While track fans in Jamaica and the diaspora were growing excited about the exploits of two big prospects overseas, 19-yr-old Brianna Lyston at LSU and 23-yr-old Nickisha Pryce at the University of Arkansas, both in the US, their 22-yr-old country woman Krystal Sloley shocked herself and spectators at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational meet in Kingston (May 11) with a blazing run to second place in the 100m.
She finished second to Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith (10.91secs) on Saturday and suddenly found herself in the middle of the conversation of the up-and-coming to watch at the national trials in June
Sloley, a final-year student of architecture student at the University of Technology in Jamaica, clocked a personal best of 11.09secs, which she lowered from 11.25secs she did a week before at another local meet.
This time, however, the field had quality competitors such as Gemima Joseph of France, Jamaica’s Kemba Nelson, and other young sprinters who have gone faster than she has. “I wasn’t expecting such a big jump,” she said in a post-race interview. “I told myself if I could do it last week, then I can do it again this week, so I’m really happy about that time.”