Sudlow plans on enjoying final year
Published:Tuesday | January 21, 2025 | 12:07 AMGregory Bryce/Gleaner Writer
IF YOU thought St Catherine High School’s Rohanna Sudlow would be under pressure at this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, you would be wrong.
Sudlow, who won he girls’ Class One long jump at Champs last year, says she is planning to just enjoy what this season, her last, brings.
Sudlow was the queen of the sand pit last year when she took home the long jump title with a leap of 6.37 metres to edge out Hydel’s Shania Myers, 6.30, and St Elizabeth Technical High School’s Chloe Palmer, 6.0.
Now entering her final year, Sudlow remains coy about her season’s expectations as she is focused on enjoying the last of her high school career.
“I’m not going to really talk about the expectations I have for this year because I’m just going to enjoy myself this year and see what God has in store for me,” she told The Gleaner.
The reigning champion opened her season by competing across several disciplines in both track and field events.
Her first appearance of 2025 was in the girls’ Class One 200 metrse at the OnDiRun/JC Sprint Fest 200 where she ran 26.03 seconds to finish third in her heat.
She followed that up with a 12.16 clocking at the Pure Water/R. Danny Williams JC meet in the 100 metres before her leap of 11.73 metres in the girls’ Class One triple jump at the JAAA PUMA Fuller/Anderson meet.
She explained her races on the track are being used to develop her speed on the runway in her preferred event, the long jump.
“The track work is basically to help me with the jumps. It’s about getting that speed down the runway,” Sudlow explained.
At last weekend’s McKenley/Wint Invitational, Sudlow competed in her first long jump of the season, winning with a distance of 5.97 metres.
After the event, she stated the performance was ahead of her expectations and believes it is a positive sign for her season.
“I’m feeling good about my performance because I actually did better than I thought I would. It is just up from here for me and I know that great things are coming for me.”
Sudlow explained that taking on a leadership role in the team this season has also been new for her, but believes she has become a role model for the younger athletes.
She hopes to lead by example through showcasing good work ethic and a positive attitude towards training.
“I think a lot of the younger kids always look at me as an example when we’re training and such,” Sudlow stated.
“For example, when we train on Mondays, they would say ‘Sudlow is doing this so let me just do this as well’. It’s a good feeling to see that I’m showing this leadership so that the younger kids can have that feeling that they can follow me.”
Sudlow holds the ambition of representing Jamaica at the senior level at the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Having already donned the black, green, and gold at the junior level, she is confident she is on the right track to achieving her lifelong dreams.