By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

TOKYO, Japan — It was a painful time for Charisma Taylor as she watched her name slip off the chart for one of the six fastest loser qualifying spots for the women’s 100 metres hurdles semifinals.

Having done her job with a sixth-place finish in the fourth of six heats in a time of 12.96, Taylor just missed the cut as the final spot went to Luca Kozak of Hungary in the same time, but by a fraction.

Visibly upset as she spoke to the media in the mixed zone in the Japan National Stadium, the 26-year-old Taylor said it hurt so much because she knows what she’s capable of doing.

“I put everything into this season, literally everything and to see it end like that with a time that obviously was not one of my greatest, it’s very hard to see and to get knocked out by one spot,” said Taylor, who admitted that she ran that time in practice.

“That’s even more of a heart breaker. I may be down right now, but not knocked out. I continue to thank God because this has been an eye-opening year for me, obviously one of the greatest seasons of my life mentally, spiritually. I may be crying now, but I’m okay.”

During her race, Taylor struggled as she was out of the blocks and was unable to catch the pack ahead of her, led by Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent in 12.54, followed by Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland in 12.59 and Maayke Tjin A-Lim, the third automatic qualifier in 12.71.

As she embarked on her first professional season after she completed her college career at the University of Tennessee, Taylor said she has changed coaches and is now working with John Coghlan - the coach of Puerto Rico’s female hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn - at their training site in Jacksonville, Florida.

“From February to now, I’ve been training under a new coach under a new system,” she stated. “If anyone knows, the technicality of the event is very technical, so to change in the middle of the indoor season was a big risk.

“But it paid off. It definitely paid off. It got me here. I didn’t do what I needed to do today, but the money and the time that I spent, I’m not sponsored, but I want to thank the people who got me here.”

She mentioned Paul Doyle, her manager, her parents Dewey and Patrice Taylor, who made the trip here to watch her compete,  her sponsor TaylorMade Limemade and her family and church members at home.

“It’s hard for me right now,” she stated. “I may be down, but I’m not out.”

With her season now over, Taylor said she just wants to relax and reflect on her performance and where she will take it from here. She noted that there are still a lot of things she wants to accomplish, not just in the hurdles but the triple jump as well.

The bald-headed Taylor, who suffers from the sickness alopecia, which has caused her to lose her hair,  noted that she has not given up on the triple jump because she still has a lot to accomplish in it.

But she noted that she’s excited about what she’s doing in the hurdles, even though her race didn’t show it. As she bows out, Taylor wished Charlton all the best. “Devynne knows I’m on her team all the way,” Taylor said. 

“I want Devynne to be on that podium.”

She turned to Charlton and congratulated her with a hug.