Back to his best - Personal record for Walker

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

With a national championship title and a new personal best to his name, the Supreme Ventures Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association National Senior Championships at the National Stadium proved a memorable outing for Wilbert Walker.

The former Morant Bay High star athlete produced a leap of 16.76 metres to claim the triple jump crown and in the process bettered his old personal best of 16.35m, which he achieved in 2006.

That was the jump that earned him a bronze medal at the Central America and Caribbean Games (CAC) and the 25-year-old is looking to go two better this time around and return with gold at this year's meet.

Injury issues

Nicholas Thomas finished second at the National Champion-ships with a leap of 15.59m while Damon McLean's best distance was 14.96m.

Meanwhile, Walker is hoping to better his eighth place finish at the last Commonwealth Games when he suits up for Jamaica at the October meet.

For the moment, he is savouring his performance at the trials, especially considering his recent injury issues.

"I think I did well," said Walker. "I'm very pleased about the personal best, I have worked hard for this and it's even sweeter considering that I am just coming back from surgery."

Walker, who had jumped over 17m in training with former Vere Technical coach Patrick Johnson last week, is back to his best after damaging his knee (meniscus) last year.

"It's been a very difficult road back (from injury). After the surgery, I was told by the doctor that it would take a lot of work if I intend to get back in a short time," Walker noted.

"But I was determined to recover; I need this, this is something I love and is very dedicated to, so I did a lot of work in rehab and it's paying off now," said the former Lincoln Uni-versity student.

With a bachelor's degree in criminal justice all but wrapped up, Walker is now channelling all his energy towards his ambitions in the pit.

Long considered by many pundits to be the heir the throne of national record holder James Beckford, Walker is expecting his stock to rise and his talent to continue to develop in the near future.

"I know that I have the talent to do very well and I have been training really hard. I see myself doing 17m and 18m on a consistent basis very soon," Walker assured.

He is, however, cognisant of the fact that there are a few areas of his technique that could use some tweaking and is determined to make the necessary adjustments as he continues his development.

"I have been training well and have been focusing mainly on my speed and flexibility," Walker pointed out. "I am looking to improve my technique, especially my last jump phase."