Wednesday, June 28, 2006

by Gary Smith
Caribbean Net News Sports Correspondent
Email: gary@caribbeannetnews.com

KINGSTON, Jamaica: With Cuban World champion Zulia Calatayud already a sure pick for the 10th IAAF World Cup in Athens, Greece, in September, Jamaica's top middle distance female runner Kenia Sinclair said she's now targeting a qualifying time for the 1500m event.

Despite running a season's best of 1 minute 58.16 seconds in the 800m, which is faster than Calatayud's 1:58.18, Sinclair is ranked five places below the Cuban in the IAAF World Event Rankings and she feels her best chance of making it to Greece is to look at the 1500m, an event in which no Central America-Caribbean (CAC) athlete is ranked in the top 20.

"Presently I'm ranked number six in the 800m and the Cuban (Calatayud) is ranked number one, so she is in pole position to qualify for the World Cup since they are using the world ranking," said Sinclair, who won the 800m and 1500m double at the Jamaica National Track and Field Championships in Kingston at the weekend.

"Therefore, I will have to try the 1500m where there is no one from the CAC region ranked in the top-20. I have already competed in three 1500m races this season, so I just need to complete two more to get five points, so I can improve in the world rankings to advance to the World Cup."

Sinclair currently holds a season's best of 4:08.89, a time she clocked to finish second to Sarah Jamieson of Australia at the adidas Track Classic at the Home Depot Center in Southern California on May 21. She, however has a personal best of 4:07.11 and is currently the only regional athlete on the top list of competitors in the event this season.

With no serious challengers in the 800m and 1500m field, she eased to a 2:00.91 and 4:19.70 double at the national stadium weekend.

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