Hubert Lawrence | The tale of two quests – Part Three

By one report seen before the Netball World Cup, the median age of the 2019 Sunshine Girls is 25 and despite the disappointment of their fifth-place finish in Liverpool last week at the Netball World Cup (NWC), that number bears hope for the future.

The young core of that team can move forward. With the experience only time can bring, they can go to the 2023 NWC with the goal of erasing the bitter memory Liverpool will hold for them all.

The recriminations begun as soon as an unexpected loss to South Africa and then a defeat to long-time rival England put the Girls out of the medal round. In every defeat, the players bear an operational responsibility and, on top of that, the coaching staff must question itself, too.

One factor may have been the pressure that arrived when Jamaica learnt of the team’s ascent to number two in the world rankings. Perhaps the team and its coaches played to justify the new ranking rather than to beat the teams in front of them. Whatever the answer, netball is just one of the sports that requires the attention of mental-preparation experts. It is a need that has been evident since 1948 when Herb McKenley entered the Olympic 400-metre final as the runaway favourite and lost due to overconfidence.

Luckily, Arthur Wint ran a perfectly judged race to win the most important Olympic medal in Jamaica’s sporting history – the first one.

Beyond that, a critical look at our netball infrastructure will find us lacking an indoor home for the Girls, which means many possible national players ply their trade away from the environment where major championships are contested.

That quest is at an end for now.

In the meantime, 100-metre hurdler Danielle Williams is pressing ahead in her quest to qualify for the 2019 World Championships via the Diamond League. A sparkling double performance last weekend in London has raised her hopes of reaching the September 6 final. She first advanced to the London final with a personal best of 12.41 seconds, before returning to scoot 12.32 seconds to street a field that included the 2016 Olympic silver medallist Nia Ali.

Now she must hold serve in Birmingham on August 18, when next the Diamond League stages her event, and then win the final to get to the Worlds.

PUBLIC SUPPORT

Most observers want her to get to Doha, host city of the Worlds this year, because she is running fast. One caring fan said Williams needs a pardon, forgiveness for a false start at last month’s National Championships. The reality is a little different. Had everything worked well, a green card would have been raised after the first attempt to run the 100-metre hurdles final at the Nationals owing to a noise that sounded after the set command had been issued.

Heard by many who were present and reportedly made by a child bursting an air-filled noisemarker, the sound interfered with the provision of a fair start. This led to a long protest by Williams, and an ensuing delay and an eventual restart. That was patchy with one finisher, two ladies suffering injury, and one never leaving the blocks.

The best solution is to issue the green card before entries close for the World Championships. That would compensate somewhat for its absence after the first attempt to start the race at the Nationals. If Danielle wins the Diamond League anyway, four Jamaicans will get to compete in Doha. That’s win-win-win for everybody.

Hubert Lawrence is a respected track and field statistician and commentator.