Ackelia Smith takes aim at PBs in triple and long jumps at Olympics
Ackelia Smith says she has grown enormously as an athlete and a person as she prepares for her first Olympics.
The 22-year old jumper is one of only two Jamaicans, alongside Shericka Jackson, contesting more than one solo event at the Paris Games and is visibly excited by the prospect.
Smith made her global competition debut at the Budapest World Championships last year and, although hampered by an injury earlier in 2024, claims to be fit and ready to challenge for medals in both the long and triple jumps competitions.
She remonstrated after a controversial ‘no jump’ during the long jump competition in Hungary, which unsettled her and also adversely affected her subsequent triple jump effort.
“The triple jump, which I really love, is the first event this time,” she points out with a smile.
“I’m happy to be here and could only be happier if I got a PB in both of them, and if I get a PB then maybe I’ll get a medal.”
– Robert Bailey
