ONE of the biggest perfor-mances at the 2008 National Track and Field Championship came from former Holmwood Technical athlete, Rosemarie Whyte.

She created a major upset by defeating a strong field to win the women's 400 metres final in a career best 50.05 seconds. The win earned her a place on Jamaica's team to the Beijing Olympics.

The 21-year-old Whyte, a second-year student at GC Foster College, who concentrated on the long and triple jumps while in high school, gained her major triumph in her first 400m competition for the season. In the final she defeated former national champions Shericka Williams and Novlene Williams-Mills, the 2007 World 400 metres bronze medallist.

Whyte's winning time made her the fastest Jamaican woman over 400m this year and she will go into the Games with the seventh-fastest time in the world for 2008. Before the National Championships, her personal best was a modest 51.74.

The GC Foster student admitted that she was very nervous going into the National Championships.

"This was my first competition against such a quality field as those athletes were very experienced, but I was very confident as I knew that my training had gone very well.

"After completing the first round running against Shericka Williams, I became even more confident as I was shocked to see that I had lowered my personal best to 51.13 and I was running very easy," she continued.

Whyte stated that she became even more confident after running the semi-finals. "Once again, I came up against Shericka and I knew I could have beaten her, but I followed my coach's instructions by staying relaxed and to finish in the top two so I could get a good lane in the final."

Whyte ran the perfect race in the final. She kept her composure as Williams-Mills and Williams along with Shereefa Lloyd were well ahead coming into the final 100m.

"During the race I was focused on what my coach told me," she said.

Showing superior speed and better endurance, Whyte made her move at the right time as with the front runners slowing down, she went by them with ease to win the event going away.

Her first national title and an Olympic berth have both made her very happy.

"I am extremely happy to know that I will be representing the country at the Olympic Games and to know that I am going as the national champion. I would like to thank God first because without Him this would not have been possible. Also, I would like to thank my coach Maurice Wilson, my teammates at GC Foster, staff of GC Foster and Holmwood Technical. Also, Dr Paul Auden and Pat Anderson of Windalco who have given me full support for many years," Whyte said.

Her coach Maurice Wilson heaped praises on the new star.

"This is one young lady who trains extremely hard and follows instructions," said Wilson who is now in Beijing with the Jamaican track and field team.

"Rosemarie was prepared for this because in high school she did the hard events like the heptathlon and because she did not do the 400 metres in high school, she was not stale," Wilson said.

The pressure is now on both coach and athlete with the Beijing track and field events just over a week away.

"I am very confident that I can get her back to peak again at the Games and once she reaches the final, she could pull off another big surprise," he concluded.