‘It was quite painful’
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Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey (centre) competing in the heats of the women’s 1500 metres at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo yesterday.
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A dejected Adelle Tracey moments after competing in the women’s 1,500-metre qualifiers at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. Tracey finished 13th in heat three.
ADELLE TRACEY did her best to cast aside a difficult and painful week to contest the heats of the 1500 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan yesterday.
But, despite her brave attempt to claim a top-six qualifying place and make the semi-finals, she could only manage to limp home 13th out of her 14-runner third heat.
Tracey, who switched allegiances from Great Britain to the nation of her father’s birth, made no excuses but pointed out:
“It’s been a tough 24 hours, as I had a bag fall on my foot at the airport.
“It’s left me with what could be a sprain or some ligament damage.
“Thankfully, it’s not a break, but it was touch and go whether I would race today.
“I don’t really think that performance reflects the kind of shape that I’m in, and emotionally and psychologically, as well as physically, it has been quite stressful.
“I’m proud of myself for going out and having a crack at it – giving it a go – and hopefully things will heal up enough for me to have another crack at it [in the 800m] next week.
“I’m never one to go down without a battle, and I’d be owing something to myself if I didn’t show up after putting a lot of work in to get here.
“It wasn’t the result I wanted today but those habits will show benefits in another way.
“It was mostly my toe and it’s the joint, so that affected my push off.
“It was quite painful and, this morning, I was questioning whether racing was a good idea”
Her mood was in stark contrast to the bubbly character who smashed Jamaica’s long-standing 1500m record two years ago when she set a mark of 3:58.7 at the last edition of the World Championships in Budapest.
She praised the Jamaican medical staff for getting her into a position to compete, and now goes away for more treatment, in the hope that she can turn out in the green, gold, and black for the heats of the metric half mile on Thursday.
All four 1500m heats were predictably slow and tactical, with Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu winning Tracey’s race by setting a modest yet quickest time of all the heats – 4:01.23, while world record holder and pre-Championship favourite Faith Kipyegon, who clocked a 3:48.68 all-time best in July, cruised home in 4:02.55.