“I’m aiming to break the national 200m record.” This is the clear goal of national sprinter Shaniqua Bascombe.
The Maraval Sprinter signaled her intention at the ‘Velocity Fest 19’ track meet in Jamaica, winning the 200 metres last weekend, with the highly fancied Clayton twins in the lineup.
Bascombe clocked a PB of 22.68 en route to victory as well as an 11.08 PB in the 100 metres semifinal (before opting out of the final). Currently the NR is 22.25, set by Michelle-Lee Ahye in Brazil back in 2017.
Bascombe relocated to Jamaica to join a more competitive senior training environment and says the experience forced her to grow off the track as well. “I was there by myself, so I had to learn how to be more independent and get to know the area. I’ve adjusted properly, met new people and learned a lot,” she said.
The move has paid dividends on the track. “Jamaica has a better senior training program — it’s a more competitive country. The training made me more mindful of injury prevention and getting stronger to compete,” she added.
After a season of strong performances capped by a personal best in the 200m over the weekend, the adidas sponsored sprinter says months of grueling work and the training in Jamaica have set the foundation for her return to form.
“Preparation was extremely rough from September and starting again in January,” Bascombe told wavetvtt.com. “There’s been a lot of endurance work, block work just to get stronger. It’s been rough, but necessary.”
Bascombe’s recent 200m PB surprised even her. With doubts in her coach’s mind about entering the 200 after earlier rounds, she said she went into the race with modest expectations. “I thought I might run 23, not 22. I had no expectation to run any 22, but it turned out differently,” she said, smiling.
The performance drew notice amid strong regional names — including the Clayton sisters — and signals Bascombe’s resurgence after a quiet period following her junior career. She revealed the break was due to injury: “I was dealing with bone bruising in my hip, which took a while. I decided to return to track properly in 2024 after being prompted to start back.”
Since her comeback she’s suffered only minor niggles. “I had one or two small injuries here and there but nothing major to rule me out for the season,” she said.
Looking ahead, Bascombe has clear goals for 2026. “I’m aiming to break the national 200m record. The rest I’ll leave to my coach,” she said, while acknowledging a stacked field awaits at nationals, with rivals such as Leah Bertrand and the Frederick sisters expected to push her.
With disciplined preparation, new training surroundings and renewed focus, Bascombe appears poised to challenge the top sprinters this season.