Walton’s Tia Jones is going international.

Jones placed second in the 100-meter hurdles at the USA Track and Field Junior National Outdoor Championships in Clovis, Calif. Saturday to qualify for the 2016 IAAF U20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, July 19-24.

A rising sophomore and the 2016 Class AAAAAA state 100-meter hurdle champion, Jones ran 13.05 in the final to finish behind Alexis Duncan by .01 seconds. As one of the top two finishers in her event, she automatically qualified for the U20 World Championships, formally known as the World Junior Championships.

“I’ve always wanted to represent Team USA, and now I’ll get that chance,” Jones said. “I’m just so grateful to be a part of the team.”

The World Championships will also mark Jones’ first time competing internationally.

“I’m really excited to travel,” she said. “This will be my first international meet, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jones, representing her Full Throttle track club this summer, continues to improve in her signature event. Last year’s New Balance Nationals Outdoor 100 hurdle champion as an eighth grader, she concluded her freshman season at Walton running a state record time of 13.20 last month. She had the lead against Duncan early, but a miscue cost her the title.

“I wanted to win, but I knew the top two would make Poland, so I’m at least happy for that. I started off the race slow, but started to pull away. By the third hurdle, I lost control a little bit and hit a hurdle and me and (Duncan) were neck-and-neck the rest of the way.

“It’s a learning experience. I’ll be more prepared for that type of thing in the future, and I’ll know right from wrong if I’m in that position again.”

Jones couldn’t do any wrong in her preliminary heat earlier in the day. She ran a plus-1.2 meter per second wind-aided 12.84 in the opening heat, setting a new U.S. high school national record. Jones became the third U.S. high school hurdler to break the 13.00 mark and tied the World Junior record set by Aliuska Lopez of Cuba in 1987.

Jones, who turns 16 in September, also set the Age-15 World and World Youth records with her sub-13.00 preliminary time.

“I knew I’d be able to run that fast one day, but I didn’t expect that time so soon,” Jones said. “I just ran to try and qualify for the final and I got it, so I was really surprised and happy with the time.

“It feels great to have a national record, but there’s definitely work to do. I’ll never be satisfied with what I do.”

Also noteworthy, Jones’ record time of 12.84 in the 100 hurdles falls under the U.S. Olympic Team qualifying time of 13.00 as well as qualifying guidelines. So as long as there are no age requirements or limitations and Jones declares her eligibility in a timely manner, she could have an opportunity to vie for a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team when the Team Trials take place Friday through July 10 at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene.

“My dad (Tyronne Jones) is going to have to look into that,” Jones said.

This article was written by Carlton D. White and was published in the Marietta Daily Journal, June 28 2016.

 

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