Hail Winthrop Graham

IN THE early 1990s, Winthrop Graham raced to the forefront of 400m hurdling. During that period, he took his Jamaican record under 48 seconds and won medals at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and two World Championships. In a sense, Jaheel Hyde, Kemar Mowatt and Ricardo Cunningham will be pursuing Graham and his achievements when they hurdle into action at the 16th IAAF World Championships in London.

In 2004, Danny McFarlane matched Graham’s 1992 Olympic silver medal with a fine runner-up finish in Athens, Greece. However, it is up to Hyde, the 2014 and 2016 World Junior champion, Mowatt and Cunningham to add to Jamaica’s all-time World medal tally of two. The first was a silver won by Graham in the 1991 final behind Samuel Matete of Zambia.

NATIONAL RECORD

The Jamaican established a national record of 47.74 seconds in that race. He returned to get a bronze in the 1993 final. Graham left the record at 47.60 seconds.

The 35-year-old Cunningham is a late convert from 800m running, but his bid for glory in London is already facing a hurdle. In a post on Facebook, he said that he has not yet received his British visa. “I did a visa application on the 10th of July,” he wrote on Saturday, “and today, I am still awaiting my passport to be on my way.”

Mowatt, Hyde and Cunningham have set personal bests of 48.49, 48.52 and 48.83 seconds, respectively, this year.

FILE Jaheel Hyde (centre) winning the men’s 400 metres hurdles title ahead of Kemar Mowatt (right) at the JAAA National Senior Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in June. Both were awarded the same time, 48.53 seconds. Ricardo Cunningham (left)...