 2022 Carifta Games champion Roshawn Clarke, who is now at Swept Track Club, holding off the field to win in a personal best 45.85.
Titan’s International runner Assinie Wilson clocked 45.95 for second place. Malik Kymani James King ran a season-best 46.39 for third.
The 200m races were run in an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ and both were interesting for different reasons.
The ‘A’ final featured World Championship bronze medalist Sada Williams of Barbados, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion and she looked every bit the part as she ran down Toyko 4x100m relay gold medallist Natasha Morrison to win in a season-best 22.98.
Morrison held on for second place in 23.24 while Tovea Jenkins was third in 23.91.
The ‘B’ final had two of Jamaica’s rising sprint stars, Briana Williams, who celebrated her 21st birthday on Tuesday, March 21 and 18-year-old Tina Clayton, the World U20 100m champion.
In truth, it was expected to be a close contest, but it wasn’t.
Clayton running inside Williams’ surged past her elder rival midway the curve and extended her lead once she hit the straight before going on to win in 23.69. Williams, who got a poor start and ran a poor curve, tightened up down the stretch and was passed by Indian sprinter Srabandi Wada, who finished second in 23.98, forcing the Jamaican to settle for fourth in a disappointing 24.03.
The Men’s 100m final proved to be anti-climactic as the three main protagonists Zharnel Hughes, Julian Forte and Nigel Ellis, all of whom looked sharp in their preliminary heats, were disqualified after false starts.
Without them, Canada’s Brendon Rodney stormed to victory in a personal best 10.17, just ahead of Wolmer’s Boys Jehlani Gordon who ran a personal best 10.22 and the ‘msyterious’ Sachin Dennis, who was third in a season-best 10.23.
Tyler Mason came up trumps in the 110m hurdles winning in 13.68, well clear of Odario Phillips 13.83 and LaFranz Campbell 13.85.
Elvis Graham of GC Foster established a meet record 74.58m to win the javelin over Oraine Thomas (68.97m) and Devon Spencer 68.32m.
Fedrick Dacres threw 64.29m to win the men’s discus ahead of clubmate Traves Smikle (63.77), and Kai Chang of the University of the West Indies (60.69m
Thompson-Herah’s time was second only to that of Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who clocked 21.98s at the Back to the Track meet in Florida two weeks ago. Thompson-Herah, who won section three, turned the table on compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who recorded a run of 22.57 to win section two. MVP’s Anthonique Strachan clocked the third-fastest time after stopping the time at 22.67 behind Thompson-Herah.
On Saturday, it was Fraser-Pryce who stole the show after clocking 10.87 to win section two of the event. Thompson-Herah won section three of the event, clocked an equally quick 10.88 seconds.
In Sunday’s men’s half-lap event Romario Williams clocked the fastest time of the day, with 20.46, to claim section three. Sprint Tech’s Rasheed Dwyer’s was second in 20.74, with O’Shane Bailey third with 20.84.
