The Commonwealth Games down under have come to an end and Jamaica did extremely well, winning International medals that we have never won before.
Over the weekend, we took over some of the Field events!
Jamaica’s thrower, Danniel Thomas struck Gold in the Women’sShot Put!
Fedrick Dacres and Traves Smikle brought home the Gold and Silver respectively for the Men’s Discus.
Back on the track, Paralympian,Tevaughn Thomas won Bronze in the Men’s T47 100m!
Natoya Goule finally medalled internationally with a Personal Best in the Women’s 800m Final with a sweet Bronze medal finish.
Danielle Williams and Yanique Thompson got Jamaica a Silver and Bronze respectively in the Women’s 110m Hurdles.
Jamaica also took home medals in the 4×400m Relays for both the Men and Women!
Bronze for the Men
Gold for the Women!
NBA PLAYOFFS – BASKETBALL
The NBA Playoffs started last Saturday and the Celtics are already 1 up on the Bucks and the Thunder 1 up on the Jazz.
Warriors blew out the Spurs and the 76ers routed the Heat.
The Raptors finally won an opening Game 1 in the Playoffs, beating the Wizards.
The no. 1 team in the West, the Rockets, had a fight to beat the Timberwolves, 104-101. This may be one of the best match ups for the West in the 1st round.
Surprises?
The Cavs lost to the Pacers 80-98. But if you think about it, LeBron James usually allows a Game 1 loss.
Pelicans beat the Trail Blazers, 97-95. They had a significant lead for most of the game and when the Trail Blazers came fighting back it just wasn’t enough.
PREMIER LEAGUE – SOCCER
Photo: Bleacher Report
After Manchester United lost to West Brom over the weekend, Manchester City officially became Champions of the Premier League!
It’s Man City’s 1st title under Pep Guardiola. Congrats to them.
More exciting weeks ahead in Sports. Stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams leaps to victory in the Women’s Triple Jump at the Commonwealth Games!
Jamaica’s ever so determined Kimberly Williams won Gold in the Women’s Triple Jump! Congratulations to her as well as our Shanieka Ricketts, who took the Silver. Thea Lafond of Dominica got the Bronze.
MEN’S 110m HURDLES FINAL
Jamaica got the 1-2 in the Men’s 110m Hurdles too! Congratulations to Ronald Levy who won Gold and our Olympic medallist, Hansle Parchment who got Silver. Aussie, Nicholas Hough placed third.
Ronald Levy and Hansle Parchment celebrate after their 1-2 finish respectively in the Men’s 110m Hurdles at the Commonwealth Games today
MEN’S 400m FINAL
DONKEY MAN IS BACK!
Javon ‘Donkey Man’ Francis before the start of the Men’s 400m at the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier today
…But so is MAKWALA!
At last, Isaac Makwala of Botswana wins Gold impressively in 44.35s! His compatriot, Baboloki Thebe got the Silver and Jamaica’s Javon ‘Donkey Man’ Francis got the Bronze!
If you missed it, watch the “Men’s 400m Final – Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 2018” on YouTube here:
Well done Team Jamaica!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Another absolutely sensational Issa/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships have come to an end. Calabar was expected to come out on top, ahead of KC, but not by so many points. Their dominance was exceptional for their 7th straight title.
Final Standings for the Boys:
Edwin Allen executed their races well for the Girls to come away on top for the 6th straight time ahead of Holmwood Technical.
Final Standings for the Girls:
There were so many great Champs Moments, but here are Suga’s Highlights:
â— Sportsmanship
Great Sportsmanship was shown between Great rivals, Tyreke Wilson of Calabar and KC’s Jhevaughn Matherson as they crossed the line in the Class 1 Boys 100m Semi-Final. This is what Champs is all about!
â— Class 3 Boys 100m Sweet 16 Victory by KCÂ
KC’s Bouwahjgie Nkrumie(1st) and Adrian Kerr (2nd) both smashed the record of Jhevaughn Matherson in 10.79s and 10.81s respectively.
Everyone has been asking if Nkrumie is also an import, but word has it that he has been going to school in Jamaica since Prep School. He speaks like a Jamaican as well.
