‘I can’t say I’m surprised’

WHILE A splendid junior, Tia Clayton has generally found herself behind her twin sister, Tina Clayton, who, with 10.95 seconds at the World Under-20 Championships in 2022, was the second fastest age-group sprinter in Jamaica’s history.

On Friday night, Tia truly stepped into her own lane, securing a spot for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in spectacular fashion.

Coming into the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/PUMA National Junior and Senior Championships with a personal best of 11.12 seconds, Clayton had a massive breakthrough, clocking a new life-time best of 10.86 in the women’s 100m semi-finals.

She stamped her class yet again in the final, proving her performance was not a fluke, when she took second in 10.90 behind defending champion Shericka Jackson, 10.84, and just ahead of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 10.94.

Clayton said she was always confident she would be able to make the team, but admitted she was surprised with how fast she had run in the semi-finals.

“I can’t say I’m surprised that I’m here because I’ve been working hard towards it, but it was just the time in the semi-finals that shook me,” she said.

“I wasn’t nervous for the final. Maybe I was nervous for the semis, but I wasn’t nervous for the final because I was accustomed to it and I knew what I was going to do in the final because of the semi-finals.”

Motivated by misfortunes

She said she was particularly motivated for this year’s championships after her misfortunes last year.

In 2023, Clayton had failed to advance from the preliminaries after clocking 11.40 to finish fourth in her heat.

She explained she had not heard the gun before the race, which caused her to be left in the blocks and hampered her chances.

“It’s a part of my dream because last year I didn’t even make it to the semis. So I came out here with a different mindset just to make the team and to make my mom proud,” she said.

“Last year, I didn’t hear the gun. So this year I just came out here and just try my best to hear the gun so I can move with them.”

After Friday night, Clayton’s ambitions have burgeoned.

The 19-year-old is no longer just satisfied with being on the team, now she wants to stand on the podium.

“I feel very great that I’ve made the team, so all I can do is stay mentally focused and just continue to do my best. I’m not going to put a time on myself, all I can say is that I just want to medal, but I’m not going to put a time on myself right now.”

Her biggest support will be her twin sister Tina Clayton, who she shared an emotional hug with immediately following her groundbreaking semi-final run.

Tina said she was not surprised by her sister’s achievement, having seen what she is capable of in training.

“It was overwhelming for me knowing that she had a shot of making the Jamaica team. I’ve seen what she can do and she always puts her best foot forward in training and I know that she would do her best. She had a setback this season but, after getting over that setback, we can see where the work has brought her.”