2023 BLAZING IN BUDAPEST
J amaica heads to Budapest for the 19th World Athlecs Championships expecng a lot from its hurdlers. Rasheed Broadbell has become a gold medal prospect in the men’s 110‐metre event, with Olympic champion Hansle Parchment not far off the pace. In the women’s 100‐metre hurdles, the Jamaican trio of Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper, NCAA champion Ackera Nugent and 2015 World Champion Danielle Williams are so good that it isn’t out of order to expect medals from both events. Broadbell, who turns 23 the week before the acon begins in Budapest, and the 29‐year‐old Tapper are the leading contenders. Lanky and fast, Broadbell sped home at the Naonal Championships in a world‐leading me of 12.94 seconds to
BROADBELL LEADS BIG
HURDLES CREW INTO BUDAPEST
he previewed.
He lowered his season’s best from an early13.08 to 13.06 in the first
round at Naonals and then moved even with Parchment at number 2 on the Jamaican all‐me list.
Broadbell finished the 2022 season strongly, peaking at 12.99 and taking Commonwealth gold. However, he missed the finals at the World Championships and knows he must do beer this me. “Definitely”, he conceded, commenng on how things went last me. “Last year, I was coming off an injury in 2021”, he says, “so it was kind of a rusty season trying to shake it off.” the wise. “We’re sll doing a lot of stuff in training as we speak. I mean once we get to the world championships, I mean it’s going to look very crazy”, he promised. The 12.94 was the first glimpse at what may be yet to come. The only Jamaican to run faster is Omar McLeod, whose naonal record stands at Then he added a word for
defeat Parchment and Orlando Benne while the diminuve Tapper set a personal best of 12.44 seconds in the heats before denying Nugent and Williams glory in the final. They share the same coach (Reynaldo Walco) as 400‐metre hurdles team member Rushell Clayton, and all three train as part of Walco’s Elite Performance Club. Just before the Naonals, Broadbell gave a hint that good things were on the way from him. “Me, I’m feeling good you know, pung in the work in training as usual. Got some runs in early season and we see where we are so the main focus is just the Trials and the Games right now,”
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