By Carlena Knight
National sprinter Joella Lloyd said she has her sights set on qualifying and competing at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
While speaking to OBSERVER media, the junior sprint queen and junior sportswoman of the year nominee for the Athletics Association, listed the Olympics as her biggest goal for this season.
“My biggest goal this season is to make the Olympic standard which is 11.15 seconds for the 100 and my other goals are to finish the collegiate healthy without any injuries to go to Carifta and to get the best personal best that I can in the 200meters.”
Last Friday, the former Antigua Girls High School (AGHS) student earned a silver medal in the 60 meters dash of the Virginia Tech Invitational. She clocked a time of 7.34 seconds, setting a new national record while representing the University of Tennessee.
A week earlier at a dual meet with Indiana University, Lloyd set the previous junior record of 7.41seconds. She had also clocked a time of 24.24 seconds in the 200 meters to also set a new indoor national junior record.
Lloyd further commented on her achievements thus far.
“I am excited about my recent achievements from running 7.42 last week to running 7.34. It shows that I can improve my personal best this season and perform well at high class meets. Battling with constant injuries over the last two years have made me doubt my abilities a bit to perform and succeed but I do feel like I am slowly getting back thee confidence I use to have when I compete.
“I take recovery seriously now so hopefully I can stay healthy through out this season and represent my country and university to the best of my abilities,” she said.