Thrower Williams ‘disappointed’ with injury setback on eve of Olympic trial
NATIONAL junior discus record holder Cedricka Williams says she will not compete at this week’s National Championships, due to injury.
The National Championships is to be held from June 27-30 at the National Stadium, and will be used to select Jamaica’s team to this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Williams, who represents Barton Community College in the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) in the United States, said she has been struggling with a pectoral muscle injury affecting her right throwing arm throughout the season.
“I have been competing in pain at the NJCAA Championships this season so I decided to skip this year’s National Championships and focus on getting ready for next season,” Williams explained.
“I have been struggling with my technique and dealing with injuries because of a strained pectoral muscle. Also, mentally, I have been going through a lot so I have made the decision to take the time to recover and prepare for next year,” she added.
Williams achieved a season’s best throw of 57.80m to secure the gold medal at the NJCAA Championships last month. The effort was a NJCAA Championships record.
“I am disappointed that I won’t be competing at the national trial because I love competing in Jamaica, but I have to take care of my injury and my body at this time,” she said.
Samantha Hall currently leads the country’s discus throwers this year with a mark of 62.12m, while Cuba’s Yaime Perez holds the world-leading mark of 73.09m in the event. The Olympic qualifying standard for the women’s discus throw is 64.50m.
Williams, aged 20 and a former standout at Holmwood Technical High School, reflected on her season and acknowledged that injury had impacted her performance.
“My season was good, but I know I could have achieved better results if not for this injury which caused me a lot of pain and affected my performances. I felt a lot of pain whenever I tried to throw far, which definitely hindered me this season.
“If it weren’t for this injury I believe I would have been at the Olympic trials; given my training regimen I know I would have been in top form,” she said.
