Nugent tipped to top 100m hurdles at National Champs

WHEN the women’s 100 metres hurdles final is contested at the National Senior Championships in just over two weeks, a new champion will be crowned as defending champion and national record holder Britany Anderson will be absent.

The outstanding Anderson, who was impressive last year after winning a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, sustained a knee injury in her early- season preparation and is out for the season.

Following her outstanding collegiate season, former Excelsior High standout Ackera Nugent will start as favourite to win the event at the National Championships. Nugent, a student at the University of Arkansas, was second in May at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Baton Rouge in a personal-best 12.46 seconds, the fastest in the event by a Jamaican this year. She is also ranked at number six in the event on the World Athletics top list.

At the NCAA Outdoor Championships recently, she underlined her good form by winning the event in a wind-aided 12.25 (plus 3.8 metres per second) and the former World Under-20 champion will be hoping to win her first senior title at the National Championships.

GOOD FORM

Nugent will not have it her own way, however, as 2015 World champion Danielle Williams has run into good form at the right time and the 31-year-old veteran could steal the show. The second-best Jamaican in the event with a season’s best 12.50, Williams was in tremendous form at last Saturday’s New York Grand Prix. Competing against a stacked field, including former world record holder Keni Harrison of the United States, she led for the first seven barriers before being passed by Harrison (12.29) and her teammate Alaysha Johnson (12.30). Williams ended third in 12.33. The athletes were aided by a positive wind of 2.8 mps.

While the race for the title should be a straight fight between Nugent and Williams, it will be interesting to see who will grab the third spot. The supporting cast will be led by 2020 Olympic Games bronze medallist Megan Tapper, who has a season’s best 12.74, and World Under-20 champion Kerrica Hill with a best of 12.75, along with the likes of Demisha Roswell with a best of 12.77, Amoi Brown, and former national champion Yanique Thompson, who both have joint season’s best time of 12.87.