20 July 2010

Jodie Williams (coach: Mike McFarlane) began her challenging IAAF World Junior Championships campaign with an 11.53 (0.0m/s) victory in her 100m heat on day two in Moncton, Canada (19-25 July).

It was a comfortable win for the UK junior record holder and current world number three who progresses through to tomorrow’s semi finals – Wednesday 21 July at 18.30 (22.30 UK time) – as third fastest behind USA’s Takeia Pinckney, the 2010 US Junior Champion (11.48/+0.2m/s) and Germany’s Leena Gunther (11.50/+0.3m/s).

“I just wanted to execute the start and relax through it, and that’s exactly what I did,” said Williams who will also line up in the 200m this week. “I want to conserve as much energy as I can and I think I did that quite well.”

She’ll be joined by her Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team mate Marylyn Nwawulor (coach: Harry King/Carol Jackson) who finished outside the automatic qualifying spots in fourth in heat one, but progressed as a fastest loser with 11.85 (+0.3m/s). It was an agonising wait for Nwawulor who admitted she was disappointed in her performance and noticeably on edge following an athlete’s false start and subsequent disqualification, but will be looking to rectify that in the next round.

“Tomorrow’s going to be interesting,” concluded Williams, and as both athletes bid to match or better the silver medal winning performance of Ashlee Nelson (coach: Michael Afilaka), Britain’s only female 100m medallist at these Championships (2008), Nwawulor will likely agree.

Building on their solid morning performances, decathletes David Guest (coach: Michael Guest) and Ashley Bryant (coach: Ian Grant), who were placed fourth (2459) and seventh (2397) respectively coming into the evening session, had mixed fortunes as they concluded their first day of action.

While Guest achieved a best height of 1.95m in the high jump followed by a time of 49.11 in the 400m, Bryant, who had enjoyed one of his best ever starts to a decathlon competition with two PBs earlier in the day, failed to clear a height. It was a disappointing outcome following his two PBs earlier in the day.

He went on to demonstrate real mental strength with a PB of 49.53 in the 400m, but while it should have sent him off satisfied, there was a definite sense of ‘what might have been’.

“The high jump was such a blow. I’ve been doing so well. I’m more disappointed that I’d put in such an amazing start to the day,” he said. “I just no heighted, there were no problems, I just no heighted. It makes me wonder what I could have done because I’m in such great shape. I’m just gutted.”

Guest concluded an excellent day in third place overall with 4073 points behind leader Kevin Mayer of France (4159) and Cuba’s Jose Angel Mendieta (4078), but Bryant, as a result of his high jump competition, slipped down into 23rd (3233).

Both athletes continue their programme at 09.00 tomorrow (Wednesday 21 July) in the 110mH (13.00 UK time).