Talented Jamaican young sprinter Tina Clayton is confident about retaining her 100 meters title at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2022 in Cali, Colombia, and she also expects teammate Serena Cole to join her on the podium.
The action at the Pascual Guerero Olympic Stadium will begin on Monday 1 August and the schedule runs through Saturday, 6 August. Read more: How to watch the press conference for the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22
Clayton won the World Athletics U20 Championships women’s 100m gold medal at the last edition in Nairobi, Kenya, beating a solid field that had also included Olympic 200m finalist Beatrice Masilingi of Namibia.
The 17-year-old Jamaican is back in search of repeating her gold medal-winning performance in Cali, and after running 10.96 seconds to win the National Championships in Kingston, in June, Clayton is buzzing with confidence about her chances of defending her world title.
“I am feeling very confident going into the event and I know myself and Serena will be on the podium,” she told the Jamaica Gleaner.
“The hard work given by the coach has been done and I have a title to defend and the job will be done,” she added.
How fast does Tina Clayton is looking to go at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2022?
Clayton, who will start as the fastest among the entrants in Colombia this week, and although she is hoping to run just as quick or even faster than her 10.96 secs PB, the teen sensation isn’t focusing on a specific time.
She is ranked No. 5 on the all-time women’s U20 world list behind Americans Sha’Carri Richardson (10.75) and Tamari Davis, who recently clocked 10.83 at the Ed Murphey Classic.
“I am not thinking about time,” she revealed in the Gleaner. “At the National Championships when I ran 10. 96 seconds, I was not thinking about a fast time.
“But it came and I will be happy if that does come again, but the focus is to execute properly and come out on top.”
Clayton and Serena Cole who comes into the championships with a personal best of 11.13 seconds, clocked also at the National Championships when finishing second to Tina, are the top two entered women in the 100m field.
And after Jamaica swept the podium places at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, last week, no one would safely gamble against another dominant performance from the Caribbean sprint powerhouse in Cali.
