Trecia Smith

FOUR years ago at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Jamaica's Trecia Smith wrote her name in the history books as she became the first female Jamaican to win a medal in a field event at a major championships.

Smith leaped to a career-best 15.11 metres to win the gold medal in the women's triple jump.

Her win in Helsinki did not come by chance. The now 33-year-old had shown signs the previous year that she was destined for glory when she finished fourth in her pet event at the Athens Olympic Games.

After her victory in Helsinki, many pundits then predicted that she was ready to dominate this event for a long time to come, but two years later in Osaka it was disappointment for Smith as she failed to defend her title successfully as a severe back injury forced her out of the event during the preliminary round of the competition.

The injury was so severe that many thought then that it was the end of her career. However, the true fighter she is, Smith defied the odds and one year later she turned up at the National Championships where she won and booked her ticket to the Beijing Olympic Games and a best leap of 14.18 metres. It was a far cry from her personal best done three years earlier in Helsinki, but it was the beginning of her climb back to the top.

At this year's National Champion-ships, Smith showed that she is getting back to her best when she won with a mark of 14.43 metres which has her at number seven on the world top list going into the Berlin Championships. The leader here is Smith's training partner, Yargelis Savigne of Cuba, who is the only athlete over the 15 metres mark so far this year with 15.00 metres. She actually has the best nine marks so far this season. Incidentally, the Cuban was 29 centimetres behind Smith for the silver in Helsinki in 2005 with 14.82 metres.

seventh ranked

Despite being the seventh ranked athlete going into the championships, a medal is not beyond Smith as she is just 16 centimetres behind the third ranked Mabel Gay of Cuba with 14.59 metres.

Fierce competition is expected in this event as Beijing Olympic champion Francoise Mbango-Etone, who won last year with 15.19 metres, along with veteran Tatyana Lebadeva of Russia, the Cubans and Smith should have the large crowd cheering wildly as Smith once again will be hoping to give her country another rare field event medal.