Last weekend's National Senior Championships at the National Stadium really lived up to its billing.
Dubbed 'Destination Beijing' by organisers, the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association, the meet produced an excellent mix of world class performances and surprise results which kept spectators on the edge of their seats or on their feet for long periods. The women's 100 metres and 200m, men's and women's 400m and the women's 100m hurdles all produced thrilling finishes.
Going into the meet all the talk was about the men's 100m and the likely winner. At the meet, however, the real shock came in the women's 100 metres where the darling of the Jamaican crowd, last year's world 100m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, failed to get into the top three by a whisker and barring an unforeseen circumstance, will not be running the event in Beijing.
Some sympathy
Winner Kerron Stewart with her world-leading 10.80 and Sherone Simpson who was third in 10.87, are established athletes but the real surprise was Shelly-Ann Fraser who ran an impressive personal best 10.85 after going into the meet with a best of 11.28. Jamaica will therefore have a really great chance of defending the gold medal won in Athens four years ago by the quartet of Tayna Lawrence, Simpson, Aleen Bailey and Campbell-Brown.
While it is human to feel some sympathy for Campbell-Brown, the simple fact is that she was outgunned by three younger women. She came into the meet in top form and equalled her then world-leading time 10.88, but still could only manage fourth spot. It's really tough luck.
The men's event was an anti-climax. The two main competitors, world record holder Usain Bolt and former holder Asafa Powell, both said before the meet that there would be no clash and so it proved. Bolt romped the race in 9.85, while Powell again went under ten seconds with his 9.97. The truth is that Powell is behind in his training because of an early season injury and we may have to wait until sometime after August 15, at the Beijing Olympics, to find out who is really the faster man.
Disappointment
With Bolt the overwhelming favourite for the men's 200m and no-one to challenge him it was the women's event which again provided the thrills. Campbell-Brown, the defending Olympic champion, left her blocks like a scared hare and led all the way to win a in world-leading personal best 21.94. That run would have erased some of the disappointment of the shorter sprint and she gets the chance to defend her 200m title at the Games but as the world champion there is no doubt that Campbell-Brown would have liked to also line up for the 100m.
The other shock result came in the women's 400m where the little-known GC Foster College student, Rosemarie Whyte, upset the fancied pair of Shericka Williams and Novlene Williams-Mills, the latter a bronze medallist at last year's World Championships.
Whyte who had a best time of 51.71 going into the meet, lowered this to 50.05 in winning the final. She appears to be a special talent who is improving very fast and her progress will be closely watched going into the Games.
In the men's 400m the veteran 31-year-old Michael Blackwood also ran very well. He appeared very relaxed in the heats and came home really well in the final to beat the top two, last year's champion Sanjay Ayre and the 2006 winner Ricardo Chambers. The winning time is nothing to write home about and should not challenge for a place in the individual event at the Olympics, but Jamaica again has four fairly even runners and could be among the medals in the 4x400m.
Feedback elton.tucker@gleanerjm.com
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