- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Nolle Graham in full flight during the National Atlethics Championships at the National Stadium in June. Graham leapt 6.40m to win her first title.

Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

FACED WITH signing athletes away to other countries over the years, the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) is now in the process of welcoming back on board one of those athletes.

Nolle Graham, who represented Jamaica at the 2001 World Junior Championships in Chile, has written to the JAAA expressing her desire to resume her career with Jamaica.

The 24-year-old long jumper had previously requested to be released to represent the United States in 2002, but never tried to make any of that country's teams.

Asked if she only decided to return because she could not make the U.S. team, Graham, who has competed at every American Championships since 2002, said:

"Not really ... It was more of the individuals (Kenia Sinclair and Andre Bliss) that I spoke to ... that motivated me to return."

"I just want the opportunity and to see what it would be like representing Jamaica again," she said.

Better training facility

The former Jonathan Grant and Seton Hall University student has also seen improvement within the JAAA administration.

"The JAAA office has improved. It is taking care of its athletes and that is good," she said.

"They have a new facility (Stadium East) and things are better now."

Within the past 12 months, national high jump record holder Germaine Mason, former national 400m champion Brandon Simpson and Kimberly Barrett, the shot put record holder, have switched to Great Britain, Bahrain and Puerto Rico, respectively.

Graham, who left Jamaica at age eight for the States, participated here for the first time in four years when she won the long jump title with a leap of 6.40 metres at June's National Senior and Junior Championships.

However, she was not included on the CAC Games team to Colombia because a misunderstanding of the IAAF changing eligibility rules.

Graham said she was disappointed, "because it was a team I wanted to be on. I felt like my effort went to waste, but I understand the reason. The process took longer than expected."