â— Class 2 Girls 100m and 200m shines spotlight on our future Star in the Sprints
Suga’s Championship Girl, Kevona Davis of Edwin Allen High
The young lady called the Princess of sprinting amongst High schoolers, Kevona Davis of Edwin Allen, broke her own record that was set in the semifinals in 11.16s! Last year she false started and she has certainly come back with a vengeance. She is only hundredths of a second off from VCB’s Junior record time of 11.12s. I observed that she comes out of her drive phase quite quickly, so can you imagine when her form is improved?!
Her compatriot, Kasheika Cameron clocked 11.29 to win the 100m for the Class 1 Girls. This was a clear indication of the powerhouse, Kevona is.
The following day, she broke her own 200m semifinal record as well, to win in 22.72s.
â— Class 2 Boys 100m
Sachin Dennis of STETHS had a magnificent run, breaking the record in 10.20s!
â— Drama for the Class 1 Boys 100m
Calabar’s Michael Stephens, Defending Champ of the event started to feel cramps before the start of the race. He received a bit of Physio treatment before the race and was even on the phone. He was seen crying with his teammate and one of the favourites to win, Tyreke Wilson, but surprisingly still headed to the start line for the race.
Everyone was at that point thinking that KC’s Jhevaughn Matherson, the other favourite would have been undisturbed by the drama and thus have the advantage. He would be seeking redemption after false starting last year, allegedly because he was injured. But not only did Michael Stephens run out fast and pull up mid-race, so did Matherson of KC! This left Calabar’s Tyreke Wilson with a clear victory and PB of 10.21s ahead of JC’s Ryiem Robertson who finished in 10.28s.
A post Champs interview with the Assistant Coach of Calabar confirmed that Stephens was told to jog the race, which he did not do in such a competitive atmosphere.
â— Upset in the Class 1 Boys 400m Hurdles!
Favourites, Malik James-King of Calabar and STETHS’ Jauavney James were beaten convincingly by a young man from Rhodes Hall High School, Rovane Williams in a record time of 49.94s.
◠Petersfield comes out on top in the Class 2 Boys 400m and Boys 4×400m Open Relay!
Petersfield’s Antonio Watson seized victory in the Boys Class 2 400m and lived up to his reputation of World Under-18 Champion. He then anchored his 4×400m Relay team to victory in the last race of Champs, since Calabar’s record win was later declared null and void due to disqualification. One of the athletes on Calabar’s 4×400m team was over his race limit according to the rules. It is sad that the fault in Calabar’s line-up was apparently not picked up by the organizers before the race, but after the fact by Petersfield, who launched the appeal. A bit of a sour taste in the mouth at the end of Champs.
â— KC beats Calabar in the 400m Class 1 Boys
KC’s Captain, Dashawn Morris gave it his all and won the 400m Class 1 Boys in an impressive 45.09s, ahead of Calabar’s Anthony Carpenter, who registered a PB of 45.47.
â— STETHS’ Jauavney James showed great perseverance to win the Class 1 Boys 800m
Jauavney James of STETHS got his redemption from losing the 1500m and 400m hurdles. He won from behind in the Class 1 Boys 800m. He got his strategy right to finish his last Champs race in fine style.
â— Winner from Lane 8 in Class 3 200m Girls
Gabrielle Matthews of Hydel won the Girls Class 3 200m out of lane 8 in 23.60s to beat Edwin Allen’s Tina Clayton.
â— Sweet 16 KC rivalry continued in the Class 3 Boys 200m!
This time around KC’s Adrian Kerr beat his teammate, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie in record time. Nkrumie was still in good spirits, unlike Kerr who could not speak in his interview the night before after placing 2nd in the 100m. But with true determination, he ran from behind with lots of grit for the 200m win.
â— Calabar gets their Sweet 16 in the Class 1 Boys 200m
Suga’s Championship Boy, Christopher Taylor, Team Captain of Calabar High
Calabar’s Christopher Taylor won the Class 1 Boys 200m impressively in 20.32s ahead of his compatriot, Anthony Carpenter. Carpenter had an obvious limp towards the end of the race, but still managed to finish 2nd.
