Hibbert Ja’s best chance for gold in Budapest field events

FOUR YEARS AGO Jamaica had its best ever results in field events at the World Athletics Championships in Doha as athletes bagged one gold and three silver medals.

Tajay Gayle led the way with gold in the men’s long jump while Fedrick Dacres in the men’s discus, Danniel Thomas-Dodd in the women’s shot put and Shanieka Ricketts in the women’s triple jump mined silver.

When the Budapest World Championships get under way next Saturday, the island’s athletes will be hoping for more success after the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association named its biggest ever contingent to compete in field events at these championships.

Seventeen athletes, nine women and eight men will compete in field events and history will be created in the hammer throw as Nyoka Clunis will become the first Jamaican, male or female, to compete in the event at the World Championships.

Last year in Eugene, Oregon, only Ricketts picked up a medal in field events after finishing second in the triple jump. Not having one of her better build-ups to a major championships, Ricketts will be hard-pressed to increase her medal haul in the event. Ranked seventh on the World Athletics top list with a season’s best of 14.56 metres, she must improve to finish among the top three.

Her main rivals will be defending champion Yulimer Rojas of Venezuela with a season’s best of 15.18 metres along with the Cuban duo of Leyanis Perez Hernandes and Liadagmis Povea, Maryna Bekh Romanchuk of Ukraine and American Jasmine Moore. Ricketts will definitely have to go close to or better last year’s 14.94m if she hopes to be on the podium.

Despite being the world’s top-ranked female this season in the long jump with a personal best of 7.08 metres in May, Ackelia Smith has failed to recapture that form of late. She only finished third at the National Senior Championships with 6.66m while in her last meet, a Diamond League debut in Monaco, she ended seventh with 6.70m. Smith, who will also contest the triple jump, must go over the seven metres barrier if she hopes to be among the medals.

Ranked fifth in the women’s shot put with a season’s best of 19.77m, Thomas-Dodd will need to go over the 20m barrier to get a medal. Chase Ealey and Maggie Ewan of the United States and Lijiao Gong of China have all gone over 20m this season.

HIBBERT CAN TOP TRIPLE JUMP

At 18 years of age, triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert will be the country’s youngest athlete at the championships but despite this he is the best medal hope in field events. Ranked number one on the World Athletics top list with 17.87m, Hibbert could mine gold in the event.

He dominated his peers at the collegiate level in his first season at the University of Arkansas and won several titles both indoors and outdoors. He has only lost once this season in the event when he made his first appearance on the Diamond League circuit in Monaco. After leading for majority of the way with 17.66m, Hibbert was beaten by last year’s World Championships silver medallist Hugues Fabrice of Burkina Faso who produced 17.70m on his final attempt.

With the defending champion Pedro Pichardo of Portugal who won with 17.95m in Eugene missing in action this season, young Hibbert could go over the 18 metres barrier and take gold in his first World Championships.

Rajindra Campbell, also in his first World Championships, is the next best ranked Jamaican. His 22.22m in the men’s shot puts at number four and will be hoping to finish in the top three.