Parchment ... I believe my start has seen a big improvement. - file

At the 2013 Supreme Ventures National Championships 110-metre hurdler Hansle Parchment was the best in the world.

A new national record of 13.05 seconds set just three weeks before had set Parchment up as one of the favourites to not only make the team to Moscow but to also possibly take the gold medal at the IAAF World Championships that year.

A freak accident that saw him strain his ankle on a hurdle put paid to those ambitions but acts as fuel as the Fitz Coleman-coached athlete goes in search of redemption. He said his confidence is where it is supposed to be.

"It has been a very good season," said the man who boasts the third fastest time in the world this season, and three of the top 10 fastest times in the world. "I feel great because I have been healthy for the most part, and because of what I have seen so far I believe I can do well at the trials."

all-round improvement

What has also given him added confidence is the general all-round improvement in his racing that he believes will give him an advantage over fellow hurdlers Andrew Riley and others who will be challenging for a place on the Jamaican team to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in late July.

"I believe my start has seen a big improvement, which has put me a lot closer to the (elite) guys, but there is still a lot of room for improvement," he said.

It should be noted that Parchment's slowest time this season - 13.20 set in Eugene, Oregon, on May 31 is 0.15 of a second faster than his nearest Jamaican rival, Riley, who has a season best of 13.35. Only Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde's 13.12 and 13.13 have been faster than the towering Jamaican (13.14) this season.

As the championships loom closer, Parchment admits that last year's mishap is providing added motivation to do well.

"I would say that I am a lot healthier. I have to give God thanks for that, so I am just going to try to compete, trying to get my name out there and trying to get to the Games."