Russell not out to prove anything

WITHOUT a doubt, Janieve 'Jellyfish' Russell has been the country's most consistent and top women's 400m hurdler this season. However, in three weeks, at the World Champion-ships, Russell will have to watch that race from the stands or at home, as at the National Championship she failed to grab one of the three automatic spots after finishing fourth in the event.

Despite the disappointment, this seemed to have given her extra motivation as she has been finishing ahead of her rivals since and has been very consistent in the event. At the Rabat leg of the IAAF Diamond League on Sunday, Russell finished second in 54.36 seconds and had the national champion, Rhonda Whyte, behind her in eighth in 56.00 seconds. Second-place finisher at the National Championships, Ristananna Tracey, competed in a B race which she won, but her time of 55.18 seconds was fourth overall.

"I didn't knew what went wrong at the Trials, as I followed the instructions of my coach. But something went wrong in the last part of the race and I just can't fathom what went wrong," Tracey said, when asked about her Trials performance.

However, she was pleased with her performance on Sunday. "Except for the first two hurdles, the remainder of my race was good, as I came back strongly in the end and got second. I am happy to be competing with these ladies who are going to the World Championships," she said.

"I am happy for the three ladies who made the team to London, as I am confident that they will do well. When I compete with them, I just go out there to do my best and not to prove anything. They deserve their spots, as they did what they had to do on the day," she continued.

Russell is disappointed not to be going to the World Championships, but will use the remainder of the season to keep competing well. "I will still be in Europe training and preparing for some races, and I just want to continue doing well for the remainder of the season. I am glad to be injury-free, as some people cannot compete now due to injury. I want to finish the season strong and lower my times, then use my recent disappointment to motivate me to come back next season with more hunger, "she added.