Returning to the sprint relay pinnacle

WITH THE Paris Olympic Games just around the corner, it’s worth a reminder that Jamaica will go to the French capital as defending champions in the women’s 4x100 relay.

In 2021, Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson overcame modest baton passing with eye-popping speed to win going away in a national record 41.02 seconds. Time flies and now it’s time to plan and prepare to repeat that victory.

Briana burned the first leg but, to the naked eye, Elaine hit the gas early and as the 19-year-old summoned one last-ditch effort, she feathered the accelerator, and the pass was made before the exchange zone expired. Then the double Olympic champion, with speed rated at 10.61 and 21.53 seconds, repaired the damage and put Jamaica ahead. Shelly-Ann and Shericka had a shaky pass, but it was safe.

With better passing, the world record – 40.82 seconds set by the USA to beat Jamaica at the 2012 Olympics – might have been broken.

In the two World Championships since that 2021 gold, the Americans have outrun, out-passed and out-prepared the world, in Eugene last year and Budapest a few months ago. On Jamaica’s part, there have been injuries, coaching changes and fluctuations in form, with Elaine’s journey being well documented.

However, there’s more. Jamaica doesn’t prepare the same way other countries do, with relay camps, bonding sessions and warm-up races. Some baton work gets done at Jamaica team camps but with the individuals focused on their individual events, it’s never enough.

OFF THE CALENDAR

Worse yet, two helpful meets fell off the calendar – the USA versus the World baton fest at the Penn Relays and the World Relays. In their absence, the US women have had the upper hand.

Thankfully, these events are back. The rebranded Global Relays will debut at Penns at the end of April and not long afterwards, the World Relays will return to the Bahamas. If the JAAA can find a race or two after the Nationals, that would be adequate competition practice. It’s a duty the federation may want to hand over to a professional track and field agent.

The last suggestion has come before from lovers of the sport. Briana, Elaine, Shelly-Ann and Shericka all live and train here. So do Kemba Nelson, the 2022 lead-off runner, Natasha Morrison and Shashalee Forbes, who handled the first and third legs respectively in Budapest. So do so many of the other prospects who may knock on the selectors’ door at Nationals next year.

It must be possible to get them to do some practice work here in Jamaica. These sessions wouldn’t exclude those based overseas but the weight of numbers would require them to come to Jamaica to participate, with expenses perhaps covered by a corporate sponsor.

If Jamaica wants to defend the title won in 2021, we’re going to have to plan and prepare for it. The opposition isn’t going to hand it over.

Hubert Lawrence has made notes at trackside since 1980.