Gold for Smith, silver for Frater
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Observer Reporter
Monday, August 08, 2005
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| A jump for gold |
Trecia Smith snatched gold in the triple jump and Michael Frater a silver in the 100 metres as Jamaica got off to a roaring start at the 10th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
The 29 year-old Smith won her first ever medal at a major championships with a best effort of 15.11 metres, a world leading mark, beating Cuban Yargelis Savigne of Cuba, who took silver with a leap of 14.82 metres and Russian Anna Pyatkykh, who held the bronze with 14.78 metres.
Smith became only the third Jamaican to win an individual World Championships gold - after Bert Cameron and Merlene Ottey - and the first to earn a medal in the triple jump.
t's surreal. It has not sunk in as yet," Smith told the Observer yesterday. "It could have been gold, silver or bronze, I wanted to be on the podium this trip around," said Smith, whose first two jumps weren't good, while she hurt herself on the third jump.
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| Jamaican Trecia Smith leapt to a world-leading 15.11 metres to win the world triple jump title in Helsinki. (Photo: AFP) |
"After the second jump I jammed my ankle and I hurt it further on the third jump and then I said to myself that I am just going to let it (ankle) fall off.
"I strapped it and let it fall off. It was going to have to fall off because I was going to give 110 per cent," Smith insisted.
"Thank God I am tough, mentally. I just regrouped and went back at it and the result speaks for itself. I have been going (aiming) for 15 metres all season and it finally came at the right time."
Frater, 22, took the 100m silver in 10.05 seconds, behind American Justin Gatlin (9.88sec), with defending champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis securing the bronze also in 10.05 seconds. Dwight Thomas finished fifth in 10.09 seconds.
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| Michael Frater took the 100m silver in 10.05 seconds |
Gatlin, who holds the Olympic title for the event, was always in command and won easily while
Frater and Collins rushed forward at the finish to secure their medals.
Frater became the second Jamaican man to win a medal in the 100 metres at the World Championships and his silver was earned in a better time than countryman Raymond Stewart, who captured his silver at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Italy, in 10.08 seconds.
"It wasn't the race that I had planned," Frater told the Observer. "Not a lot of people believed that I could do it. My coaches, my family and people around me supported me. As I went through the rounds I felt good. I got to the final and had nothing to lose but to go out there and have fun and enjoy myself.
"I went out there, I did not get a good start, but I ran the race of my life. I ran straight through the line and I got a silver medal. I have nothing to complain about; I am just really happy right now," Frater pointed out.
"I benefited from working with a world record holder (Asafa Powell) and working with a coach (Stephen Francis) who believed in me."
Francis said: "I started coaching him from he was 12 years old. I always felt that Michael had the ability to be a world-class sprinter. His personality is of such that he always listens and obeys."
All three Jamaicans Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson and Aleen Bailey advanced to the semi-finals of the women's 100 metres.
Campbell won her quarter-final in 11.17 seconds, Simpson qualified in 11.12 seconds, and Aleen Bailey squeezed in as one of the four fastest qualifiers after finishing fourth in 11.29 seconds.
In today's semis, Campbell and Bailey will face France's Christine Arron; while in the other Simpson takes on USA's Lauryn Williams, Bahamas' Chandra Sturrup, and Olympic champion Yuliya Nesterenko of Bulgaria.
Shericka Williams, third in heat four, and Lorraine Fenton, third in heat five, both advanced to today's 400m semi-finals. Ronetta Smith failed to advance.
However all three Jamaican men, Kemel Thompson (3rd-48.64), Danny McFarlane (5th-49.41), and Dean Griffiths (6th-49.89) failed to progress to the final of the 400m hurdles.
Kenia Sinclair (3rd-1:59.45) and Michelle Ballentine (8th-2:03.98) came up short in the women's 800 metres and did not make the final.
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