Pryce is right for the women’s 400m at ‘Trials’

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June 19, 2024

Photo

Nickisha Pryce

THE FOUR-DAY JAAA/Puma National Junior and Senior Championships National Senior Championships begins on June 27 with the the country's top senior athletes set to seek spots on the Jamaican team to the July 26 to August 11 Olympic Games in Paris.

One athlete who will attract a lot of attention at the meet will be national 400 metres record holder Nickisha Pryce, a student at the University of Arkansas. Pryce will enter the meet as one of the highest profile female athletes this season, following her performance at the recent NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The 23-year-old Pryce shattered the women's national 400m record at the meet with an impressive 48.98 seconds to capture the NCAA title. She erased the 22 year-old mark of 49.30 set by Lorraine Fenton Graham and in the process became the first Jamaican woman to go under 49 seconds in the event.

The former Vere Technical High athlete will line up in the event next week as the overwhelming favourite to go all the way and successfully defend the title she won last year. She has shown tremendous improvement over the past year. In 2023, despite winning the national title in 50.21, she was only the third ranked Jamaican female in the event behind Stacey-Ann Williams with 50.12 and Candice McLeod with 50.17.

A semi- finalist at the Budapest World Championships in the event last year, her biggest challenge at the 'Trials' will be the clock and after a very long collegiate season it will be interesting to see if she can dip under 50 seconds once again.

Performances have been lukewarm from the other Jamaican women so far this season. Williams' season's best is 50.71, almost two seconds slower than Pryce. She should take the runner- up spot at the 'Trials'.

The next best Jamaican woman over the one-lap distance is Charokee Young with a season's best 51.16, just ahead of Leah Anderson with 51.22 and she will be hoping for a top three placing here.

Despite having only a season's best of 52.13, 400m hurdler Janieve Russell usually performs well in this event at the National Championships and could finish ahead of one of the more fancied runners.