Hill’s big year puts her in line for historic award
Published:Wednesday | November 2, 2022 | 12:09 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
AFTER A junior season which has seen her rise to the top on the track and make big decisions off it, World Under-20 100-metre hurdles champion Kerrica Hill is now in the running for the best Under-20 athlete in the world this year.
Hill is among five finalists for the 2022 World Athletics Women’s Rising Star award, given to the most outstanding under-20 athlete.
Since the introduction of the award in 2005, no Jamaican has won the award, with Bahamian Anthonique Strachan (2012), the only Caribbean athlete to cop the top prize.
The former Hydel athlete is coming off a strong 2022 campaign which saw her achieve success at both local and international levels, highlighted by becoming world champion at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, this August.
Hill clocked 12.77 seconds for victory, the fastest time in the world this year.
On the domestic front, she broke the girls’ Class Two 100m record en route to victory at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships as well as reset the world under-18 100m hurdles record with a 12.71 clocking.
Hill had previously broken the record in her preliminary round heat in 12.89.
However, her competition for individual honours will be fierce as it includes Commonwealth 3000m steeplechase champion Jackline Chepkoech and world under-20 3000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich, both from Kenya. The two have put on strong performances at the senior meets. Chepkoech won the Brussels Diamond League meet this year while Cherotich was third in this year’s Diamond League final.
While her high school coach Corey Bennett had said previously said that Hill would not be rushed into any decisions regarding moving to the professional ranks, the petite sprint hurdler shocked everyone after the U20 championships, signing with Andisportsmanagement and joining Elite Performance Track Club, along with fellow junior athlete Sandrey Davison.
The winner will be determined by an international panel and will be revealed early next month.
List of Nominees
Jackline Chepkoech Kenya
Faith Cherotich Kenya
Mine de Klerk South Africa
Kerrica Hill Jamaica
Adriana Vilagos Serbia