READY TO GO!
Jamaica eyes strong start on Day One of World Athletics Championships
Tokyo, Japan:
The 2025 World Athletics Championships officially gets under way this evening (Jamaica time) at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, with several Jamaican athletes set to compete across both track and field events.
First in action for Jamaica will be four-time national discus champion and reigning North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships (NACAC) titleholder Samantha Hall. She is scheduled to compete in Group B of the women’s discus qualification round, beginning at 8:40 p.m. Jamaica time.
Hall enters the championships ranked 18th in the world and in the best form of her career, having thrown a personal best of 64.97 metres earlier this season. She will be aiming to improve on her 2023 World Championships performance, where she failed to reach the final with a best throw of 58.43 metres.
Following Hall, Jamaica will compete in the mixed 4x400m relay heats to close out the morning session. Lined up in Heat 1, Jamaica faces a tough challenge, needing a top-two finish – or one of the next two fastest times overall – to qualify for the final. They will go up against powerhouses including defending champions and world record holders United States, Great Britain, and Italy.
Due to the 14-hour time difference between Jamaica and Tokyo, day one’s evening session will continue on Saturday morning (Jamaica time).
At 4:30 a.m., long jumper Ackelia Smith will contest Group A of the women’s long jump qualification. She enters the event as Jamaica’s lone representative and fourth-ranked athlete based on her personal best of 7.08 metres. However, her season’s best is 6.74 metres, and she will need to find her top form to advance.
Smith is no stranger to the big stage, having made the finals at the past two World Championships and placing in the top eight at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
SPRINT QUEENS TAKE THE TRACK
All eyes will turn to the track at 4:55 a.m. with the women’s 100m heats featuring Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Tina Clayton.
Clayton, Jamaica’s national champion, will run in Heat 2, facing competition from Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain), Rosemary Chukwuma (Nigeria), and Ewa Swoboda (Poland).
Jackson will line up in a competitive Heat 3, where she will meet Sha’Carri Richardson (USA), Anthaya Charlton (Bahamas), and Gina Luckenkemper (Germany).
Fraser-Pryce will round out the Jamaican trio in Heat 7, going head-to-head with seasoned sprinter Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith.
The top three from each heat, plus the next three fastest overall, will advance to the semi-finals.
Middle distance and men’s 100m on deck
Adelle Tracey will begin her campaign in the women’s 1500m at 6:10 a.m., running in Heat 3. With a season’s best of 4:06.23, Tracey will need a significant improvement to finish within the top six and advance to the next round.
Jamaica’s trio of Kishane Thompson, Oblique Seville, and Akeem Blake are also expected to feature in the men’s 100m heats though the official start list had not been released at press time.
Finally, Jamaica could secure its first medal of the Championships in the mixed 4x400m relay final, scheduled for 8:20 a.m. The team will be aiming to rebound from a ninth-place finish at the 2023 World Championships, where they failed to reach the final with a ninth-overall placing.