Williams, Taylor focus on Eugene after Belgrade woes
CHAMPION SPRINT hurdler Danielle Williams and Olympic 400 metres finalist Christopher Taylor have reacted bravely to the mishaps they endured at the recent World Indoor Championships. Both Williams and Taylor have set their sights on the outdoor season and its main prize, the World Championships in the American city of Eugene. Williams went to Belgrade as the fastest 60 metres hurdler in the world, but tripped on a mid-race hurdle in her heat. The 29-yearold managed to stay on her feet but her efforts yielded a time too modest to get her to the semi-final round. Crestfallen, the 2015 World 100 metres hurdles champion revealed her disappointment on the Internet networking site, Instagram. “Heartbroken,” she wrote, “but God’s will reigns supreme in every situation.”
“Nothing in practice or warmups could have prepared me for this result,” lamented the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist. Williams, who ended the season just 0.01 of a second away from Michelle Freeman’s Jamaican record of 7.74 seconds, focused on the positive aspects of a campaign in which she was undefeated until her Belgrade mishap.
“Despite this result, I had a successful indoor campaign and most importantly, I’m healthy,” the former Queen’s School star said, concluding a weekend post at her original_ants Instagram page.
Taylor was leading his 400 metres heat when he was bumped by Spain’s Bruno Hortelano. The 22-year-old Ewarton-native stopped in his semi-final the following day, citing knee pain. For the former Calabar High School standout, it was a decision made in favour of his ambitions for the outdoor season. “Hey guys, just letting you know I’m okay”, he advised fans from his cubbytaylor1 Instagram page. “Just an unfortunate situation from the heats when I got pushed. It got my knee really bad. Never took it as something big because I know how tough I am but in the semifinals I felt it really bad, so I think the best thing to do was to stop,” he explained.
In a pointer to his ambitions for the outdoor World Championships, he added, “Outdoor season starts soon, so all my focus on the bigger picture. # EUG.”
The post included a picture of Taylor getting his left knee checked.
Last year, Taylor became the first Jamaican to reach an Olympic 400 metres final since 2004, when Brandon Simpson, Davian Clarke and Michael Blackwood gave the nation a full complement of entrants to race for the medals. Taylor set a personal best in the Olympic final – 44.79 seconds – to finish in sixth place. In addition, he ran a time of 44.92 in his Olympic semi-final.
The Eugene World Championships is set for July. To qualify, Williams and Taylor will have to compete at the Jamaican National Senior Championships which is scheduled for June 24 to June 27 inside the National Stadium.