With spring in her step, Nettey eyes breakthrough
Surrey long jumper hopes to use Harry Jerome Classic as springboard into successful summer
Surrey long jumper Christabel Nettey hopes to use this week’s Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic as a launching pad into a successful series of meets that will carry her through to September.
A repeat of 2015 would suit her just fine, too.
For Nettey that was an exceptional year as she established the Harry Jerome long jump meet record of 6.86 metres, and both the national indoor and outdoor records of 6.99 metres.
Nettey, 27, would also like to return to the success she enjoyed this past March in Queensland at the International Classic. Her 6.92-metre jump is still tied for No. 2 on this year’s IAAF world rankings, a spot she shares with Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic.
The current leader is Malaika Mihambo of Germany at 6.99 metres, ironically Nettey’s two national records.
Since her superb showing in Queensland, Nettey’s performances have been mixed, ranking from 6.60 to 6.84, but that latter mark gained her the gold medal at the Australian Commonwealth Games to complement the gold medal from the Toronto Pan American Games one year earlier and the bronze from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Nettey just missed the podium at the 2015 IAAF world championships, her 6.95 jump earning her fourth place.
A five-time Canadian champion, Nettey said: “After Australia I was pretty exhausted, but knowing that this season would be taking me well into September I continued to train, just not as intensely.
“But I’m back on track and in sync and ready for what hopefully will be another breakthrough.”
Nettey’s main competition at the 35th Harry Jerome meet — which takes place Tuesday and Wednesday at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium — would appear to be American Kylie Price (PB 6.77 metres) and newly crowned NCAA heptathlon champion Georgia Ellenwood of Langley, who will contest both the long jump and 100-metre hurdles.
The meet within a meet will feature the Canada-China Team Sprint Challenge for the Pacific World Cup.