Bromfield running with weight off her shoulders

Paris, France:

AFTER A tough season, quarter-miler Junelle Bromfield will have her shot on the Olympic stage as an individual competitor, something that has left her with a lot more confidence and self-belief.

Bromfield, Stacey-Ann Williams and national champion and record holder Nickisha Pryce will open their campaign in the women’s 400-metre heats tomorrow at 4:55 a.m.

Bromfield ran a personal best, 50.74 seconds, in the semifinals of the national championships in June before finishing third in the final, booking her ticket to Paris.

Bromfield said earning her spot was a weight off.

“I said at trials it felt as if a burden was lifted off my shoulders and I still feel like that right now. I am just running with a lot more love than I was before,” Bromfield told The Sunday Gleaner.

Bromfield, at the Tokyo Games three years ago, was a member of the mixed 4x400-metre relay after a season where she had every chance to claim an individual spot.

“In 2021 I felt as if I was having the season of my life but I didn’t get to do an individual event and I feel as if that every coach peaks you for a championship. So when you run the relay, I don’t think that you ever can get to see your full potential, so I am looking forward to seeing what I have. The Olympics is the biggest event in any sport. I am anxious but I believe in myself.”

That belief is driving her to make her mark on the field. With her national teammate Pryce entering the games as the world leader and national record holder, she is not only proud to be able to boast that a Jamaican has gone 48 seconds, but hopes it will inspire her to go faster.

“People always ask me what the national record for Jamaica is and I usually say 49.30. And they would be like ‘oh I thought it was faster’. I am happy that it is 48 now. Now I can brag,” Bromfield said.

“I feel like it is an Olympic year and fast times always run in an Olympic year. So hopefully that, and she will pull me to a faster time.”

Daniel Wheeler