Anderson an Olympian for Jamaica

July 2, 2008

KINGSTON, Jamaica –

Kansas sprinter Nickesha Anderson was selected as a member of the Jamaican Track and Field team for the 2008 Olympic Games, it was announced July 2. Anderson, a junior at KU, will be representing her country in the 4×100 relay in Beijing, China, based on her performances at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston, Jamaica last week.

Anderson was second in her preliminary race in the 100 meters, then finished third in the semifinal heat with a time of 11.27, which qualified her for the finals. Despite improving her time to 11.25 in the finals, just two-hundredths off her school record, the Hanover, Jamaica, native finished seventh. Kerron Stewart won the event with a world-leading time of 10.80. Going into the women’s 200-meter preliminaries, Anderson started with the fifth-best time (23.12). She finished sixth in the finals with a time of 22.68. Veronica Campbell-Brown won the race with a time of 21.91.

Anderson and her Jamaican teammates will report for Beijing on July 31. She is being considered for races in addition to the 4×100 relay.

The 2008 Olympic track and field events run for 10 consecutive days, August 15-24, with some finals to be held each day. When more information on Anderson’s race is available, it will be posted on www.kuathletics.com.