Porter seeks top spot

LILLE, France:

Having made light work of qualifying for today's final, Jamaica's high jump medal hopeful Chanice Porter is now fully focused on justifying her third-place ranking coming into the IAAF World Youth Championships (WYC) in Lille, France.

After waiting for what seemed an eternity for the unseeded entrants to clear the lower heights, Porter, who entered the competition at 1.75m, cleared the bar on her second attempt to ensure that she will be among those jumping for a medal in today's final at 4:05 p.m. local time (9:05 a.m. Jamaica time).

The Manchester High School student, who will also be competing in the long jump event on Saturday inside the Stadium Lille Metropole, admitted that the long wait and cold conditions contributed to her missing the mark on her first attempt, but is now looking forward to the medal round, where she is first of all looking to improve on her 1.85m personal record and secure a medal.

"I wanted to just take one jump and qualify for the final but I'm just grateful that I am through to the finals," said Porter.

"Yes, having to wait so long in the cold and rain, it caused me to start getting frustrated and I even missed one of the jumps. I had to wait a long time and that kind of affected me. The weather was a bit cold early on but I eventually got used to it," she added, before outlining her objectives at these championships

"I'm aiming for my personal record so I'm fully focused and looking forward to the finals. I know I can do it there, I'm confident about this," she added.

Ranking

Porter, who appeared relaxed and in good spirits, is positive about her chances of become only Jamaica's second medallist in the event at the WYC, after Misha-Gaye DaCosta won the silver medal at the 2007 championships in Ostrava. However, she is well aware that despite her ranking coming into the event she will have to deliver when it matters most.

"I'm feeling very good, I just want to go there and do my best," she noted. "I feel really great about my chances, especially since I have one of the best heights in the event, but having one of the best heights and not doing well on the day doesn't mean much, so the height that I have now I am just focusing on going there to better it."

- A.L.