So many spectacular #ChampsMoments. I hope you shared these as some of your faves too.
Kudos also to the After-Show! Although some spectators may have dislocated their shoulders, it was superb quality for Jamaica’s version of the greatest show on earth.
See you next year!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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The World Championships in London are now over but there are so many moments to reflect on. The meet was filled with surprises, disappointments, upsets, drama and triumphs.
Thanks to everyone who enjoyed tuning in to Suga Lifestyle’s updates on Facebook and the Website.
Here are Suga’s 17 Memorable Moments from World Champs London 2017:
1. USAIN BOLT loses his last 100m individual race, getting the Bronze but JUSTIN GATLIN WINS!
2. MOHAMED FARAH aka Mobot of Great Britain wins Gold in the Men’s 10000m! He was going for his 5th double before retirement but fell short, getting the Silver in the 5000m. He will remain a Legend of the sport and a video tribute was played for him.
4. OMAR McLEOD wins Gold for Jamaica in the Men’s 110m Hurdles after a disappointing show for Jamaica in the Men’s and Women’s 100m.
5. RIO Olympic Champ, Kenya’s FAITH KIPYEGON won the Women’s 1500m with Genzebe Dibaba nowhere in sight and another favourite, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands finished 5th.
Caster Simenya of South Africa, who entered the event for the first time, took the Bronze.
Photo: Vavel
6. YULIMAR ROJAS of Venezuela won the Women’s Triple Jump in an exciting jump off versus the RIO Olympic Champion and her rival, Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia.
Photo: hindustantimes.com
7. PHYLLIS FRANCIS of the USA won the Women’s 400m in her PB, as Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas tightened, failing to medal and her compatriot and favourite to win, Allyson Felix faded on the stretch.
Photo: IAAF Athletics
8. Jamaica’s DANNIEL THOMAS-DODD was in the Bronze medal position of the Women’s Shot Put before the last throw, but ended up finishing 4th. Great achievement for Jamaica.
9. Jamaica’s RISTANANNA TRACEY won the Bronze medal in the Women’s 4×400m Hurdles in her PB!
10. The animated, KARSTEN WARHOLM of Norway won Gold in the Men’s 400m Hurdles upsetting USA’s Kerron Clement.
12. RAMIL GULIYEV of Turkey who has been in the game for a while, not only finally got on the podium, but won Gold in the Men’s 200m. He prevented South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk from winning the 400m-200m double. Van Niekerk got the Silver. Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards finished with the Bronze.
Photo: thetelegraph.co.uk
13. SALLY PEARSON (past Olympic and World Champion) at 30 years old, had a fairytale ending, winning Gold in the Women’s 100m Hurdles after suffering from 2 years of injuries.
Photo: www.heraldsun.com.au
14.  GREAT BRITAIN Men’s 4×100m team struck Gold as their anchor leg runner, Mitchell-Blake passed USA’s Christian Coleman before the line and Usain Bolt of Jamaica pulled up shortly after receiving the baton. They achieved the win in European record time.
Photo: telegraph.co.ukPhoto: telegraph.co.uk
15. USAIN BOLT’s 4×100m teammates gathered around him after an agonizing fall to the ground from pulling up on the final leg. The race was run about 15 minutes after the scheduled time and the athletes were all ready waiting in the cold as IAAF did Mo Farah’s tribute and medal ceremonies. This could have been the reason for Bolt cramping or injuring himself.
It was hard for everyone to watch the Champ and Legend go out like that for his final race. He still wanted to finish the race and they all helped him hop to the finish line.
16. TRINIDAD and TOBAGO’s (T&T’s) 4×400m Men’s team upset the USA and won Gold! Lalonde Gordon of T&T swept past Fred Kerley of the USA on the final stretch in the last lap of the relay. Brilliant run.
Photo: The Trinidad Guardian
17. USAIN BOLT was given a send off at the end of the Championships, where a packed stadium stayed to give thanks to him for doing so much for the sport.
