Jamaica’s men’s 4×100 metres and mixed relay teams both missed out on qualifying for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September, despite winning their respective events at the Barbados Grand Prix over the weekend.
The men’s sprint relay team, featuring Bouwahgie Nkrumie, Christopher Taylor, Odaine McPherson, and Kadrian Goldson, clocked a winning time of 38.46 seconds, finishing ahead of hosts Barbados (38.85 seconds) and Grenada (39.16 seconds). However, the Jamaicans needed to run 38.40 seconds or faster to secure a spot among the top 16 nations required for qualification.
Similarly, the mixed 4×400 metres relay team also missed the mark, despite securing a comfortable win. The team, anchored by Bovel McPherson, posted a time of 3:15.16 seconds, ahead of Barbados (3:15.80). Unfortunately, they were unable to improve on their season’s best of 3:11.06, which remains short of the qualifying standard needed for Tokyo.
On a brighter note, Jamaica’s women’s 4×100 metres team, which has already booked its ticket to the World Championships, completed their race uncontested after an injury to the anchor runner for Barbados. The women’s team clocked 43.35 seconds in the run.
In individual competition, national champion Kelly-Ann Beckford delivered a strong performance, winning the women’s 800 metres in 2:01.28 seconds.
With the qualification window for relay events closing on August 24, Jamaica’s teams will now need to find another opportunity to secure their spots before the deadline.
AloJapan.com