by Stuart Weir
This is Stuart Weir’s second piece on the Doha Diamond League Meeting.
Sisterly feelings
Tia (10.92) took bragging rights over Tina (11.02) in the battle of the Jamaican Clayton twin sisters in the 100m at the Doha Diamond League and she wasn’t even pleased with her performance! She said afterwards “I made the World Leading mark, but honestly I didn’t do the best possible. I didn’t get the start I always get, but other than that it was a great race for me. It is very special for me and my twin sister to finish 1st and 2nd in this event tonight. I wouldn’t say that I was nervous, but I just needed to get it together”.
Tina’s reaction was: “I think I executed the race a bit poorly, but I can’t complain, I have to be grateful for this result because it is still the beginning of the season and it is a SB for me. This year has been going well. To be second just behind my sister, Tia, is a great feeling. We are twin sisters, we are training partners and we also compete together. When we lineup for a race, we are no longer sisters! We are rivals and competitors. But after the race is over, it feels really good to take the top two places. My next meeting will be in Jamaica, so now I will be back there, to regroup and focus on my next steps. My big goal for 2025 will be to make the Jamaican team for the World Championships along with my sister”.
According to World Athletics website, this was the first time the 20 year-olds have met outdoors as seniors. Tia leads 2-1 in senior indoor 60s. It must have been exciting too to beat the queen of Jamaican sprinting, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was fourth.
Amy Hunt ran a PR of 11.03. Amy must have a claim be the busiest athlete of the year having run in the European and World Indoors as well as both Diamond Leagues in China and the World Relays before coming to Doha. She was 5th in the World Indoors and won gold in the women’s 4 by 100 at World Relays. In fact, although it s only mid-May she has run in China, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Netherlands, UK and USA – and all distances 60 to 400.
She is still based in Padua, Italy with Marco Airale in the group that used to include Jeremiah Azu and Darryl Neita. While they have both moved on, Amy has stayed. She told me that as a Cambridge English graduate, she enjoys exploring cultural treasures in Northern Italy on her day off each week. Staying in Italy is certainly working for her. She said that she was doing a full indoor season because she believed it would help her outdoor 100s and 200s. It seems to be working.
It didn’t work for Mujinga Kambundji. winner of the World Indoors 60m but only 8th in Doha.
