Gayle getting close to his best
World long jump champion wins pet event at Velocity Fest 10
Published:Monday | April 4, 2022 | 12:10 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
The first long jump event of the outdoor season for World Champion Tajay Gayle was never about distance, but rather getting back the confidence and form that last year’s knee injury took away from him.
Gayle won at Saturday’s Velocity Fest 10 long jump event at the National Stadium, one week after opening his 2022 outdoor campaign with a second-place finish in the 100 metres at the John Wolmer Speedfest.
Gayle won with a distance of 7.97 metres ahead of Guyana’s Emmanuel Archibald, with 7.93m, and SprinTec’s Shawn-D Thompson, who came third with 7.92m.
Gayle said that the win was important in clearing the mental hurdle that he has had to battle since suffering a knee injury in the first round of the long jump at the Tokyo Olympics last year. Despite making it to the final, he only managed to finish in 11th place.
“The knee injury was a very dangerous thing. It could have ended my season totally, and thanks to the coaching staff of MVP, we were able to overcome it,” Gayle said. “Even before the meet started, I was somewhat concerned whether or not I could jump from such a long run-up. But after the first jump, I gained in confidence, and I was able to finish the meet. So I will accept this win as a thumbs up for me.”
It is that confidence that he is targeting, a return to the form that saw him capture the title in 2019, the country’s first global title in the event. Gayle says that while he is not as yet close to his best, he has been encouraged by the work he has put in so far in his journey to defend his world title.
“This (Velocity Fest) was more like training. The distance was never the goal. Since the Olympics, I haven’t been at my best. But based on training, I am some 90 per cent there. You will be seeing me more on the Velocity Fest (circuit) onwards,” Gayle said. “This performance said to me that I need more and more competition as a means of training. So this was an acceptable meet for me.”
While admitting that there are still lingering effects from last season’s injury, Gayle says that fans can expect more committed performances from him as the season progresses as he gets back into his rhythm.
“I had my full run-up for the first attempt because during training I didn’t run up from the full distance. I was able to somewhat execute but not fully. As the year progresses you will see more and more improvement in the distances. But for the most part, the win will boost my confidence more and more,” Gayle said.