Good signs for Jura

Jura Levy, the two-time World Championships relay medal winner, is seeing signs of progress at the recently launched Legacy Athletics club. The diminutive sprinter thinks she will be ready to go faster and grab individual medals when international track and field resumes.

Levy wants to push past the semi-final stage she reached at the 2011 and 2017 World Championships in the 100 metres. "That's what I'm working towards because I would hope to get an individual medal, more than just a relay medal," the 30-year-old athlete confirmed on January 31.

"So the next two, three years, I want to be on all the national teams, run my very best time. I'm hoping to PB, hopefully get to sub-11," outlined the Trelawny native with a personal best (PB) of 11.06 seconds from 2017.

In that season, she helped Jamaica to a fast victory in the 4x200 metres at the World Relays. Levy, Shericka Jackson, Shashalee Forbes and Elaine Thompson clicked to a meet record of 1 minute 29.04 seconds.

Levy's quiet confidence is based on training supervised by Legacy head coach Omar Hawes. "I'm comfortable. Training is going well. I think, for me, my main concern is always to stay healthy and I'm healthy," she stated.

Injuries delayed her return

A star at Vere Technical, South Plains Junior College and Oklahoma Baptist University, she placed third at the 2011 National Championships and reached the 100 semi-final at the Worlds in Daegu, South Korea. Injuries delayed her return to the world stage until 2017, when she again made the 100 semis in London, England.

The 2008 World Under-20 200 finalist often comes from behind in big races and she knows a better start will help. "We have been seeing improvements," she said. "So it's just for me to put everything together and have a good race."

At Vere, where she won Girls' Championships 200 metre titles in class 1, 2 and 3, the curved sprint was her preferred event, but not anymore. "In college, I ran both and I enjoy running both, but I think the last time I tried doing the double was 2017. I'm still training for both, but I will just be focusing more on the 100 than the 200," she promised.

Levy is readying herself to face Jamaica's deep cadre of quality female sprinters. "I respect every competitor I compete with and everything, but I work just as hard as them to be there with them, so I don't see why I would count myself out if I'm working just as hard as them," she resolved.

An important sign of her progress has come on the scale. She now stands 5 foot tall and 122 pounds. "The last time I PB, I was 126, so I'm currently lighter than I was, but still stronger in the weight room, so I think I'll be fine," she calculated, with a view to personal best times to come.