SUTHERLAND
AN ASTOUNDING turnaround of form saw Jamaica's Sonita Sutherland capturing silver in the women's 400 metres final at 10th Coca-Cola/IAAF World Junior Athletics Champion-
ships in Grosseto, Italy on Thursday.
Hampered by the flu in the preliminary rounds where she clocked 53.52 seconds and again in the semi-final (54.19) in which she was also affected by cramps in the last 40 metres the slimly-build Sutherland, who made it into the final with the slowest time, justified the statement 'we little but we tallawah' by running a superb race out of lane one and became the second Jamaican woman, behind Claudine Williams to win silver in this event.
These stats made a clear choice as The Gleaner's Performer of the Week.
Although she ran below her personal best (52.29), Sutherland a bronze medallist at last year's Pan American Junior Championships, ran a well-timed 52.41 seconds for her first major medal. Sutherland, who trailed the leaders into the straight, had to dig deep and with an impressive kick in the last 50 metres, set about breaking what appeared a certain American one-two finish.
In the end, the 17-year-old Sutherland, who easily won the Class Two event at Champs for the Christiana-based Holmwood Technical, finished behind World Junior champion Natasha Hastings of the United States in a personal best 52.04.
TIGHT BATTLE
In a tight battle, she got the better of world leader Ashlee Kidd of the United States, who was relegated to third in 52.45.
Sutherland, the reigning Carifta Games Under-20 champion said it was a difficult task.
"I said a prayer before I went on the track, for God to held me," she said. "I was very tired when I reached the 150m mark, but I know I had to win a medal for my country, so I ran and I was successful," explained Sutherland.
The Clarendonian, who finished seventh at National Senior Championships last month, can look forward to the next World Junior Championships with a lot of hope.
