NOT AN EASY ROAD TO CHINA FOR JAMAICA’S ‘BIG-FOUR’

Since about 2004 Jamaica’s big four in women’s sprinting have served Jamaica well. Since that time either Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, or  Kerron Stewart have for the most part secured individual medals in major championships.

In 2008, they did the unprecedented. Never before have three female athletes from any country ever finished 1-2-2 in an Olympic sprint event. In fact, I don’t think a 1-2-2 has ever been done in any other Olympic event similar to what Fraser-Pryce, Stewart and Simpson accomplished that year in the women’s 100 metres in Beijing.

These four accomplished women will be hoping to head back to Beijing this August for the IAAF World Athletic Championships, the staging ground for their incredible performance seven years ago. But will they all make it back as individual competitors? That question will be asked of them this year as there are emerging talents ready to take their place if they should falter.

All four have looked pretty good so far this year. Simpson and Fraser put on an epic performance at the Utech Classic a few weeks ago in a close 200 metre battle, VCB ran a strong race to win the 100m in Brazil in 11.04, not far behind was Stewart in third. Stewart and Simpson also featured in Jamaica’s 4x100m relay win at the Penn Relays this past weekend. That team was completed by Schillonie Calvert and Natasha Morrison, who among others will be vying for a place in the top 4 this summer.

Morrison has run 11.17s this season and if she can remain healthy will be looking to much faster by the time summer arrives. She will have to be because leading the way to a spot on the team to China this summer, is her teammate at Utech, Elaine Thompson. Thompson’s 10.92s makes her a favorite to represent Jamaica in the women’s 100m in Beijing along with defending champion Fraser-Pryce.

Another who could make it into the top three could be Alabama University’s Remona Burchell, the three-time NCAA champion, who has revealed her intentions to represent her country this year. Burchell ran 11.04s into a -2.5m/s headwind at the Florida Relays in early April and if she continues to progress the way she has been over the past three years, she could be running incredible times by summer. Her time at the Florida Relays is roughly a 10.94 basic and that makes her a real threat to anyone.

Word on the ground too is that Edwin Allen’s Christania Williams, a year out of high school, could very well be in the mix as she is expected to break that 11-second barrier by summer. Stephen Francis, you will recall, took Fraser-Pryce from 11.34 to 10.78s over a similar period of time. Williams is starting at 11.19s.

Those top three spots are going to be hard to get for all concerned except the defending champion, who doesn’t have to run at the national championships this summer.

As it stands right now, the contenders for the other slots are Simpson, Stewart, VCB, Thompson, Williams, Burchell, Bonner, Calvert, perhaps Jura Levy as well. This could probably be the fastest-ever field of Jamaican women ever assembled and only three can earn individual spots, six for the relays. They will all have to come ready to earn those slots if they are to make the team to Beijing and to have shots at medals in China because it won’t be as easy as it was in 2008.

Should they get to Beijing, Blessing Okagbare, Murielle Ahoure, Tori Bowie, Jenna Prandini, Dafne Schippers, Carmelita Jeter, English Gardener, Alexandria Anderson, Octavious Freeman, Michelle Lee Ahye and Kelly Ann Baptiste, will all have a say in who gets to fill those nine lanes in the women’s 100-metre finals. It definitely won’t be an easy road.