[hr] Jamaican outshone Samoa in their first game, winning by a comfortable 64 goals to 20. But it was far from an easy ride. Samoa put on an excellent performance, putting pressure on the ball and forcing Jamaica to use a long pass that was easily intercepted. It was the strong Jamaican defence that prevented Samoa notching up the goals – their dominance in the circle made it difficult for Samoa to feed their shooters, and their elevation ensured it was them who got the rebounds. Being the tallest team in the competition, Jamaica used it to their advantage by utilising Shantal Slater, a 6ft 2 inch shooter, to convert their efforts into goals in the first half. However miscommunication and misjudged catching in the circle meant that easy balls were lost to the Samoans. After a confident win in A tri nation tournament including England and Trinidad & Tobago earlier this year, they have high expectations. “We’re looking to go all the way” said Jamaican Head Coach, Oberon Pitterson-Nattie, “but we’re taking it one game at a time.” [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] Editorial courtesy Farah Hasan, Planet Netball Photos by Tom Roberts
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Yona Knight-Wisdom came 23rd in the 1M springboard at the World Championships Yona Knight-Wisdom made history as he became the first Jamaican diver to compete at a World Championships when he appeared in the heats of the one-metre springboard in Barcelona. Born and bred in Leeds, Knight-Wisdom had a three-way choice of which country to represent – Jamaica from his father’s side, Barbados from his mother’s or Great Britain. He chose Jamaica and received his passport in January last year before becoming the first Jamaican male diver to compete internationally. Knight-Wisdom represented Jamaica for the first time in April 2012 in Germany, and on Saturday he came 23rd in the 1m springboard in only his fifth international competition. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] He was four places behind Britain’s Jack Laugher, who he trains with under former world champion Edwin Jongejans in Leeds. While Betsy Sullivan represented Jamaica at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston at the grand old age of 10 before going on to the 1972 Olympics, Knight-Wisdom is the spearhead for the sport in Jamaica today. He told Press Association Sport: “They have the framework but they don’t have any springboards. So, if they can get […]
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[hr] Jamaica will host Group Four of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-20 Women’s Tournament, starting from Tuesday. Bermuda, Cuba and Curacao will join the hosts in this group phase to be played at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. The opening round of matches will begin on Tuesday, with Cuba facing Curacao followed by the second game when Bermuda go up against Jamaica. Jamaica will play Curacao Thursday while Bermuda will tackle Cuba. The final games will be played Saturday with Curacao encountering Bermuda and rivals Jamaica and Cuba face-off in the closing game of the tournament. Trinidad & Tobago and the Dominican Republic have secured the two spots available in Group One played in the Dominican Republic, which concluded with Trinidad and Tobago topping the group with six points, and Dominican Republic gaining three points to take second place. Both teams will advance to the finals set for October, in Puerto Rico. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] Currently, eight teams from Groups Two and Three (four in each group) are competing for four spots, with two from each group to advance to the finals also. The competition is taking place in British Virgin Islands and Suriname, respectively. Fifteen […]
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[hr] Having not been able to field the number of student-athletes desired to the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia, nor persons in other sporting disciplines besides track and field, the Jamaica Intercollegiate Sports Association is taking solace in the number of competitors that will feature in field events and the jumps. The team to the July 6-17 Games departed the island in two batches yesterday, with three of the eight members down to compete in the triple jump, shot put and discus. “This year is very significant because half of the team is field events persons,” Intercol executive and manager of the travelling team, Rashid Hall, “The opportunity is there for them to really showcase that Jamaica is not just track, but also about field.” Jamaica’s delegation was originally set to comprise 22 members, but was reduced to 10 due to financial constraints. The team was further lessened to eight after 110m hurdler Deuce Carter of the University of the West Indies (UWI) suffered an injury ahead of last month’s national trials, and 400m hurdler Danielle Dowie of the University of Texas, Austin, deciding at the last minute to go to the CAC Games to be held in […]
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[hr] A solid start and glances to his left and right with some 30 metres still left to run, Usain Bolt waltzed to a comfortable 9.94 seconds to win the men’s 100m at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association/Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships inside the National Stadium last evening. His stablemate, Kemar Bailey-Cole, the next big thing from the Racers production line, was second in an impressive 9.98 with Nickel Ashmeade finishing third in 9.99. “For me, it’s all about qualifying. The trials is always to make the team, when it comes to championships is when it really matters,” were Bolt’s first words after his win. The biggest shock was perhaps Asafa Powell’s seventh-place finish in 10.22; not even good enough for a spot in the relay pool as it stands. “For me, Asafa has been through a lot this season, this is probably his third race he actually finished, so I’m surprised he actually came out here and finished a race, so for me, that’s good. Now he can go on the circuit and make some money and get it done,” offered Bolt, sparing a thought for Powell. Kerron Stewart was also impressive, winning the women’s 100m in 10.96, her […]
