Dawkins hoping for a second triple, long jump double
WHEN SHE won the girls’ Class 2 long jump and girls’ Open triple jump titles at the ISSA/ Grace-Kennedy Boys and Girs’ Athletics Championships (Champs) last year, Jade-Ann Dawkins had said it was a moment she would never forget.
Now stepping up to Class 1, St Jago’s queen of the sandpit is aiming for the crown once again.
Dawkins is the pride of the Spanish Town-based high school in the girls’ jump events, and they will be looking towards her for a massive points haul in their quest to fight for a top spot on the Champs standings.
She won the girls’ Class 2 long jump with an effort of 6.12 metres on her final attempt, snatching the title away from St Catherine High’s Rohanna Sudlow in dramatic fashion. Sudlow had been leading the competition up to the final round, and finished second with her jump of 5.90.
With one gold medal already under her belt, Dawkins would add another to her haul when she captured the girls’ Open triple jump title with a 13.02-metre leap. She edged Celine Riddle from Holmwood Technical, who had to settle for silver with her mark of 12.96.
She said winning the Champs titles, as well as the Carifta U20 girls’ titles, have been the highlight of her career.
“My most memorable moment so far was when I became the long j ump and triple j ump champion at Champs and Carifta, winning and helping my school and country with the point standings. Competing at Champs is a frisson feeling. Yes, it does put a lot of pressure on me, but all I do is keep and follow the instructions my coach gives me each round I go.”
Now in her first year in Class 1, Dawkins is looking to continue her golden form at Champs this year and said she is well on the road to doing so with the support of her family and teammates.
“My goals for this year’s Champs is to retain my Champs title in both long jump and triple jump and to help bring my team to victory,” she said.
“My biggest supporters are my family, my friends and my coaches. At home the support is extremely strong and well needed.”
Dawkins explained that her love for track and field started at an early age. Like many of her peers, she was inspired by Jamaican athletes competing on the world stage and knew she was destined to follow in their footsteps.
With Jamaica’s rich culture in the sport, it did not take long for her extraordinary talent to be recognised and nurtured.
“I was inspired from when I was growing up and watching the athletes representing Jamaica and saying to myself ‘I want to be like them’,” she said. “At primary school, I was in physical education class and when I was running, the coach came up to me and asked if I wanted to join the track and field team and from there, it’s history.
With a Carifta Games in her rear-view mirror, the windshield in front of her also has black, green and gold.
“It was an extraordinary feeling. It was a dream from a young age to represent my country and for me to be in the colours, it’s remarkable. For the future representing Jamaica, my goal is to be one of the best jumpers we have produced.”