André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Alia Atkinson's historic world record-equalling gold medal performance at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Doha on Saturday is being hailed as a testament of perseverance and validation of the Government's decision two years ago to directly invest in her development and preparation ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Atkinson became the first Jamaican to win a world swimming title when she bettered Ruta Meilutyte to the wall, in the process matching her world record of 1:02.36, to win the 100m breaststroke. Meilutyte was clocked at 1:02.46 for second place as Atkinson improved on her silver medals in the 50m breaststroke in 2012 and 2014 and the 100m breaststroke in 2012. She also became the first black woman to hold a world short course record since Enith Brigitha of the Netherlands 40 years ago.

an investment

In 2012, after an impressive showing by the swimmer at the London Olympic Games where she finished fourth in the 100m breaststroke, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that the Government would commit to helping secure the nearly $20 million needed for Atkinson to prepare for the Rio Olympics, an investment, which vice-president of the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) Alan Roy Marsh believes has already been justified.

"I think the president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (Mike Fennell) said it best, that the returns we have gotten from our athletes, far surpass the investment made in sports in terms of branding overseas and international recognition," Marsh said.

"That investment (in Atkinson) has probably been paid off many times, when you look at the branding that Jamaica got when she swam through the World Cup series, when she swam at the Commonwealth Games and with her presence there - the Jamaican flag consistently coming up and so on."