He was given a gift from IAAF, a part of the track from which he created history in Olympics London 2012.
Usain bolt did not want to end his career on a bad note, but remember Muhammad Ali lost his last fight. He was not all smiles, but you could see the different emotions he felt as he held back tears at one point while walking his last lap around the track. He took a bow at his last competitive Track & Field event.
Photo: standard.co.ukUsain Bolt strikes his famous, To Di worl’ pose (Photo: stuff.co.nz)
THANKS USAIN! You will remain a Legend forever in not only Athletics but Sports in general.
WE WILL MISS YOU!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Sorry Jamaica but we don’t have a chance of a medal in this event. No Jamaicans have made the Final.
Defending Champ, Danielle Williams, our biggest chance, just hit almost every hurdle and finished 5th, pressured by Christina Manning of the USA beside her. She apparently lost focus.
Other qualifiers are no surprises as predicted by Suga. Talay has not done well this season but always seems to sneak her way into the Final. She flipped the script and is a dark horse.
Is Kendra Harrison officially a choker? It seems so. She hit the first hurdle and it was downhill from there, fighting to finish 3rd in her Semi. She qualified as a fastest loser, knocking out our Yanique Thompson who finished 3rd in Danielle’s Semi.
Little Megan Simmonds did her best, finishing 4th but was in a heated Semi led by Sally Pearson.
The SUMMARY
Sally Pearson may be able to create the upset for GOLD if Kendra doesn’t get her head right Suga Bears! Sally is looking really good and solid.
Sally Pearson (Photo – IAAF)
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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What else does Jamaica have to look forward to so we can come home with 6 or 7 medals, 8 max? – The Women’s 100m hurdles with one eye open and the Relays.
Women’s 100m Hurdles HEATS
While you were sleeping,
Danielle Williams won her Heat comfortably in 12.66. She finished ahead of the German, Pamela Dutkiewicz who ran 12.74. All 4 Qualifiers in that Heat dipped under 13s!
Photo: IAAF
Megan Simmonds got off to a great start and also won her Heat comfortably in 12.78s. Not sure if she will make the Final but if all goes well, she looks like the only Jamaican that could join Danielle Williams to represent Jamaica in the Final. She beat American, Nia Ali who finished 2nd in 12.93. Tiffany Porter of Great Britain surprisingly finished 6th in 13.18 and will not advance to the Semis.
Yanique Thompson finished a close 3rd in her Heat in 12.88 (.877) to Alina Talay of Belarus who ran 12.88 (.876) to finish 2nd and the World Record Holder from the USA, Kendra Harrison finished 1st in 12.60.
Photo – AMP – Daily Mail
*N.B. Kendra choked in the US Trials coming 6th and failed to make the RIO Olympic team but came back earlier this year showing a lot of character to break the World Record of 12.21 that has been there since 1988! Her PB and the new World Record is currently 12.20.
Rushelle Burton ran well to finish 3rd in her Heat with 12.94 to 2 Olympic Champs, Sally Pearson back from injuries (London) who was 1st in 12.72 and USA’s Dawn Harper-Nelson (Beijing) who was 2nd in 12.88.
Photo: IAAF
*NB. Sally Pearson had a nasty fall in 2015 breaking both wrists, dislocating one of them. She then was trying to return to RIO but tore her hamstring. After a rough 2 years, the Aussie is back in good form.
USA’s Christina Manning won the last Heat comfortably in 12.86. Nadine Visser of the Netherlands finished 2nd in 12.96, just ahead of Amisan of Nigeria who ran 12.97.
So for this one it’s USA VS. THE REST OF THE WORLD. Since Kendra qualified as a wild card, there are 4 Americans. Our Defending World Champ, Danielle Williams also qualified as a Wild Card so we have 4 Jamaicans entered in the event as well.
