CRUNCH TIME

ONE MONTH before the deadline for the entry of all countries’ athletes to the Tokyo World Championships, several Jamaicans who finished in the top three at the National Junior and Senior and Championships [Trials] are yet to attain the automatic qualifying standard.

Since Trials, a few athletes in individual events, who had previously failed to hit the mark, have done so. The list includes national senior male 800-metre record holder Navasky Anderson, who finished second; third-place finisher in the men’s 200m Adrian Kerr; and women’s 200m winner Ashanti Moore.

However, all three finishers in the men’s 400 metres — Rusheen McDonald, Delano Kennedy and Jevaughn Powell — along with Christopher Taylor, runner-up in the men’s 200m; national champion in the women’s 800m, Kelly-Ann Beckford; national champion in the women’s 1500m, Adelle Tracey; women’s 200m second- and third-place finishers, Gabrielle Matthews and Roneisha McGregor, along with men’s 800m champion Tyrice Taylor, are among the athletes yet to make qualifying standards.

With the gap narrowing, several of these athletes have so far failed in their attempt to hit the required standard while competing on the European circuit.

But highly respected track and field guru Bruce James noted that there are a plethora of meets and time for the Jamaican athletes to attain the qualifying criteria.

“So there are 45 quality meets for athletes to try to meet the standards,” noted James, who is also president of world-renowned MVP track club.

Some of the Jamaicans seeking to attain the World Championships’ qualifying standards have been selected to compete at next month’s NACAC Senior Championships in Freeport, Bahamas — just a week before the entry deadline for Tokyo.

One athlete who could be left ruing his decision at the National Championships is McDonald. On course to hit the automatic qualifying standard of 44.85 seconds and with a comfortable lead in the final, he eased to a walk about 10 metres from the finish, putting his finger to his lips to silence his detractors. He paid the price dearly, winning in 44.89 seconds — just 0.04 seconds outside the qualification mark.

McDonald has competed twice since then, but along with Kennedy and Powell, have not come close to the times posted at the National Senior Championships.

All three, however, are already assured of doing relay duties in Tokyo, where the men’s 4x400m relay team was one of just two Jamaican relay teams to have secured qualification at the World Relays, joining the women’s 4x100m team.

Since then, however, the men’s 4x100m relay team clocked a season’s best 37.84 seconds — the third-fastest time in the world — and looks set to qualify, though they are not yet fully in the clear.

This is because 14 of the 16 teams had already secured automatic berth for Tokyo, at the World Relays.

So only two spots are up for grabs. With 37.84, the Jamaicans have an outstanding chance of claiming one of the other two spots up for grabs. They now hold the lead, and will hope that no other two countries run faster by the August 28 cut-off date.

Jamaica’s women’s 4x400m and its mixed 4x400m relay teams are still seeking qualification.

There are also several field event athletes who placed in the top three at the National Championships, but have yet to secure their individual berths for Tokyo, after failing to hit the automatic qualifying marks.

However, field athletes are in a slightly better position to qualify, because if the required number of athletes for Tokyo do not meet the qualifying standard, then the athletes who have not qualified will be selected based on the best world rankings, to complete the required quota.

sports@gleanerjm.com

Meets ahead of World Champs cut-off date

• 15 World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meets

• 16 World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meets

• 8 World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meets

• 1 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet

• 1 Area Senior Outdoor Championships (NACAC)

• 3 Diamond League meets

- 1 Diamond League Final.