Jamaica's 2005 World triple jump gold medallist, Trecia Smith, displayed the heart of a champion when she reached the final of the event on day one of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

Without a mark after two rounds, Smith was in danger of making an embarrassing exit from an event in which she was on top of the world four years ago.

Then, on her third and last qualifying jump Smith, from well behind the board, leapt and registered 14.21 metres, a measurement which pushed her into tomorrow's final and a chance to get gold again.

She said she had not given up hope after the two illegal jumps as there was always a chance to get things right.

one big jump

"I realised that they were not jumping very far so if I jumped 14.20m there was a possibility that I may get in so I just pulled it way back," a relieved Smith said.

Smith, who has been dogged by injury since her 2005 triumph in Helsinki, says she is healthy just now and ready for that one big jump that could give her gold again.

"I am not hurting so I am just going to lay it on the line and see what I get. I am in there now and it is 12 of us and it's everybody for themselves now.

"I am just jumping technically better than I have jumped all year ... (but) I just can't seem to find the board."

Smith said the conditions were less than ideal for competing, at least for her group.

"We were having minus wind and the other lane was having plus wind. It was kind of weird out there," she said.

Tomorrow she will leave it all in the pit.

"I need one big jump, one big one and we will see where it lands."

Meanwhile, a personal best 14.08 metres was not enough to get World Championships rookie Kimberly Williams in the final, but she was nonetheless very satisfied with her performance. She had just one legal jump.

"Now I can go and rest and enjoy two months off," the former Vere Technical and current American Collegiate star said.

Williams said she has ended her season on a high and will learn from the experience.

the starting point

"I learnt that anything can happen on the day," she added.

"A lot of girls had good qualifying marks (going into the meet) but when they went out there it was not like that so I must prepare myself. My second phase has been a problem, my landing in the sand and just executing ... So in a couple of years ... I have time, I am young. This is the starting point so we will see what happens in 2011."

Both triple jumpers praised the other's efforts.

"Trecia (Smith) showed that you must never give up. She got two fouls ... so she did well," said Williams.

The 33-year-old Smith said Williams did very well.

"She actually did better than I did at my first Championships. I don't think at my first championships I went over 14 metres. So that's very promising," said the University of Pittsburgh graduate who holds the national record of 15.16m.

Going into tomorrow's final the leading qualifier is China's Limei Xie with a season best 14.62m. Cubans Yargeris Savigne and Mabel Gay both made marks of 14.53m.

- Elton Tucker