Frustration mounts for Thomas-Dodd over limited rivals at trials

Jamaica's premier female shot putter, Danniel Thomas-Dodd, expressed her dissatisfaction with the level of competition at the National Senior and Junior Championships. Following her victory in the shot put event, which featured only two athletes on day three of the Jamaica trials on Saturday, Thomas-Dodd shared her thoughts on the matter.

"In a sense, the lack of competition does throw you off a bit," Thomas-Dodd remarked. "However, when I am in a competition, I focus on myself, so the fact that there were only two of us out there didn't really affect me too much."

Representing Adidas, Thomas-Dodd secured her eighth national shot put title with a mark of 19.08m, while Lloydricia Cameron's best mark was 16.37m.

"The only thing is that it was hard to get going because there were not many people competing with me," Thomas-Dodd explained. "You know, when someone throws far, it motivates you to throw far as well. So, I think that aspect was missing, but overall, it was a good competition. I came out of it healthy, and that's all I can ask for."

Thomas-Dodd also expressed her concerns about the shot put ring, despite achieving a distance of over 19m. "I consider it more of a training exercise for me. It is always challenging for us shot putters to compete at the National Stadium because the circle is slightly uphill, which affects the perception of throwing far," she said. "So, to throw 19m once again is a positive sign of my progress. Although I wanted to throw a bit further, I am not disappointed with my performance."

As a record holder and a seasoned athlete, the 30-year-old Thomas-Dodd has achieved considerable success, winning silver medals at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games. This season, she has recorded five of her top 10 marks, including a national record of 19.77m achieved on May 27 at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event.

Currently ranked fourth in the world, Thomas-Dodd enters the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with her national record of 19.77m. She trails Maggie Ewen of the USA, who holds the top spot with 20.45m, along with Chase Ealey, also from the USA, and Lijiao Gong of China who are joint second with  20.06m.