The Olympic Games are 47 days away and although track star Aliann Pompey will definitely compete, she is cautiously optimistic of peaking in time for world’s biggest sports event next month.
“I am taking things one day at a time and hoping for the best,” the former Commonwealth 400 metres gold medalist said yesterday.
Pompey was one of two Guyanese athletes who competed in the Adidas Diamond League athletics meet in New York at the Icahn Stadium, which saw an invasion of world class competitors, testing their readiness for the big event in London.
Pompey did not make the cut for the women’s 400 metres but raced in the 200m instead where she clocked 23.89 seconds, placing sixth in the sprint dash won by Jamaica-born American Sanya Richards-Ross.
“ I think it’s a matter of timing your preparation and competing in the right races at the right time,” added Pompey who does not have to worry about qualifying times, having made the 51.55s standard last year.
The longstanding national representative, expects to compete as much as she could between now and the July 27th start of the Games.
She is scheduled to return to Icahn Stadium today to race in the 400 metres at United States Eastern Regional championships.
The London Games will be Pompey’s fourth Olympic Games and she hopes to put her best foot forward once again representing the Golden Arrowhead.
The New York-based Pompey burst into prominence in 2002 by winning 400m gold at the Commonwealth Games and has been a regular participant at Global meets ever since.
She placed second in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, taking the silver medal behind world number one Amantle Montsho of Botswana.
While Pompey is assured of a place at the London Olympics, her compatriot Jeremy Bascom is trying his utmost to make his debut at the event.
Bascom raced in the men’s B Class 100m yesterday, against among others American star Tyson Gay, but did not come close to meeting the Olympics qualifying standard of 10.18s. He was fifth in 10.53s and explained that a 1.5 mph headwind affected his performance.
Bascom, who competed at this year’s World Indoor Championships, said he clocked 10.28s last weekend in Florida and is confident of going below the 10.18 requirement before the deadline in three weeks.
Gay, the former double world 100m champion is returning to competition after one year’s absence and won the event Adidas event in 10.00s.
The meet was blessed by the presence of 800m men’s record holder David Rudisha of Kenya who blitzed the field to record the fastest 800 ever run on America soil. He clocked 1 minute 41.74 seconds.
Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Shelly- Ann Fraser-Pryce captured the men’s and women’s 100m in 9.90s and 10.92s respectively. Neither world record world Usain Bolt or former holder record holder Asafa Powell competed.
