IN 2008 when the International Associations of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the global ruling body for track and field athletics, celebrated the 80th anniversary of women in track and field, the photo on the cover of the programmes and brochures as well as banners in Monaco was one of Jamaica’s Olympic silver medallist Grace Jackson consoling a weeping American Gwen Torrance.

Torrance had just won the 200m gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, ahead of two other Jamaicans — Juliet Cuthbert and Merlene Ottey — and had broken down in tears.

Obviously, the IAAF could have used one of hundreds of thousands of images from their archives, but chose that one.

Jackson is highly regarded in the sport of track and field from her days as an athlete, and even now she is instantly recognised anywhere in the world she goes.

Her outstanding efforts in lifting the sports programme at the University of the West Indies, Mona, to rival any mid-level American University in a short time, and still growing, bears stark testimony to her transition from the track to administration with nary a pause.

Jackson has used her intimate knowledge of what makes the sport move and has put that expertise to work in practical ways, both at UWI, through her involvement as a vice-president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), as well as her stint as president of Inter-Col.

In her stint as president of Inter-Col, Jackson helped to bring about structures that has helped in taking that organisation to the point where it is now a viable and thriving entity.

However, the 1998 Seoul, South Korea Olympics Games 200m silver medallist is still viewed by many as a long shot to become the first female president of the JAAA at their Annual General Meeting (AGM) later this month.

She will be up against two men who few would recognise outside of the core of Jamaica’s track and field officials, and who few fans would even know of.

The incumbent Dr Warren Blake and high-profile attorney-at-law Lincoln Eatmon are the other candidates for what could be the most important AGM in the recent history of the JAAA.

There is a lot at stake in these elections where battle lines are being drawn and fundamental changes expected as word on the ground is that even the very national gear sponsors could change, depending on who wins at the polls.

Over the past five or six years Jamaica has carved out a name in global track and field as a sprint powerhouse. Whoever wins the elections set for November 29 will have the task of not just maintaining the status quo, but also leading our athletics product into new territory.

This will take vision and strong global connections from a united team dedicated to the progress of the country’s track and field — not personalities or those seeking to pad their résumés.

The race for the top post in Jamaica’s most successful sport should not be a popularity contest, but at the very least, each candidate should be measured according to their accomplishments and capabilities, as well as their abilities to influence persons all the way to the very top of the IAAF, if needs be.

Despite being in office for just over a year and being fortunate to be at the helm during our most successful Olympic Games in number of medals won, the incumbent Dr Blake has done very little, in my estimation, to help his own cause.

It shouldn’t take much for anyone to use the success of the Olympic Games to win an election, which everyone knew was due this month. But somehow, Dr Blake managed to drop the ball with ineffective leadership.

He was silent or absent for long periods during the lead-up to and the actual Olympic Games when firm leadership was sorely needed, for example. It is, therefore, not a surprise that almost everyone who has come out have questioned Dr Blake’s lack of leadership.

A letter written by Dr Blake to treasurer Ludlow Watts in March and leaked to members of the press this month where he complained about being left out of pretty much everything going on at the JAAA does little to bolster his claim for re-election to a full four-year term.

Eatmon is a long-serving member of the JAAA and, as an eminent lawyer, has surrounded himself with a powerful team that includes some of the real servants of the sport, which will serve him well. One question is, why has it taken him this long to finally throw his hat into the ring for the leadership role?

Whoever takes over as president of the JAAA come November 29 must have a vision to take Jamaica’s track and field past the 100m and 200m and look to ways of developing middle-distance running, jumps and the throws.

The new JAAA boss must find ways to expand the sport from its Corporate Area and central Jamaica strongholds and spread it to northern, western and eastern Jamaica. They must work with GC Foster College to develop more coaches and to ensure that even more talents are brought to the fore, in the so-called non-traditional events.

Linkages must be made with Caribbean neighbours Cuba to utilise their expertise in events such as the horizontal jumps, javelin and pole vault; the latter two still are weak areas for our athletes and coaches.

Given what is required to take our athletics forward, there is no time for experimentation and the best man for the job is a woman, Grace Jackson.

After all, our last three ministers of sport have all been women, so why not have a woman as head of the JAAA?