Jamaica’s premier diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, who competed at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, wants to leave a legacy for upcoming youngsters interested in the sport. Knight-Wisdom began diving at age nine (9). The tall and athletic former gymnast competing at his second Olympic Games had a tremendous series in the men’s 3m springboard competition that took him all the way to the semi-finals. In the preliminary round, he finished 13th out of 29 divers with 411.65 points. Knight-Wisdom, who competed sixth in the semi-finals diving order, amassed 362.95 points from his six dives, which included the forward and inward 3 ½ somersaults, forward 2 ½ somersaults with one twist, back 2 ½ somersaults, reverse 3 ½ somersaults and forward 2 ½ somersaults with two twists. The 26-year-old’s best effort came in the third round where he scored 72 points. Of the eighteen (18) divers, the Jamaican finished 15th overall occasionally impressing the commentators and Judge Panel with his brilliant routine. Only the top twelve divers advanced to the final. After his competition ended, Knight-Wisdom, affectionately called Yonkers, was appreciative of all the love and support from his Jamaican fans over the years. […]
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The fourth day of athletics at the Tokyo Olympics coincided with the Emanipation public holiday in Jamaica. After a few hiccups the previous day, Jamaicans needed some cheering up. The women’s 100m hurdles final was the last event of the day and Jamaica had two of its heroines (Britany Anderson and Megan Tapper) lined up against the world’s best. Jamaica, despite producing two world champions in the women’s 100m hurdles, had never won an Olympic medal in the event. There was a strong sense of déjà vu when domestic champion Megan Tapper occupied lane nine (9). At the Jamaica national trials, Tapper ran from lane eight and told reporters after her victory that, in a final, every lane is a blessing. At 9:50 pm (JA time), the country went on pause with every Jamaican glued to their television sets. Cometh the hour, cometh the woman. Tapper, a 5ft athlete with 7ft dreams, no doubt, was inspired by the lyrics of the international reggae artiste Sizzla Kolanji’s hit song, ‘Rise to the occasion, look at yourself then say your strong no one can stop u (oh Yea). Rise to the occasion go ahead u know your […]
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The third day of athletics (evening session) at the Tokyo Olympic Games coincided with the Emancipation holiday in Jamaica. The men’s 100m semi-final resembled a sudden-death shootout with several excellent sprinters vying for only two automatic spots. Two Jamaicans carried the hopes of their nation. Jamaica’s Yohan Blake is a powerfully built athlete with shoulders that can block out the sun. The 2011 World Champion had vowed earlier in the year that he was not leaving Tokyo without a medal. However, it seems that promise might come in the men’s 4x100m relays after Blake finished sixth in his 100m semi-final in a pedestrian 10.14 seconds. It was a disappointing farewell for Blake, who is appearing in his third and final Olympic Games. Blake’s teammate Oblique Seville competing in his first Olympic Games finished no higher than fourth in the second semifinal in 10.09 seconds and failed to advance. It was the first time Jamaica has not had a finalist in the men’s 100m in five Olympics dating back to 2000. Both Seville and Blake will now turn their attention to the men’s 4x100m relays, which start on August 5, 2021. The women’s […]
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From the women’s 100m heats got underway in Tokyo; it seemed something special was in the offing. Jamaica’s three female sprinters brought their ‘A’ game to the Japan capital and many track and field aficionados predicted a podium sweep. Elaine Thompson-Herah, the defending sprint double Olympic champion, had endured some modest returns since 2016, a period where she won no individual medal. Therefore, she came into the games with a burden of uncertainty questioning her status as one of the elites and the ability to repeat her 2016 feat. Notwithstanding, Thompson-Herah, who looked peerless throughout the rounds, returned emphatically to the zenith of world sprinting on Saturday (31) at the XX11 Olympiad. She produced an almost flawless run to not only defend her title, but also remove – unbelievably – one of the records held by American Florence Griffith-Joyner – the Olympic record (10.62), which stood for 33 years. That. Is. Rapid. The second fastest 100m ever run by a woman! 😲 Elaine Thompson Herah defends her title with a new Olympic record!#bbcolympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/fCBGeVUA36 — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 31, 2021 Thompson-Herah, drawn in lane four with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to her right […]
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Following an eventful first day, Jamaica came in the morning session of day two of the athletics segment of the Tokyo Games with optimism. In the women’s 400m hurdles, Jamaica had mixed fortunes. Janieve Russell competing in heat two qualified comfortably in 54.81 seconds. However, her teammates Leah Nugent and Ronda Whyte had unforgettable experiences. Nugent, who was a finalist in Rio, drifted outside of her lane twice and was penalized with a disqualification for the infraction. Interestingly, at the Rio Olympics Nugent had a lane violation and was reinstated after the Jamaican management lodged an appeal; however, this time around Nugent’s appeal was unsuccessful. Whyte, who missed making the Olympic team in Rio, saw her Tokyo Olympic dreams turn into a nightmare in the starting blocks as she suffered the indignity of a false start. She had a look of utter disbelief as she walked off the track. Conversely, Jamaica’s trio in the women’s 100m hurdles had no such hiccups as all three entrants advanced to the semifinals. Comparatively, none of Jamaica’s sprint hurdlers at the Rio Olympics made it beyond the heats. This was a massive accomplishment. 2013 World Youth champion Yanique […]
