Injury will not stop Ja gymnast

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil:

Jamaica Gymnastic Association president Nicole Grant-Brown is expecting history-making Jamaican gymnast Toni-Ann Williams to make a good impression in Rio even as she struggles with a knee injury ahead of her competition on Sunday.

Williams, who is set to become the first Jamaican to compete in artistic gymnastics at the Olympic Games, suffered an impingement to her knee during her preparations for the Games and might be forced to conduct surgery after the Olympics.

She is set to get her campaign underway on Sunday at 7:45 a.m. Jamaica time and despite having to compete in pain, Grant-Brown is encouraged by what she has seen in training so far.

POSSIBLE SURGERY

"Currently, she is in a lot of pain and she has an impingement on her knee, which is very painful," said Grant-Brown. "The doctors looked at it and maybe right after Olympics she may have to do surgery on it.

"But she's brave, she got it taped and went out there and went through her training like she wasn't even feeling any pain.

"She is a tough competitor, she knows what she wants and she is working towards that, and we are happy that we have someone like that for the kids to emulate," she added.

Grant-Brown is not expecting the magnitude of her historic participation to affect her too much.

"She is doing very well so far. She has been training. She has practically trained every day since she has been here," she said. "She did a very good job and we are all pleased with how she executed the new skills she learned. She is really puling it off and I think everything is coming together.

"The good thing about Toni-Ann is that she is a true competitor, she is used to competing in the NCAA and that gave her a lot of exposure to constant and intense high level of competition, which has really done a lot to prepare her for this moment," said Grant-Brown.

"She is not hyped up or anything. She is calm and in high spirits. She has shown no sign of nerve. We are not pressuring her; we just want her to go out there and do her best, and she will," Grant-Brown added.

- A.L.