NATIONALS CHAMPS LIVED UP TO THE HYPE

The SVL National Athletic Championships that were recently concluded at the National Stadium were as exciting as they were cracked up to be, even moreso given some of the upsets that we witnessed over the four days of competition.

Andre Riley pulled off a stunner against favourite Dwight Thomas  in the 110m hurdles, Traves Smikle defeated national champion and national record holder Jason Roberts in the discus throw and Riker Hylton put together a solid series of 400-metre runs to take the national title ahead of 2010 champion Oral Thompson, Leeford Greene and a struggling Jermaine Gonzales, who is behind in his preparation because of longer-than-expected recovery time from knee surgery at the end of last season.

It all made for great icing atop a cake filled primarily with quality performances from our male and female short sprinters. Going into these championships that would help select teams to the CAC Games, the Pan American Games and the big one, the IAAF World Athletic Championships in South Korea this summer, much of the talk surrounded who was going to take the male and female 100 metre sprints, the blue riband event in Jamaica. In the absence of defending world champion Usain Bolt who has an automatic bye into the World Championships, the chatter was about who would be national champion. In 2010, other than Bolt three other Jamaicans ran faster than 9.90 seconds over the short sprint – Nesta Carter (9.78), Yohan Blake (9.89) and Asafa Powell (9.82). However, since the start of the season it was Steve Mullings (9.80) who has been stealing the headlines. Mullings, a former student of Vere Technical, Barton Community College and Mississippi State University, has for years, teased us with his potential before being suspended two years for excessive levels of testosterone back in 2004.

He gradually made his way back and had a standout world championships in 2009, finishing fifth in a personal best 19.98 behind Usain Bolt who won in a world record 19.19. After a relatively quiet 2010, Mullings returned this season with a world-leading 9.90-second run, followed by 9.89s before dropping an astounding 9.80-run at the Prefontaine Classic on the same weekend when his good friend and training partner Tyson Gay ran a world-leading 9.79s at a small meet in Clermont. Florida.

Those who thought his times were somehow ‘flukish’ then witnessed him defeat Tyson Gay at the Adidas Diamond League in rainy conditions in New York. The time – 10.26 – was nowhere near the blistering times he had produced before but beating the second fastest man of all time gave Mullings the credibility that he needed to be considered a potential medal contender for this summer’s championships. This, even over Powell, who has for years now done well on the circuit but disappointed at major championships.

Yohan Blake, too, put his hand up as a contender for the title of national champion as he has had a solid early season with times of 9.95, 9.96 and 9.97 but a super-looking slightly windy 9.80 (2.2m/s) run at the Jamaica International Invitational in early May. Carter and Frater, who ran a personal best 9.94 in Eugene added the kind of quality that was necessary to make this race to be national champion a potential howler.

And howler it was. Four of the contenders – Powell, Mullings, Blake and Carter, were locked in battle mid-way through the race before Powell it seemed found an epiphany and eased to a marginal win over Blake, Mullings and Carter. Frater was a disappointing fifth after promising so much in the earlier rounds during which he ran a wind-aided 9.86.

For Powell it was redemption of sorts as he had come in for much public backlash after a series of poor performances which he blamed on a tricky hamstring. After years of disappointment he had finally delivered in a ‘big’ race and all of a sudden Jamaica was in love with Powell once more.

The women’s equivalent was a foregone conclusion because Veronica Campbell Brown had gone into the championships as one of two contenders for the sprint double titles. Her times of 10.92 and 10.76 demonstrated this season that VCB was out to reclaim her throne as Jamaica’s fastest woman from Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, the World and Olympic 100 metre champion. Ever since she finished fourth at the national championships back in 2008 in what was then a personal best 10.88 VCB recommitted herself to not only winning world titles but also running fast while doing so.

Defending champion Shelly Ann Fraser had a bye and opted out of the 200m so it was just a matter of seeing where athletes like Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson were in their preparation. VCB dropped 10.84 and 22.44 to win easily and demonstrate that as of right now she is Jamaica’s best bet at winning a gold in the short sprints in Daegu. Stewart too looked good -second in both sprints – as she inches her way back from a bad hamstring tear last year.

Simpson, on the other hand, was disappointing. She has been training well and looking like she was running into good form leading up to the championships. She had some decent times this season – 11.07 at the JII and 11.00 at the Prefontaine – but nothing close to the form she had five years ago when she ruled the short sprints with 10.82 and 22.00.

Jura Levy, the dimuinitive South Plains star, seized the moment and capitalized on Simpson’s struggles to earn a place on that trip to Asia come late August. Levy has had an outstanding season and rose to the occasion running close to to her personal best of 11.07 with a 11.10 run for third place in the women’s 100m.

Mullings and Ashmeade were standouts in the men’s 200m as well as Mario Forsythe who edged out an unfortunate Marvin Anderson for a spot in the 200metres. Anderson has run well this season but did not display the kind of consistency needed to earn a place on the team.

The most outstanding athlete of the meet – for me – was Ristanana Tracey. After a long, hard season representing Edwin Allen Tracey ran a personal best 55.81 at Champs this year in the 400-metre hurdles. She also ran personal bests in the 800 metres this season and was a key member of Edwin Allen’s 4x4oo relay team. After such an arduous high school season, she could hardly be blamed for having a poor run at the national championships. Yet, Tracey comes out and not runs a personal best of 54.58s, a hair’s breadth away from the world junior record but for a while challenged the 2010 Diamond League champion Kaliese Spencer who won in 54.15, well off her best 53.33.

It was also heartening to see Novelene Williams return to form with a solid 50.05 showing in the women’s 400 metres. She had been nursing a slight quadricep injury that is now mostly behind her and looks set to challenge for a medal possibly gold come late August. She along with Rosemarie Whyte 50.4 and Shericka Williams 50.81, demonstrated a welcome return to form and depth for a mile relay team that when complemented by Kaliese Spencer should contend for a medal along with the Americans and the Russians. Davita Pendergrast and Pauline Hall will also add value to the mile relay squad.

Overall, it was a great four days and while Jamaica’s team to Daegu wont be as strong, especially when one considers that Brigette Foster Hylton, the 100m hurdles world champion, will most likely be in the greatest shape for the world championships nor will Deloreen Ennis, this team will be a good one that will once again display Jamaica’s athletic prowess on one of the sport’s biggest stages.