It’s hurdles so who can break up the USA party? I think a lot of people can do so. Nia Ali who is the 2nd best American threat looke vulnerable in her Heat. According to paper, Sally Pearson of Australia can put herself in between USA’s Kendra Harrison and Nia Ali for Silver. If our Danielle Williams runs outside of her PB of 12.56, it is possible for her to get the Bronze. I won’t be surprised or disappointed if she doesn’t medal. For her to become World Champ in 2015, a lot of the big names either fell or false started. We cannot count out Past Olympic Champ, Dawn Harper-Nelson of the USA, Nigeria’s Oluwatobiloba Amusan, USA’s Christina Manning, Nadine Visser of the anyone and the German, Pamela Dutkiewicz, who can all contest that 3rd place finish on the podium. This 100m Women’s Hurdles field is extremely competitive this year!
Let’s see how the Semis go later and see if anyone flips the script because at least 1 of the names previously mentioned as a contender for a medal cannot make the Final. If our Megan Simmonds improves a little more, she can be in the mix as well!
The Semis are TODAY at 1:05pm. Finals tomorrow!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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We have 3 Jamaicans in the Semis but I believe only Simone Facey has a chance of advancing to the Final.
This is another very competitive event, even with Torie Bowie out of it. The ladies to look out for are Dafne Schippers and Marie Josee Ta Lou. If Shaunae Miller-Uibo didn’t injure herself in the 400m Final and her legs still have the energy, she is likely to come back with determination since she missed out on the podium for the 400m. She has the fastest time of the season (21.91) amongst who is left, since Bowie who had a SB of 21.77 is out.
I won’t even attempt to make any predictions as to the placement on the podium based on how things have been going in London. Note however, that even though Dafne Schippers has a SB of 22.10, she has a PB of 21.63 and does not like to lose. She is an extremely sore loser. I see her grasping at the opportunity for Gold with Bowie and her rival, Elaine out of the 200m.
On the other hand, Ta Lou is such a free spirit with nothing to lose and everything to gain. She reminds me of our Pocket Rocket, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Who can spoil the party?
The American, Deajah Stevens.
Can’t wait for the Semis and the Final tomorrow at 3:50pm!
Women’s 400m Hurdles Final
This Final is another toss up as the Americans including the RIO Olympic champ, Dalilah Muhammad, may be out of shape. Defending World Champ, Zuzana Hejnová of Czech Republic has been looking good though.
Look out for our Ristananna Tracey. Can she get another Bronze for Jamaica? We need it.
Here is the line up!
Men’s 200m Final
This race is stacked! It’s anybody’s game. Wayde Van Niekerk looked tired in the Semis, struggling to finish 3rd and qualified as a fastest loser, but he didn’t look impressive in the 400m Semis either. I won’t be counting him out. Hoping for good weather!
From what I know so far, Makwala will be running out of Lane 6 and Van Niekerk will be running out of Lane 3.
The Schedule for the rest of the Championships!
I’m not expecting any medals for Jamaica from the Women’s 100m Hurdles but I am hoping with the Relays we can come home with at least 5 medals.
The RELAYS
It is too early to tell but we all know with Relays anything can happen. Team USA and others are in better shape than Team Jamaica in terms of speed, but we are hoping that our athletes put out their best and also execute smooth baton exchanges! Expecting a good performance from our 4×400m Women!
Good luck Jamaica! Stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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As predicted by Suga, Mohamed Farah won the 10000m! He is on his way to his 5th DOUBLE! CONGRATS MO! All things being well with a stomach bug going around, he will run in the Men’s 5000m. The Heats start today at 2:05pm.
Men’s 200m SemiFinal
We have Rasheed Dwyer and Yohan Blake left to compete, but it is doubtful that Dwyer will advance to the Final from Lane 9 in the Semis.
Blake is our only hope for a medal but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t make the podium. I believe he is facing a mental battle everytime he reaches or approaches top speed as a result of his recent injury that was very severe. It is unlikely he will release the beast ever again. We cannot blame him though because suffering an injury a 2nd time that was more severe than the first will have him running on the edge with a fear that it could put him out for a long time again with no guarantee of return. We wish him well.
