KALIESE SPENCER, READY, SET TO COME FORTH IN BEIJING

Everyone around the track and field arena will nod their collective heads in agreement, if you should suggest to them that this is the opportune time for one of Jamaica’s finest track darlings, Kaliese Spencer, to finally reap the top prize at the 15th IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China from August 22- 30th.

The 400m hurdler, nicked name by many as the ‘Diamond League Queen’ eyes another fine opportunity to stand atop the podium this time around.

Many people are of the belief that she has never given of her best when the stakes are highest.

Some say it’s all too often that things did not go the way as expected. Just when many local fans were expecting her to produce the high-quality, and uniquely suitable outcome at the World Championships in previous years, they were left a bit disappointed.

But entering her fifth World Championships, the 28 year old MVP athlete, will be looking to finally make it count inside the Birds Nest .

The 2006 World Junior champion made her Senior World Championships debut at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan in 2007 where she reached the semifinal stage.

Spencer again represented Jamaica at the Berlin World Championships in 2009 where she finished 4th in the final, the same placing she achieved in 2011 at the 13th IAAF World Championship, in Daegu, South Korea.

Almost, was again the story for Spencer as she ended fourth best at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Entering the 14th IAAF World Championships, held in Moscow, Russia 2013, she was yet again amongst the favourites for medals, and for some, the top candidate for gold. She however left disappointed, as she exited at the preliminary stage after being disqualified in the heats for a lane violation.

The Caribbean Sports Journalists and the JAAA Athlete of the Year winner, RJR Sports Foundation Runner Up National Sportswoman of the Year, who holds a personal best of 52.79 seconds, done in 2011, was unbeaten in 2014, a year in which she won the 400m hurdles Commonwealth Games and IAAF Diamond League titles.

She currently sits in 7th in the world with a seasons best of 54.15 done in May, and has not raced since withdrawing from the National Senior Championships in Jamaica.

She will have to battle the likes of the USA’s trio of young talents, Shameir Little, Cassandra Tate and Kendra Harrison as well as defending World Champion, Zuzana Hejnova of Czech Republic, Denmark’s Sara Petersen and Oluwakemi Adekoya of Bahrain to secure the title.

Spencer will be looking to emulate former teammate and 2009 World Champion Melanie Walker, when she touches down on the same track where Walker copped the 2008 Olympic crown.

Spencer will be mindful of the quote of one Harvey Mackay, “To be a champion, you have to learn to handle stress and pressure. But if you’ve prepared mentally and physically, you don’t have to worry.”

And as they often say, the only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else, Kaliese Spencer is ready and set to come forth in Beijing.