Jamaican Olympic medal hopes take hit in Rio as Janieve Russell withdrawn from hurdles event

Photo: Janieve Russell will miss out on the women’s 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games in Rio. Russell was expected to earn a medal in the event for Jamaica.

Four days before the star of track and field at the Rio Olympics, Jamaica’s medal prospects took a huge hit when it was revealed that medal hopeful Janieve Russell would not take part in the women’s 400m hurdles.

Russell was injured just days before the Jamaican National Senior Championships, but received a medical exemption from the event because she ranked among the top three in the world in her discipline. The 22 year old has had an outstanding season this year, running personal best times on three separate occasions before getting injured.

Her personal best time of 53.96s, done at the Diamond League event in Rome on June 1, was also a world leading time. In that race Russell got the best of the likes of Wenda Nel of South Africa and Great Britain’s Eilidh Doyle.

The University of Technology student was not only expected to medal, but was also listed as a gold medal prospect my many pundits.

Russell will be replaced by former national champion, Kaliese Spencer who finished third at the trials. Spencer, who has entered previous major championships with a lot of expectations, will run with less pressure this time around.