Tissanna Hickling competes in the women’s long jump final on the opening day of the Jamaica Trials at the National Stadium on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
Tissanna Hickling emerged as the national champion in the women’s long jump on the opening day of the Jamaica Trials, held at the National Stadium on Thursday.
Representing Ricketts Performance, Hickling unleashed a remarkable performance, achieving a new personal best of 6.85m to dominate the competition. Despite initially receiving a red flag immediately after her effort, the 25-year-old anxiously awaited the verdict. After a video review, she was eventually declared the winner under protest, securing her spot on Jamaica’s team for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, scheduled from August 19 to 27.
Hickling’s 6.85m leap surpassed her previous best of 6.82m, which she set in Kingston back in 2019. Her performance now ranks her at 11th place in the world rankings this season.
Chanice Porter secured second place with a jump of 6.72m, but she is yet to attain the qualifying standard of 6.85m for the World Championships.
Ackelia Smith, the current world leader from the University of Texas, settled for third place with a distance of 6.66m, successfully booking her ticket to Budapest.
In addition to determining the national representatives for the World Athletics Championships, the Jamaica Trials will also decide the teams for three junior competitions. These competitions include the NACAC Under-18 and Under-23 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica (July 21-23), the Pan American Under-20 Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico (August 4-6), and the Under-18 Commonwealth Youth Games in Port of Spain, Trinidad (August 6-9).
