Tia Clayton’s transition into the senior ranks hasn’t been easy, but she’s finally hitting full stride

Tia Clayton’s transition into the senior ranks hasn’t been easy, but she’s finally hitting full stride

Tia Clayton wasn’t even 20 years old when she ran in the final of the women’s 100m at the Paris Olympics. To think she was the only Jamaican in the final lineup was in itself a success on its own. This is an Island nation that has produced the last four Olympic 100m champions, but various factors had stopped them from being on the line.

It felt surreal that an Island nation that prides itself as the global powerhouse of sprinting would rest its hopes on the then-teenager for glory. They had reason to hope with some making reference to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce hugging the limelight at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing when she was just 21 years old. The thing is Sports aren’t always linear as various circumstances and variables come into play.

Granted, Clayton has been a teenage phenom up until that point. She had become the 4x100m world junior champion in Nairobi three years ago and defended the title in Cali the following year alongside her twin sister, Tina. But Track has shown us over the years how cruel it can be to athletes who are trying to navigate the transition from the junior level to the senior level.

Depending on the country you are from and how most fans tend to love the sport, the level of pressure on the athletes can vary. For Jamaica, it’s fever pitch. Clayton’s home support have tagged her as the next big thing to carry the mantle of Fraser-Pryce when she retires.

As fate would have it, things didn’t pan out as expected in Paris, as Clayton could only place seventh in the final after 2021 Champion Elaine Thompson-Herah didn’t make it to the French Capital to defend her title, Shericka Jackson had to pull out due to an injury and Fraser-Pryce didn’t show up for the semis due to not being able to warm-up properly before her race. The weight was really heavy for Clayton and all she could take is the experience from the race.

Her progression this year has been phenomenal and she will only get better. At the Silesia Diamond League, Clayton delivered a performance that underscored her rising star status. Racing against a field devoid of some of the sport’s biggest names, including Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred, Clayton seized the opportunity with both hands. She clocked a personal best of 10.83s (+2.9) edging out Marie-Josee Ta-Lou Smith in a photo finish, with Tamari Davis trailing by just one-hundredth of a second.