Jamaica’s Julian Forte emerged winner of the men’s 100m in a tight finish with his compatriot and World Indoor Championships bronze medalist Akeem Blake. Forte, who has had years of injury problems, clocked 10.02secs (0.8m/s) to lower his 10.07 season best he ran this weekend (May 11) and got the better of Blake who was awarded the same time. American Brandon Hickling was third in 10.09secs.
Forte said in a post-race interview that he almost stopped in the race when he felt something in his hamstring, but he didn’t give in.
The 31-yr-old began on his trajectory to prominence in his teens as Jamaica’s fastest junior and was on tap to win the 200m at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, but he pulled up in agony in that race with a grade two right hamstring muscle strain.
His personal bests, registered in 2017, are 9.91secs for the 100 meters and 19.97secs for 200m.
He has, however, experienced injuries over the years, which have hampered consistent high-level performances by him. After the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, frustration pushed him to consider quitting the sport. He subsequently got a new coach.
His training and performance this season suggest that he is on the rise again.