4:05 1500 and 9:34 steepler
She could have made a US team -
ltimately, she decided that representing Jamaica would probably provide her with more opportunities and gave her a unique chance to honor her heritage. A sprint-crazed nation, Jamaica has a dearth of middle and long distance runners. Praught, who has a 1500m and 3000m steeplechase bests of 4:05.52 and 9:34.69, respectively, could potentially compete in two events in Beijing. Jamaica has no top class athletes in those disciplines, and Praught would instantly be their best athlete --male or female-- in both events.
"It's almost as if I'm a novelty," said Praught. "Distance running (in Jamaica) is not cool. You've got all the kids trying to emulate Usain Bolt in the starting blocks."