IT’S LOOKING LIKE the hurdles will take the spotlight at this weekend’s National Track & Field Championships at the National Stadium.
That’s because none of the top hurdlers have reached the qualifying standards for the Rio Olympics and the trials provide them with their final chance before the Athletics Association of Barbados (AAB) names its team on June 30.
It should be noted that all standards are set by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and merely followed by member bodies.
The thing about it is that according to AAB regulations, the Olympic qualifying period is between January 5 to June 26, 2016. Your cakes are burnt even if you made the qualifying mark last year but fail to replicate it during the period identified by the governing, local body.
Sprinter Shakera Reece was left out of the 2012 London Olympics squad for this reason. She attained the qualifying time in the 100 metres the previous year as she clinched bronze at the Pan American Championships in Mexico.
There were mitigating factors in her favour including the fact that there was nobody at home to push her and that because of financial constraints she was prevented from travelling to meets to keep on top of her game. Despite this, the AAB kept its position. They can’t deviate now even if they wanted to.
The men’s 110 metre hurdles have at least two athletes who find themselves in a similar position to Reece. The leading man, Shane Brathwaite, clocked 13.31 seconds at last year’s World Championships in China and 13.21 seconds for the Pan American bronze in Canada. Nothing of the sort this year as yet. He managed 13.55 seconds at a recent meet in Switzerland.
Form has dipped
Gregmar Swift won gold at the World University Championships in South Korea last year in 13.43 seconds and did 13.44 seconds at the Pan American Games. At a recent meet in Florida he posted 14.28 seconds.
The 2009 World champion Ryan Brathwaite placed fifth at the London Olympics in a time of 13.40 seconds and, according to my research, his best since then was 13.41 seconds in 2014 in Mexico where he took gold at the Pan American Sports Festival. For various reasons, his form has dipped appreciably since then with his most recent run in Florida producing a legal time of 13.63 seconds. He ran 13.14 seconds at the 2009 World Championships.
On the surface, it appears that the three hurdlers, who all made the final of the Commonwealth Games in 2014, will have to pull out all the stops if they want to be in Rio. At most times, wind conditions at the National Stadium are favourable so it’s not beyond any of the three to make the mark of 13.47 seconds but clearly they will have to show extraordinary hunger to clinch their places. I think this factor is likely to make this event the most competitive.
Currently the top three in the world are Jamaican Omar McLeod (12.98secs), American David Oliver(13.09 secs) and Jamaican Hansle Parchment(13.10 secs).
The championships will also be make or break for the leading female 100 metre hurdler Kierre Beckles, who has to chase 13.00 seconds to be in Rio. Her recent clocking of 13.11 seconds in Florida suggests that she can do it, but she will have to do so against the clock because she’s that much better than the expected competition unless the versatile Akela Jones enters to push her.
Jones has already qualified in the high jump, long jump and the heptathlon, so there will be little for her to prove this weekend. The headache could come after, though, as a decision is made about which events she should compete in at the Olympics.
The men’s 100 metres will draw natural attention but it will provide someone like last year’s winner, Levi Cadogan, the chance to qualify for Rio.mHe has already done so in the 200 metres but there’s much more glamour in the shorter distance, so he would want to line up against some of the world’s best in Brazil in the blue riband event. The small matter of running 10.16 seconds stands between Cadogan and someone like Burkheart Ellis from making this dream come true. Ellis has earned his Rio stripes in the 200 metres.
The much improved Ramon Gittens is the clear favourite to take the gold in the 100 metres. Following his bronze medal at last year’s Pan American Games, he also earned bronze in the 60 metres at this year’s World Indoor Championships and has had regular competition against some of the best sprinters since then. He clocked 10.03 seconds in placing seventh at the recent Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica.The race was won by a certain Usain Bolt and included other noted speedsters like Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake.
The women’s 200 metres should catch the eye, although the promising Sada Williams is likely to win based on form. She has already qualified for the Olympics and has gained vital experience from competing against top class fields in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.
Jade Bailey will be driven to make it to Rio as well and should be Williams’ main rival as she chases the standard of 23.20 seconds. Shavonne Husbands want to have a say in the outcome too.
Williams has also qualified for the 400 metres with a time of 52.07 seconds whereas the standard is 52.20 seconds.
Another marquee matchup should be in the women’s 100 metres with the likes of Bailey, defending champion Ashley Marshall and Tristan Evelyn with valid claims for the crown.It is left to be seen whether any can match the qualifying time of 11.32 seconds.
Has Carifta double middle distance champion, Jonathan Jones, come of age? This will be tested as he faces Anthonio Mascoll and Raheem Skinner in the 800 and 1500 metres.
The precocious Rivaldo Leacock threw down the gauntlet in the 400-metre hurdles at the Olympians Classic two weekends ago, and it is left to be seen if he can continue his vein of success while bruising the ego of his more experienced competitors.
I don’t expect a dull moment at the championships with Olympic places up for grabs.
• Andi Thornhill is a veteran sports journalist.