Natoya Goule - Ian Allen

Inadequate recovery time could have contributed to former Manchester High middle distance standout Natoya Goule not attaining the IAAF World Championships 'B' standard qualifying time of 2:01.30 in the 800m, as just under an hour after running the 400m she was back on track for the half-mile event at the recently concluded Jamaica Athletics Administrative Associations/Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships.

She nonetheless gave a gusty performance, as she clocked a personal best, 2:01.45, to finish second to Kenia Sinclair who retained her 800m title with a season's best 2:00.96.

Goule refused, however, to blame her 400m race, in which she placed fourth with a time of 52.55 seconds, to advance to the finals, for her missing out on the qualifying time

"I am not blaming it on the 400m, because 45 minutes was a good time for me to get back, because I ran 52.6 in the semis as I just went out there to get the fourth spot and not to run any big time," Goule told Star Sports.

qualifying standard

"I am not going to say it was the 400m, I just believe this is the time that I was supposed to run today," she added.

However, the 20-year-old is confident that she will be able to meet the qualifying standard at the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games next month.

"If I go to the CAC Games I know I will make the time, as there are two girls, one from Colombia and one from Cuba, who I know will push me, so that will help me to run a better time and even run the time I want to run which is 1:59."

She was also very pleased to have finished runner-up to her role model, Sinclair.

"I am very pleased to know that I came second and to know that I ran with an Olympic finalist," Goule said.

Sinclair, who has been advising Goule, was very pleased with the youngster's performance.

"I talk to Natoya Goule a lot and I keep telling her when you go out there to race, fear no one and approach it as if you are the best," Sinclair said.

"So coming out here I expected her to have the same mentality racing against me and she did just that," she added.