‘New’ Jonielle Smith eyes individual success

Having established herself as a solid member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay pool over the years, Jonielle Smith will be looking to add individual success to her growing repertoire when she lines up in the women’s 100m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Smith will compete at the upcoming Commonwealth Games, set to run from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.
It will be Smith’s first time competing at the Commonwealth Games and she will enter the competition in the form of her life.
Smith ran a personal best of 10.94 seconds earlier this month to finish third at the National Championships, her joint-best placing since 2019.
She finished behind reigning national champion Shericka Jackson, 10.84, and world silver medallist Tina Clayton, 10.85.
Speaking after the National Championships, Smith said she was happy with her performance, but feels there is still a lot left in the tank.
“I really wanted to be a bit more aggressive in the first 30 metres, but I feel like I executed my own race. I kept my drive phase, ran out of the drive phase and then just built into my top end,” Smith explained.
“I know there is more because I didn’t feel like I ran just now, which is a very good sign. Once I get more comfortable with this type of speed and get more comfortable with execution, I feel like I can go way faster by the end of the year.”
NEW PERSON
Smith said she feels like a brand new person this season, and her times on the track have reflected her progress.
She dipped below the 11-second barrier for the first time in her career this year, repeating the feat two times since.
She also competed at her first World Athletics Indoor Championships, where she placed fifth in the women’s 60m final.
Smith said one of her goals for the season, outside of chasing individual success, will be to handle this new stage in her career while competing against the world’s best.
“For this season, to be honest, I’m trying to figure out this new person; the confidence, the healthy body, being able to train and come and compete and go right back into training,” she said.
“I’m figuring out what’s working for me now and how can I continue to be more confident. Each race, I just want to improve and improve, and I think I’ve been doing that well so far,” Smith continued.
“I’m very grateful for the [personal best], very grateful for top three, finally, so again, after this, I just continue pushing, pushing, pushing. As I said, I feel like I can go way faster, so who is to tell next year?” 
The qualifiers for the women’s 100m at the Commonwealth Games will begin on July 27, with the semi-finals and final on July 28.
gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com