Nineteen-year-old Tia Clayton has expressed her excitement after securing her first Olympic ticket following a stellar performance at the Jamaican Olympic trials.
The upcoming Jamaican sprint queen finished second in the women’s 100m final, clocking 10.90 seconds, just behind Shericka Jackson, with the 10-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce completing the podium.
Held at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, the trials saw Clayton starting her campaign with a second-place finish in the preliminaries, clocking 11.02 seconds. She continued to impress by winning her semi-final with a time of 10.86 seconds, defeating Jackson.
Clayton expressed her joy at finishing second in the final and qualifying for her first-ever Olympic Games. She also acknowledged the support of her sister, Tina Clayton, who was unable to make it to the final.
A different mindset
“I’m feeling very great, I’ve put in the work for this and I feel very great. I got injured at the start of the season and came out with a different mindset,” she said. “My goal for the season was to be injury-free but that did not work well…I just came out here and did my best. I trained very hard after the injury.”
Clayton also highlighted the significant role her sister plays in her life, both as a motivator and a supportive figure. “She (sister) is a very big motivator to me …she is like a second mum to me when my mom is not around. Her being here for me is very heartwarming.”
Clayton’s season began with a win at the Velocity Fest 14, followed by a sixth-place finish at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational Meet. She then competed at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, where she finished sixth, before making her mark at the Jamaican Championships.
