BEIJING, China - Bianca Stuart thought that this would be the year that she would make a final of a major athletics championships, world championships or Olympics, but it just was not to be for the Bahamian national record holder in the women's long jump. Stuart could only muster a best jump of 6.34 meters (m) - 20' 9-3/4" - in qualifying on Thursday, ending her competitive experience at the 15th International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) World Championships here in Beijing, China.
"I felt healthy and was ready to make it to the next round, but unfortunately it didn't happen. It's a little frustrating, but I'll keep my head up and keep trying," she said. "I'm mentally tough and I know what to expect. It just wasn't there today. I trained very hard for this meet. I just have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to prepare even better for these major championships." Stuart finished 25th overall, just one spot behind the defending champion American Brittney Reese who also had a subpar set of jumps.
Reese, who is also the 2012 Olympic Champion, had a best of just 6.39m (20' 11-3/4") in the qualifying competition. As for Stuart, she jumped 6.34m in the first round, 6.31m (20' 8-1/2") in the second round, and scratched on her third and final attempt. Judging from the replay, it was very close - too close to call in terms of Stuart's foot being on the line or not. She unsuccessfully verbally challenged the call. Be that as it may, she was 17th after the first series of jumps, 23rd after the second round, and slipped to 25th at the end of qualifying. "I think that my last jump was well into the qualifying standard or close to it, and they called it a foul, but when I looked on the replay, I didn't see my toe touch the foul board," she said. "I was being aggressive the entire time. For some reason, I just was flat. God spare life, I'll be at the Olympics next year, so I just have to continue training, and hopefully I'll make the final. We'll just have to wait and see what happens," she added.
In what was a very intense qualifying competition for the women's long jump final, Ivana Spanovic, of Serbia, had the top mark with a national record setting leap of 6.91m (22' 8"). Lorraine Ugen, of Great Britain, had the second longest qualifying mark, 6.87m (22' 6-1/2"); and Malaika Mihambo, of Germany, was the number three qualifier for the final with a season's best jump of 6.84m (22' 5-1/4"). American Janay Deloach Soukup grabbed the final qualifying spot for the final, landing a mark of 6.68m (21' 11"). That's a mark Stuart has surpassed many times this season, but for some reason, she just couldn't get the big jump when she needed it the most.
Stuart was having a phenomenal year prior to her competition here at the world championships. She was consistently around the 6.70m (21' 11-3/4") mark this season, and broke the national record at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA)/Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) National Open Track and Field Championships in June with a 6.83m (22' 5") leap. A similar performance would have gotten her into the final here in Beijing, China. "It's disappointing because I know that I have the jump in me," said Stuart. "I just have to keep training hard and probably try to prepare for these big meets in a different way."
Two years ago in Moscow, Russia, a mark of 6.58m (21' 7-1/4") would have gotten a female long jumper into the world championships final. The Olympics was even less competitive, as a mark of 6.41m (21' 0-1/2") would have gotten a female long jumper into the Olympic final in 2012. Stuart has already qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is looking forward to that global competition. There, she is hoping that she finally gets over the hump, and qualify for a final at a major global championships.
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