There is currently a lot of controversy surrounding Botswana’s Isaac Makwala being out of the 400m. It is said that he was seen vomiting before the 200m Heats, hence why he did not enter. But he says he felt better and was in good condition to run the 400m Final. He was staying at a hotel where the norovirus swept through and he was suspected to have it because he was seen vomiting. In order to avoid the risk of contaminating other athletes, Makwala was denied entry to the London stadium, also due to a British Public Health order of proclamation. Makwala wasn’t even tested for the norovirus or seen medically so he was not a happy camper.
Makwala made this facebook post:
Despite all the controversy, the show must go on. World Record holder, Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa won the 400m easily and is going for the double in the 200m. He has the fastest time of 19.84 for the season.
To contest him, other than our Yohan Blake, we should look out for his compatriot, Akani Simbine, Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, Great Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Isiah Young of the USA.
The Frenchman, Christophe Lemaitre is still in it. He may have done his time finally achieving Bronze at the Olympics after many attempts, but he always does his best.
The Final is tomorrow at 3:52pm.
Men’s 400m Hurdles Final
Jamaica has Kemar Mowatt running out of Lane 3. We don’t expect a medal from him but we welcome pleasant surprises.
All eyes will be on RIO Olympic champ, Kerron Clement of the USA to see if anyone challenges him for the Gold.
Women’s 400m Final
The USA thinks Allyson Felix finally has this one in the bag and has scrutinized or accused Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas for ‘diving’ across the line to win Gold in RIO.
Can Shaunae make it look like her win was clean at RIO Olympics 2016 and upset Felix?
We have 3 Jamaicans in the Final who are well known to us – Shericka Jackson, Novlene Williams-Mills and Stephenie Ann McPherson. Depending on their strategy and focus, you cannot count them out for a bronze. However, USA’s Phyllis Francis has been running well and may stand in their way. So too is Salwa Naser of Bahrain, originally from Nigeria.
Here is the line up!
Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Stay tuned to Suga Lifestyle!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Usain Bolt was beaten in his last race! He got the Bronze.
Young Christian Coleman got Silver and fellow rival, Yohan Blake finished 4th. That leaves Justin Gatlin!
Gatlin who has been quiet all season with a point to prove, proved his point, quieting the boos from the crowd who haven’t forgiven him for his doping suspension even though he served his time.
Gatlin made it look deceiving in the Semis. He placed 2nd to Akani Simbine in the slowest SemiFinal, drawing Lane 8, possibly so he could be far from Bolt in the Final and see everyone who couldn’t see him.
What happened to Usain Bolt?!
Bolt’s preparation was probably the worst ever for this season with a loss of 3 weeks to his friend’s Germaine Mason’s death as well as more time due to injuries.
His body gave up on him too. With age and injuries on top of a bad start, he could no longer power himself past the 50 or 60m line to destroy his field of opponents. He did everything physically possible to reach the line with Coleman and Gatlin. But it still wasn’t good enough because he is not used to being so far behind coming up to the line with no power. He panicked and started to lean too early. With his foot across the line early and the 2nd slowest reaction time of 0.183 in the race to Coleman’s 0.123 and Gatlin’s 0.138, he ran the fastest race.
If Usain took one more step as the taller man, just as Coleman did, I believe he would have edged out Gatlin for the win.
So it wasn’t a surprising result, but a disappointing result. It was a fairytale ending that wasn’t meant to be. It not only showed that Bolt is human, but it was a lesson taught and inspiration to many, that if you try hard enough, you can beat the best and be the best. After the best have won over and over again, a small part of the motivation to win is lost as well.
Gatlin could never beat Usain at his best or in good shape. However, Bolt still reigned as the fastest man in the world and we cannot discredit Gatlin’s determination after never being able to beat Bolt, to finally beat him and win the Gold at his age. Sadly it happened at a time when Bolt will not run another race to answer. Bolt was gracious in defeat and we should be too.
Bolt said to Jamaica – ‘Sorry about that’. He knows how we can be with just one disappointment on the big stage. He surely cannot please everyone. Let us remember that if it was entirely up to Bolt he would have retired at the RIO Olympics 2016, but under the encouragement and influence of PUMA and the IAAF, they wanted him to come back to Worlds for a filled stadium and for the fans. We saw how hard it was for Usain to get the Gold in the 100m at RIO, much less a year later. I would have preferred for him to finish winning as most of us would, but there are others who may not care about the results of his last race, whether it was a win, lose or draw. They just wanted to see him run one more time. Thankfully he was realistic with himself and left his winning streak in his preferred 200m event, safe.
