Kenia Sinclair - File

Jamaica's best success at the international level in track and field has come by way of the sprints, but in recent years, Kenia Sinclair has made somewhat of a breakthrough in unfamiliar territory, enjoying some success in a middle distance.

The former St Jago High School athlete, who celebrated her 29th birthday a month ago, is undoubtedly the country's best middle-distance runner.

The first sign of her prowess came in 2005, when she broke Inez Turner's 10-year-old 800 metres national record.

Sinclair, the fifth Jamaican female to go under the two-minute barrier in the two-lap event, will be hoping to make her presence felt in Berlin and will be hoping to make up for disappointments in the last two championships, where she failed to make the finals.

Dominant performances

The 29-year-old's best season came in 2006 after she notched a personal best of 1:57.88 in Greece. If Sinclair can find that kind of form, she should be among the finalists, as this season hasn't produced any dominant performances.

Sinclair's best result for her country has been silver at the World Indoor and Commonwealth Games. She also had encouraging performances in Beijing last year where she finished sixth in 1:58.24. Times like that could see her making it to her first final at the World Championships.

After a sluggish start to her 2009 campaign, Sinclair showed that she was rounding into some form when she clocked a season best 1:59.13 to finish fifth a few days ago at the Herculis Grand Prix meet in Monaco. There the United States' Maggie Vessey produced a career best and world-leading time of 1:57.84 to win the event.

Before that run, the American had never broken the two-minute barrier and the Jamaican can use Vessey's performance as motivation.