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Ja could grab 13 medals in Doha

Published:Monday | September 23, 2019 | 12:25 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
Fraser-Pryce
Fraser-Pryce

When respected United States (US) publication Track and Field News made its World Championships predictions in July, it gave Jamaica 10 medals. Now, on the eve of the meet, its latest look at the future has Jamaica getting 13 medals. The new predictions indicate that Elaine Thompson and Danielle Williams will win gold medals.

Track and Field News foresees a one-two finish for Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the highly anticipated women’s 100m final, with projected bronze medallist Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain pushing the Jamaican pair back to second and third in the 200m. The young Briton edged past Fraser-Pryce in the 100m in Brussels at the IAAF Diamond League final and was ahead of Thompson in Zurich when Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas clocked the fastest time in the world at 21.74 seconds.

In predictions that appeared on the magazine’s website on September 21, Williams is picked to win the 100m hurdles ahead of American Kendra Harrison and the Nigerian who won the Commonwealth Games title, Tobi Amusan.

Other Jamaicans listed in medal places are reigning 110m hurdles champion Omar McLeod, Fedrick Dacres, Shericka Jackson, Tajay Gayle, and Shanieka Ricketts. McLeod is listed as the silver medallist behind Orlando Ortega of Spain. Dacres and Gayle are expected second and third in the discus and long jump, respectively.

Miller-Uibo and Bahrani Salwa Eid Naser are ahead of Jackson, the 2015 bronze-medal winner, in the women’s 400m prediction, and triple jump Diamond League winner Ricketts is third behind Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela and Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia.

MEN’s RELAY TEAM THIRD BEHIND USA

Thompson and Fraser-Pryce will likely be part of the 4x100m relay team Track and Field News has placed third behind the US and Germany, with Jackson steering the women’s 4x400m team to the silver medal. Just like the Jamaican ladies, the men’s 4x400m team is expected to get second place behind the US.

If Fraser-Pryce does go to the podium three times in Doha, she would move past compatriot Veronica Campbell-Brown into third on the list of the women with the most World Championships medals. Currently, Campbell-Brown and Fraser-Pryce have 11 and nine, respectively.

Several Jamaicans are listed for top-eight finishes. Among the men, Akeem Bloomfield and Yohan Blake appear at fourth in the 400m and fifth in the 100m, respectively. Rushell Clayton is fourth in the 400m hurdles listing, with fifth place the prediction for Stephenie-Ann McPherson in the women’s 400m, Natoya Goule in the 800m, and Danniel Thomas-Dodd in the shot put.

Janeek Brown and Megan Tapper appear at sixth and seventh in the 100m hurdles, respectively.