Brave Tracey excites crowd

Raymond Graham, Sunday Gleaner Writer

EVEN with a lot of hype surrounding the men's 100 metres on Friday at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association/Supreme Ventures Limited National Senior Championships, the women's 400 metres hurdles had the thousands of fans cheering for a long while as Edwin Allen High School's 19-year-old athlete, Ristananna Tracey, shone beautifully.

Normally, winners get the most cheers but Tracey, although finishing second, could be described as a winner on the night.

After getting the biggest cheer when her name was called at the start of the final, she did not disappoint as she put on a fantastic display. Lining up in a quality field which included her new training partner at MVP Track Club, Kaliese Spencer, along with Nickeisha Wilson and Shevon Stoddart, who have all represented the country at the Olympics, Tracey was not fazed by the occasion as she ran the best race of her career despite facing her seniors for the first time.

A finalist at the World Youth and World Junior Championships where after looking a likely medallist at both events faltered close home on both occasions, it was a different Tracey on Friday night and in the end she got an even bigger cheer.

Running out of lane six, she went out very fast, keeping pace with Spencer for the majority of the way as she came into the straight full of running and kept her form well to finish a close second in 54.58 seconds.

Spencer won in 54.15 seconds, while the experienced Wilson had to settle for third in 55.95 seconds.

It was a National Junior Record for Tracey, who also booked her place for Daegu as her mark surpassed the qualifying 'A' Standard of 55.40 seconds, as she improved on her previous personal best of 55.81 seconds by over one full second. She erased Spencer's former National Junior Record of 55.11 seconds, done at the World Junior Championships in Beijing in 2006.

Second-fastest junior ever

Tracey's time is also the second-fastest time ever by a junior, with China's Sing Wang's 54.40, done in 2005, being the fastest time.

Tracey also emulated the feat of her other training partner, Melaine Walker, who as a schoolgirl made it to the Edmonton World Championships in 2000.

"I feel extremely grateful to achieve my personal best and to attain the 'A' Standard for the World Championships. I just came out to do my best and in the end it paid off," she said.

"I was not surprised when I came second because my coach told me before the race that I could do it and I believe in him and I know he is proud of me right now," she continued.

Tracey, who will enter the University of Technology to continue her study this September, has been taking orders from MVP coach Stephen Francis for the past three weeks and she thinks the short stint there has helped a far way with her great improvement.

"I think training alongside two world-class hurdlers in Melaine (Walker) and Kaliese (Spencer) has really helped me as they do their best to motivate and encourage me in training," said Tracey.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family, especially my mother, my teammates at Edwin Allen and my high-school coach, Michael Dyke, who all have made this dream possible," said Tracey, who admitted being disappointed that her mother wasn't on hand to witness her performance on the night.