Virginia-based jumper Ayana Alexander will be going for yet another national triple jump title this afternoon when the Sagicor/NGC Open Track and Field Championships begin at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. The 2010 Commonwealth Games runner-up has an impressive record at the annual meet, having set national marks in 2009 (13.96m) and 2011 (13.98m). Coming into this year's event, she has already smashed the national record on two occasions, getting out to 14.14m in Virginia on May 12 and then one week later at the Quantum Classic at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, adding one centimetre to the mark. Both distances are over the Olympic B standard of 14.10m. The reigning Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Champion will have her sights set on the 14.30m A mark when the Women's Triple Jump finals get underway at 3 pm this afternoon. "The plan is to hit the A standard plus. There are no limits to what I'm capable of," she said.
With the Olympic standard under her belt, Alexander said the achievement has not registered yet. "I hit the Olympic B standard three times and jumped over 14 metres seven times for the season. It really hasn't hit me yet. I haven't had time really to take it in. I've just been focused on continual progress and training hard to jump even further." The Emmanuel "Sketter" Jackson-coached athlete said the achievements, as well as the disappointments of 2011, have kept her going. "I've had a rough couple years with a lot of ups and downs. It's only by God's grace that I am able to do what I do. And by his grace, I'll continue to succeed no matter what obstacles come my way." Last year, Alexander was named on the World Championships team to Daegu, South Korea after winning the CAC title but was withdrawn by the NAAA as she was ineligible since the CAC meet was not an "area meet." "It was hard to stomach at first. This is the first time I'm actually responding to a question like. It was really tough because my coach and I changed around my training to work on other things since I was told I qualified. I also had a week planned to talk to kids in schools and then that got cut short because of the misinformation. I had to refocus and keep focused on the vision and my goals. I couldn't let that situation drag me down."
Alexander said hard work and the support of her family have been making the difference in her career. "You have to do things differently if you what to go places you've never been. Hard, hard, hard work, focus, faith, patience, determination and support from my family, friends, coach, and training partner," she said. "Things got really rough this season and I didn't know how I was going to make things work. But God is good. He always makes a way for the faithful!"
Looking ahead to London, the 29-year-old said she was aiming to make the final round. "It's looking good. I'm training hard. School is not in session-grad school, finishing my Master's in Business and Master's in HR-so I get to focus on training. The goal is to jump far and like I mentioned before, make it to the finals and take it from there." The Louisiana State University graduate said she intends to continue in the sport and plans to pursue a career in fashion. She said: "God willing, I want to jump as long as God allows me to and use the gifts he's given me to help kids. I plan on finishing up my Masters degrees next year and will continue on to get my PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience. "I also have many business ideas I would like to see come to life... I love fashion and I plan on getting my own line together.... I want to give back and teach kids to do what I do.... I want to make my country proud and be the best triple jumper the world has ever seen. "I pray for God's will, I'll just continue to work hard and he'll direct my path."