Tapper putting Doha disappointment behind her

When Megan Tapper settled into the blocks for the 100-metre hurdles final in Doha at the 17th World Championships, she was on the cusp of her greatest accomplishment in track and field.

Sadly, a twitchy start left her in tears, with the other finalists streaming away from her. Speaking this week in Kingston, Tapper says that her trust in God has helped her accept that disappointment. Now, with the 2020 Olympics on the horizon, she believes the sky’s the limit for her.

The 25-year-old was in her first major final, having reached the 2016 Olympic semis and the penultimate stage at the 2017 Worlds but was flummoxed by a twitch at the start in the lane beside her. She gave chase but it was futile, and she stopped in tears in the middle of the track. Had she duplicated the personal best of 12.61 seconds in the semis, she’d have placed 5th.

The 25-year-old hurdler recalled the moment with a resigned chuckle.

“Things happen and, I mean, the Creator has planned everything, and He knows why,” she submitted. “At this point, we might not be privy to His plans and His work, but I mean, all we can do is sit back and trust and I’ve been learning for the last couple years to sit back and trust and I think that was the icing on the cake. To realise that God is bigger than anything else and it might not have been the outcome I wanted but there’s success in absolutely every situation and so that’s how we just have to look at it.”

With the past behind her, the Pan-American Games bronze medal winner is looking ahead.

“I would like to work as hard as possible to get as far as possible as I could get. Right now, the sky’s the limit for me,” she resolved.

Her husband, Mathue, is seeing good things for her as well.

“It has been known that Megan is a brilliant fighter and I believe that using that strength especially after such a long season, going into the indoor season, we will get to see her strength this year a lot more,” he promised.

She hopes to inspire others.

“I want to be a motivation and inspiration to people who believe that they’re not enough, to remind them, at the end of the day, that no matter what, you are enough. You were born with abundantly everything that you need. You are excellent at this point right now. Everything else that you gain further on in life is just brawta,” she said.