Thanks for everything you have done for Jamaica and Athletics Usain Bolt! We will miss you (Photo: AMP. Firstpost)
Bolt led a winning era for us from 2008 Beijing. That is almost a decade. We have a lot to be thankful for. So this brings me to Elaine Thompson losing in the Women’s 100m FINAL.
It was considered sure money for Elaine to win the Women’s 100m. She had the winning time, jogging in the Semis. So to place 5th, something must have gone wrong. None of us wanted that to happen at such a huge event, where we expected her to deliver Gold to lift Jamaica after Usain’s Bronze the day before. What made it worse?
Thankfully, she did not injure herself. She has been suffering with an achilles tendon injury, but this did not play a part in her loss.
She stated that she stumbled coming out of the drive phase, isn’t sure why and could not recover fast enough to pass the others who were already far ahead of her to the finish line.
Our local tv panel explained how this was possible. With her running at such a fast speed, to come out of a drive phase quickly would be like hitting a wall. We saw when she literally jerked back at about 50m. To lose focus or for something to go wrong for just a few thousandths of a second in an 11-second race, the field would already have left her behind. She still showed great effort to finish 5th. I have witnessed our Pcket rocket, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce come last in a 100m Diamond league race because she failed to recover from a bad start. People wondered what went wrong but she wasn’t crucified for it because it was not a big race.
These things can happen and she was in good spirits to continue with the 4×100m, refusing to blame the loss on anything else that was going on. As it later came out that she was seen vomiting in the warm up area after the Semis.
So yes this may have happened to Elaine but we didn’t even take the time to consider it and haven’t accepted it because we are looking at the bigger picture that it was another win for the USA in the sprint. Her coach, Stephen Francis also let her put all her eggs in one basket since she is not entered to run the 200m.
It is also a huge upset because USA has been our biggest rival for years. We have been on top for almost a decade and trust me, it took what seems like forever to get there. In a time where it was speculated more than half of the USA athletes were on drugs and doping regulations were not as strict, we painfully watched our hard working athletes such as Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert, Grace Jackson and more, get Silver and Bronze medals time and time again, always falling short of the Gold. We cried with them each time. We were also stuck watching the extremely biased USA feed to go along with it, rubbing salt into our wounds. We suffered. As a result, when Sprint athletes like Marion Jones and Justin Gatlin were given doping bans, it was like we were finally being freed from a great injustice. But so much damage had been done already, for instance with the Women’s 100m World record being totally unattainable, it left us being a bitter nation. So with the field leveled at a time when we had young and upcoming athletes like Usain bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, along with the veteran Veronica Campbell Brown and more, the timing was right for total redemption in Beijing 2008. Jamaica showed total dominance in the sprints with both the Men and the Women, shocking the Americans who thought it was a one-time fluke. But oh no, this continued to RIO 2016. We have not only been spoilt but developed an arrogance through bitterness.
All is not lost though. It is a change of the guard and we may have to wait again until others rise, but Elaine is still young and as she said, she has many more races to come.
There is a good outlook for us in Field events too. Fedrick Dacres finished 4th in the Discus throw. It was not his personal best, but that will come at the right time once he keeps working at it. We had Traves Smikle, who also made it to the Final round.
Photo: The Jamaica Gleaner
We also have …
Omar McLeod
Young Omar McLeod won Gold in the Men’s 110m, lifting Jamaica’s spirits and dedicated the Gold to Usain Bolt.
So keep the faith and be patient Jamaica. Stand by our Athletes win or lose because we are a talented nation and again we will RISE.
Continue to enjoy the sport, stay tuned for today’s Schedule that starts later this afternoon with hot races to look out for!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Favourites, Malik James-King of Calabar and STETHS’ Jauavney James were beaten convincingly by a young man from Rhodes Hall High School, Rovane Williams in a record time of 49.94s.