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[hr] Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, who was once the world’s fastest man, last night tumbled out of contention for a spot at this summer’s World Championships in Russia, leaving a massive cloud of doubt over his future. The 30-year-old could only manage a 7th-place finish in the 100m event at the National Trials, with only the top three guaranteed spots at the athletic showpiece in Moscow. The shocking result saw the sprinter missing out on a top-three spot at the Jamaica National Trials for the first time since he rose to prominence. Current double world record holder Usain Bolt took the event in a pedestrian stroll clocking 9.94, with Racers teammate, Kemar Bailey-Cole, second in an impressive 9.98 and Nickel Ashmeade finishing third in 9.99. Powell clocked 10.22, a distant cry from his personal best of 9.72, which placed the sprinter comfortably among the biggest names in world sprinting. “It is very frustrating to know that I didn’t get to finish in the top three, but that is how it goes, I have to just work on it and try and come back,” Powell told The Gleaner. “I am not race fit and I have to just work on it.” […]
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[hr] Jamaican sprinting star Veronica Campbell-Brown had in fact declared using a product ahead of her positive drug test – a development, which could have a major impact on the outcome of the situation facing the 31-year-old. Importantly, however, it is also understood that there was no Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) in place, which means that she will still need to face a hearing. The TUE is a pre-approved facility, which allows athletes to use certain banned substances for medical conditions. Campbell-Brown’s ‘A’ sample, taken after her performance at the May 4 Jamaica International Invitational at the National Stadium, returned an adverse analytical finding, reportedly triggered by the presence of a diuretic. Up to last night, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) had not received official notification of the findings of Campbell-Brown’s ‘B’ sample, but the association’s president, Dr Warren Blake, on Saturday did confirm that a Jamaican athlete had returned an adverse analytical finding from their ‘A’ sample at the meet. Diuretics are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for their ability to mask the presence of performance-enhancing drugs. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] Notified agency However, sources close to the situation informed that the athlete […]
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[hr] Two-time Olympic 200 metre champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has been provisionally suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations after she tested positive for a banned diuretic at the May 4 Jamaica International Invitational World Challenge meet in Kingston. The banned diuretic has been identified as Lasix which is a water pill that prevents a person’s body from absorbing too much salt, allowing the salt to instead be passed into the urine. Lasix also treats fluid retention in people with congestive heart failure, liver disease, or a kidney disorder such as nephrotic syndrome and is also used to treat high blood pressure. The Jamaican’s A and B sample came back positive which means she has committed a doping violation. Campbell-Brown has 14 days to submit in writing to the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association that she wants a hearing take place and according to the IAAF’s rules this must take place in 30 days. VCB could be given a warning or face a 2-year suspension from the sport. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] via og.nr
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[hr] Brazil’s Alan Oliveira, the 200m T43/44 Paralympic champion is now the fastest leg amputee runner on earth after obliterating the 100m T43 world record on Saturday (15 June) at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin, Germany. The 20 year old led from start to finish to record a legal and official time of 10.77 seconds. His time is 0.14 seconds faster than the previous T43 world record of 10.91 which was jointly held by South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, set in April 2007, and USA’s Blake Leeper posted last July. The time is also 0.08 seconds faster than the 100m T44 world record of 10.85 seconds held by Great Britain’s Jonnie Peacock, which was unofficially equalled last Saturday by USA’s Richard Browne. In the build-up to this weekend’s races in Berlin and the US Paralympics Track and Field National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, it was Paralympic 100m silver medallist Browne who was the most vocal about breaking world records. The 21 year old even went as far as claiming that the 100m race at next month’s IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France would be a two horse race between him and Paralympic champion Peacock. [hr] [column2] [/column2] […]
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[hr] Kingston, Jamaica, June 1, 2013 – Jamaica and Nicaragua both moved into the NORCECA Third Round of Qualifiers towards the 2014 FIVB Women’s World Championship by scoring a couple of victories on Saturday in the preliminary phase of the Group M Tournament. Jamaica registered a 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Suriname in the nightcap of the first day of action at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium. Earlier in the evening, Nicaragua had scored an easy 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-4) win over Bermuda. In the morning matches, Nicaragua overcame Suriname in four sets (28-26, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23) while Jamaica beat Bermuda 25-11, 25-16, 25-8. With their 2-0 win-loss records the 10th ranked Nicaragua and the 12th placed Jamaica in the current NORCECA Rankings are both out of reach for any of the other two competitors following their 0-2 balance. “I am very happy for the victory because we have put a lot of work to achieve this,” said Gatasheu Bonner, the coach of Jamaica. “Our serving and blocking was the difference today and we have worked very hard in those two areas. The girls executed our game plan to win this important match for us.” “I am elated with the […]
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