Orville Higgins | I expect an 11-medal haul

The 2019 Athletics World Championships is now here with us, and as is customary before the ‘Worlds’ or the Olympics, Jamaicans are having their say on what they think the medal haul will be by the Jamaican team. I have heard everything from a conservative six medals to an optimistic 18. My prediction is somewhere in-between. I feel we will get 11 medals at the World Championships this year. I will come back to this piece when it’s all over to see how I stack up against the experts. (Or indeed against the common man).

I foresee five gold, three silver and three bronze. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce wins the women’s 100 metres for me, narrowly staving off her fast-closing MVP teammate Elaine Thompson, who will finish a whisker away for second. In the women’s 200m Thompson gets the gold. Sorry, Dina Asher-Smith, you will have to settle for silver. Fraser-Pryce and Thompson, plus any other two should just about pip it for the 4x100m for women once they don’t mess up the baton change. Danielle Williams should continue her outstanding season in the sprint hurdles and take gold. Kendra Harrison will not be able to match the speed and technique of Williams, who will have a point to prove. Omar McLeod will take the fifth Jamaican gold in the 110 hurdles. He has had an up-and-down season, but looked to be rounding into his best form towards the end. I’m not betting against the World and Olympic Champion.

Silver medals

Our three silver medalists will include Fedrick Dacres in the discus. The Calabar old boy will be nosed out by Daniel Stahl, the world number one from Sweden. The men’s 4x400m should also get silver. A combination of Rusheen McDonald, Akeem Bloomfield, Demish Gaye and Nathon Allen could indeed challenge for gold; however, the USA team of Michael Norman, Fred Kerley, Nathan Strother, Vernon Norwood (or possibly Rai Benjamin) should be too good for the rest of the field. They will continue the USA’s dominance of this event. As I mentioned before, Thompson will get the silver in the 100m for women.

Bronze medals

Our three bronze medals should come from shot putter Danniel Thomas Dodd and triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts while I’m holding out hope for the women’s 4x400m team to also make it to the podium. The quartet of Shericka Jackson, Stephenie Ann McPherson, Anastacia Le-Roy and possibly Roniesha McGregor shouldn’t be beaten by more than two teams. So those are my 11 medals. My dark horses for podium finishes are Yohan Blake in the 100m and Natoya Goule in the 800 metres. I was tempted to push our medal tally to 13. Indeed, the experts see us getting 13. If we get the exact amount of medals by the exact people I have mentioned here, then I will declare myself the greatest track and field analyst in the country! Dem couldn’ chat to me afta dis!