The World Athletics Championships will begin today in Eugene, Oregon, but Barbados’ bid for a first medal in 13 years gets underway on Saturday as sprint hurdler Shane Brathwaite is set to be the first local athlete in action.
Brathwaite who was sixth in the men’s 110-metre hurdle final in Doha 2019 will compete in the first round at 2:25 p.m. Barbados time.
The reigning Pan American Games champion is followed by quarter milers Sada Williams and Jonathan Jones in the women’s and men’s 400 metre heats.
Brathwaite is the most experienced campaigner for Barbados. After crashing out in the first round at the Tokyo Olympics, the 32 year-old two-time Olympian will have a point to prove with a season’s best of 13.40 seconds.
Jones, who has been having the season of his life, is arguably the island’s biggest medal hope in the men’s 400 metre event.
He enters his first World Champs as one of the ten fastest men over 400 metre this year with a season’s best of 44.43 seconds.
Meantime, Williams’ best time so far is 50.74 seconds, but has shown great potential following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She has demonstrated on numerous occasions that she has what it takes to rub shoulders with the best in the world in the event which includes Olympic gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo and silver medallist Marileidy Paulino.
Fans are yet to see the best of Williams in 2022 but there is a feeling it could come over the next few days. (AGB)