Kerrica Hill stays home, joins Elite Track Club
WORLD Under-20 100m hurdles champion Kerrica Hill is to stay in Jamaica and work out with Coach Reynaldo Walcott at Elite Perfomance Track Club, the Jamaica Observer has learnt.
The 17-year-old Hill, who set a championships record 12.77 seconds to win the 100m hurdles gold medal during the global Under-20 showpiece at Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali, Colombia, in August also holds the Jamaican youth-best 12.71 seconds (0.2m/s).
Hill, the former Hydel High runner who was also part of two World Under-20 4x100m relay teams in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2021 and in Cali, broke the previous Under-20 Championships record of 12.85 seconds set in 2016 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, by Elvira Herman of Belarus.
There were shock waves throughout track and field circles when news broke of her decision weeks ago.
Reliable sources told the Observer that Hill inked an endorsement deal with German sporting goods manufacturer Puma in the presence of her parents recently and will have the Marvin Anderson-led
Andisportsmanagement as her agent.
News that Hill will be staying in Jamaica comes a day after it was announced that former World Under-20 double sprint gold meallist Briana Williams is about to join local-based Titans training group.
At Elite Perfomance, Hill will join the training group including five-time World Championships gold medallist Shelly-ann FraserPryce, Commonwealth Games 110m hurdles champion Rasheed Broadbell, Commonwealth Games finalist Rushell Clayton, World Championships relay medallist Kemba Nelson, and Stacey-ann Williams.
Elite Performance had six members of the Jamaica team to the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where Fraserpryce won the gold in the 100m, silver in the 200m, and another silver in the 4x100m relays. Nelson was also a member of the 4x100m team.
Broadbell was the only Jamaican men’s medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where he set a Championships record 13.08 seconds in winning the 110m hurdles. Clayton was a finalist at both the World Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games.