TOUGH GOING

WITH BRONZE medals in the women’s 400-metre hurdles at the 2019 Championships in Doha and in Budapest two years ago, Rushell Clayton will be hoping for another top-three finish when she competes at next week’s World Championships in Tokyo. She will be joined by Andrenette Knight and Shiann Salmon as Jamaica’s representatives in the event.

Clayton has struggled with injuries this season and has competed sparingly. Her season’s best time of 53.81 seconds, done in winning at the National Championships in June, will need major improvement if she hopes to be among the medals again. For now, her first focus will be securing a spot in the final.

Knight, who placed eighth in Budapest and third at the recent Diamond League finals in Zurich, has been Jamaica’s most consistent performer in the event this season. She picked up her first Diamond League win in Rome, clocking a season’s best 53.67. Known for her rapid early speed over the barriers, she will be banking on that strength to take her into the final.

Salmon, a finalist at last year’s Olympic Games where she placed sixth, will also be chasing improvement. Her best so far this season is 54.57, and she will need to lower that time if Jamaica is to repeat the feat of two years ago with three finalists in the event.

It will, however, be a tough task for the Jamaicans to get on the podium. Defending champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands looks almost certain for gold. With Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opting for the flat 400m, the path is clear for Bol to dominate. She has been unbeaten all season, winning in style everywhere, including the Zurich Diamond League final. Bol owns the world lead of 51.91 seconds, set at the Silesia Diamond League, and is the only athlete under 52 seconds this year. She is expected to easily defend her title.

The United States pair of Dalilah Muhammad, the 2019 champion and former world record holder, along with Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell, are strong medal contenders. Muhammad, with a season’s best 52.58, could be making her final appearance at age 35. She has an impressive résumé, having also won silver at World Championships in Moscow and London and bronze in Eugene.

Cockrell, who ran a personal best of 51.87 in Paris last year when finishing second behind McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record 50. 87, has also been consistent this season. She enters the Championships with a season’s best 52.84 and will be in the medal hunt.

NCAA Division 1 champion Savannah Sutherland of Canada, ranked second behind Bol with a personal best of 52.46, will be aiming for redemption after a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Silesia Diamond League in 55.13.

Other athletes to watch include Emma Zapletakiva of Slovakia, who was second to Bol in Poland with a national record of 53.58, and Gianna Woodruff of Panama, who clocked a personal best 53.89 for second at the Brussels meet.

TOP THREE

1. Femke Bol (Netherlands)

2. Anna Cockrell (USA)

3.Dalilah Muhammed (USA)