Tapper wants to break new ground with Elite switch
Published:Sunday | April 30, 2023 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
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WHILE COY about the reasons she elected to join Elite Performance this season, Olympic 100m hurdles bronze medallist Megan Tapper was not so evasive about her target. Tapper began her season by finishing second in the 100m hurdles at the Velocity...
WHILE COY about the reasons she elected to join Elite Performance this season, Olympic 100m hurdles bronze medallist Megan Tapper was not so evasive about her target.
Tapper began her season by finishing second in the 100m hurdles at the Velocity Fest meet last month in 12.99 seconds behind her club teammate World Under-20 champion Kerrica Hill, who clocked a lifetime best of 12.75 to win the event.
Tapper, who has split her time between Jamaica and Austria previously, said she joined the camp in February. While not revealing much about the details of why she decided to make the change this year, she said she was looking forward to the challenge of taking a critical step forward.
“Absolutely. I’m looking forward to great things with Elite. It has been going well so far. Not the season opener that I wanted, but that is why you have races before the big ones to get it right,” Tapper told The Sunday Gleaner.
It is a change that has come at a time when the standards of the event have been elevated since World Champion Tobi Amusan shattered the world record (12.12) and Tapper’s national teammate, World Championships silver medallist Britany Anderson, currently holds the national record of 12.31.
NO WALK IN THE PARK
Tapper clocked 12.52 in her semi-final at the World Championships semi-final in Eugene, Oregon, which, at the time, was a personal best, but that was not enough to get her to the final.
Tapper said that with the high bar now being set in the event, the switch will demand more from her so she can meet the challenge that awaits. Making it to the World Championships for Jamaican sprint hurdlers will not be a walk in the park.
“With the change, it does mean that I will be working a lot harder and more assiduously in achieving my goals,” Tapper said.
Tapper was closed down by her teammate in the final 20 metres in a season opener that she could only describe as ‘interesting’.
However, with a long season ahead, she is thankful that she has completed the first step in her new journey without any issues.
“I mean, I am happy that I was able to finish the race injury free, and healthy. It wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be. But I am grateful that I am still standing, crossed the line and am good,” Tapper said.