Season world leader and 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist Hansle Parchment was hurt while warming up and missed the 110m hurdles final at the Jamaica Athletics Championships.
But Jamaican athletics officials said Parchment might yet run at the world championships in Moscow in August, if he recovers in time — despite not competing in the final at the qualifying meet for the Jamaican squad for the Russia meet.
Andrew Riley, who won the Jamaican 110m final in 13.35 seconds with Dwight Thomas second in 13.45, blamed meet organizers for the accident that caused Parchment’s ankle injury.
“(I’m) a bit disappointed that Hansle was not in the final, but you have to put that blame on the organizers,” Riley said. “At the warm-up track, there was no blocks and lights. Jamaica need to take care of their athletes.”
Parchment, who leads the world this year with a run of 13.05 seconds, clipped the first hurdle in a warm-up run and landed badly.
Five days past his 23rd birthday, Parchment was taken to the University of West Indies hospital for x-rays instead of running for a national crown.
Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president Warren Blake said because Parchment “has a top three ranking, and he came to the trials and is the only other (runner than Riley) with the A standard (for world meet qualifying), he will be considered as long as he assures us that he is fit.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 100m Olympic champion in 2008 and 2012 and last year’s 200m runner-up at London, was a comfortable 200m semi-finals winner in 22.64 to qualify for Sunday’s title race.
Sherone Simpson and Anneisha McLaughlin, Fraser-Pryce’s training partners, won their semi-final heats as well in 22.85 and 22.88 respectively, the second and third qualifying times for the final.
Natoya Goule, a student at Louisiana State University in the United States, dipped under two minutes for the first time at 1:59.93 to take her first Jamaican 800m title.
With neither reigning Olympic champion Usain Bolt nor star Yohan Blake running in the men’s 200m semi-finals, Nickel Ashmeade, third in the 100m final, had the best 200m semi-final time in 20.07.
Rasheed Dwyer had the second-best time in 20.23 to win his semi-final heat, with London Olympics bronze medallist Warren Weir third overall in 20.27.
Stephanie McPherson set the pace in the women’s 400m semi-finals in 50.16.
Hurdler Parchment hurt at Jamaica trials
