Just give us some time, says hammer thrower Clunis

When Nayoka Clunis enters the circle for her first attempt in the hammer throw qualifying round on August 23 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she will make history. Simply put, Clunis will be the first Jamaican ever, female or male, to compete in the hammer at the World Championships.

A day after she learnt of her selection to the Budapest team, the thrower was still brimming with excitement.

‘’I was, like, pinch me. I had a ‘pinch me’ moment but at the same time, I’ve really, really, really worked hard for this and the fruit of my labour is coming through. Super excited,” she said.

She expects her presence in the Hungarian city will galvanise others.

“Just expect a lot more. A lot more of us are coming out. You have me, Erica, Marie, Daniel Cope. There’s a lot of us out there. It’s just means getting support to help us facilitate our throws and development in the event,” she promised, listing fellow hammer throwers Erica Belvet, Marie Forbes and Daniel Cope.

“We’re here and we’re working. Just give us some time,” she said.

The four-time national champion is delighted to make the breakthrough.

“Seeing that I’m the first Jamaican, male or female, that is just over the moon for me. I just can’t wait to see what I’ll be able to do on the big stage,” she said.

Improved in 2023, Clunis stands a chance of reaching the World Championships final. Last year, the 12th and last spot in the World final went to Sweden’s Grete Halberg, who threw 70.78 metres. Clunis has stretched her personal best from 67.40 in 2021 to 71.18m. That’s not far from Daina Levy’s Jamaican record – 71.48m.

In a 2022 interview, she thanked Levy, a 2016 hammer throw Olympian, for being a mentor.

“When I was in junior college, Daina was a huge mentor for me in learning the event,” Clunis recalled. “Whatever questions I had, I would ask Daina’s opinion on how to fix this, how to fix that, and she was really helpful.”

Now Levy’s record - 71.48m - is just over the horizon.

“I’m hoping to get the national record in the qualifying round at the World Championships”, Clunis projected, “and, if that happens, it will be great. If not, it’s God’s time but I’m just trusting God at this point.”

She has exceeded 71m in three recent meets, scoring marks of 71.13, 71.18 and 71.11 metres, respectively.

The increments have come from extra focus on her technique.

“Over the last two, three weeks, I’ve been dialling in a little bit more, focusing a lot more detail on my technique, taking a lot of the personal pressure off myself and focusing on the little things. And I’ve been seeing improvements,” she explained.