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There was the alluring promise of hope in the air for anxious track and field fans on the first morning of athletics at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The sun shone brightly on Friday morning, providing decent weather conditions to encourage quality performances from several Jamaicans in action. After the razzmatazz surrounding the women’s 100m, it was indeed encouraging to see the event live up to the hype. Reigning sprint double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah came out with a sense of purpose and delivered a clear message to her rivals with a stunning 10.82 seconds victory in her heat. It was, at the time, the fastest 100m heat in Olympic history. However, it only lasted a few minutes as Marie-Josee TA Lou of Ivory Coast upstaged Thompson-Herah with a 10.78 lifetime best equalling the African record held by her teammate Murielle Ahoure. The other Jamaican sprinters also impressed. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce scored an impressive win in heat five (5) in 10.84 (+1.3 m/s), Shericka Jackson looked in cruise control in heat seven (7) before easing down for second in 11.07 (-0.2 m/s). In the men’s 400m hurdles, Jaheel Hyde won his heat in 48.54 seconds, […]
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From all accounts, the women’s 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics is going to be remembered as a deeply moving historical event, which will echo in our hearts forever. Since 2008, Jamaica has had a stranglehold on the women’s 100 metres at the Olympic Games. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at 5 feet tall stands head and shoulders below her fiercest competitors; however, whatever she lacks in height is made up with explosive speed. Fraser-Pryce has featured prominently in her country’s success, winning two of the last three 100m Olympic titles. At 34, she is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, only one woman in history (Florence Griffith-Joyner) has run quicker than Fraser-Pryce’s personal best of 10.63 seconds, which she registered on June 5, 2021. The following month Fraser-Pryce won her country’s national title defeating a formidable field, which included reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and the fast-rising quarter-miler turn sprinter – Shericka Jackson. “I am glad that I’m always so driven,” said Fraser-Pryce afterwards. “Running 10.6 seconds was one of those big dreams for me and I got that, an Olympic gold is also another big dream and that’s what I’m […]
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Former national record-holder Hansle Parchment’s performance at the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Senior Athletics Championships was one of the few pleasant surprises. Parchment, a GraceKennedy ambassador, was scarcely seen competing on the track this season. He appeared mostly in TV commercials. This was due largely in part to an injury sustained early in the season after a promising start. “It’s been a tough season,” said Parchment. “It started out well and I was in line to run really fast before I got a stress fracture in my foot which took me out for a while.” Notwithstanding, the bronze medallist from the 2012 London Olympics was proactive during rehabilitation. “I tried to maintain my fitness by doing a lot of swimming and weights training that did not put pressure on my leg,” he explained. With a spot to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics up for grabs, Parchment’s form coming into the JAAA National Senior Championships was unknown. The fact that the 31-year-old only competed once in his pet event since 2019, and would be coming up against a few world ranked sprint hurdlers, made the task more intriguing. After comfortably winning his semi-final in a […]
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“You have one life to live, don’t live with regrets.” That is the philosophy of Jamaica’s artistic gymnast Danushia Francis. The 27-year-old artistic gymnast, who started competing at the age of five, made her debut at the Tokyo Olympics under challenging circumstances. A few days before the competition started, the vivacious and enthusiastic Francis tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) putting her Olympic dreams in doubt. The timing was cruel. We couldn’t be more proud Danusia’s strength. 🖤💚💛 #TeamJamaica pic.twitter.com/R6nNV3CTwg — Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) July 25, 2021 However, Francis’s never-say-die attitude would not allow her to give up her lifetime goal after making it this far. Francis, who was born in Coventry, England to a Jamaican father and polish mother, had previously been a reserve for Great Britain at the London Olympics and failed to make the Jamaican team for the Rio Olympics after switching allegiance at the age of 19. Francis, who competed with a heavily strapped left knee, made a valiant attempt on the uneven bars after the injury forced her to scale down on her full repertoire by pulling out of the vault, balance beam and floor exercises. Despite not advancing beyond the qualification round, that did […]
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VIDEO: Elaine Thompson Herah CLOCKS 10.65 (MR) in Women’s 100M, ZURICH
