Bruce James, President of the MVP Club reportedly told the Jamaica Observer that the athletes ‘were held back as they had not fully recovered from the Penn Relays last weekend’. James went on to suggest that a combination of fatigue and the cold weather conditions at the Penn Relays made recovery a lot more difficult and that the athletes were ‘not in the best shape to represent Jamaica now’. Christania Williams was injured in warm-ups prior to the College Women’s 4x100m Championship of America Relay leading to UTech withdrawing from the finals. UTech was highly fancied to win the event after qualifying for the finals with the 2nd fastest time. James also indicated that Janieve Russell sustained a minor injury during the finals of the College Women’s 4x400m Championship of America Relay. Julian Forte whose last two seasons were affected by injury ran in both the 4x100m and 4x200m relays over a two day period as did the injury prone Andrew Fisher and Kemarley Brown. Shericka Jackson also did double duties, running the 4x400m and 4x200m events. [column2] [/column2][column2_last] [/column2_last]
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At the inaugural IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas in 2014, Team Jamaica Men beat the USA 2-1 in the head-to-head match-ups and with a very strong team named, expectations are high for the dominance to continue in the 4x100m and 4x200m at the 2015 edition. The last time Team Jamaica lost a 4x100m race to the USA Men at a global athletics meet was in 2007. Since then the all conquering Jamaicans have won two Olympic titles, three IAAF World Championships Gold medals and one IAAF World Relays title setting three World Records in the process including the jaw-dropping current mark of 36.84. To make matters worse the long-standing 4x200m World Record held by a USA quartet for over two decades was erased from the books at the 2014 IAAF World Relays by Team Jamaica anchored by Yohan Blake. The USA men have not experienced this level of drought before and are chomping at the bit to end the seven years in the wilderness. The defeats in the ensuing years to Jamaica have not gone down well with USA and their egos have been bruised time and time again with several failed baton exchanges in and before the […]
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Team Jamaica finished 2nd to the mighty USA in the race for the Golden Baton at the inaugural staging of the IAAF World Relays in The Bahamas in 2014 and will be looking wrest the coveted ‘baton’ from the grasp of their biggest rivals. The USA fielded teams in all five events across both genders while Jamaica had full teams in three events and a women’s team in the next. For the second edition the 4x1500m relays have been replaced by two distance medleys with the USA set to participate in all events. Jamaica will not field a team in the medleys but will have both men and women participating in the 4x100m, the 4x200m, the 4x400m and the 4x800m. A squad of 44 athletes featuring a mix of some of the biggest stars in athletics along with some emerging talent was named by the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association to represent the island at the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 to be staged in Nassau from Saturday May 2-3. Teams from the participating countries will have the chance at qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with the top eight teams in the 4x100m and the 4x400m automatically qualifying. […]
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It was a truly a carnival-like atmosphere on the final day of the 121st staging of the Penn Relays at the Franklin Field Stadium on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Team Jamaica was visible everywhere – the thousands cheering in the stands donning various combinations of the majestic national colours of Black, Green and Gold, on the track and in the field proudly wearing those same colours or as the next generation of stars standing out in the team kit of the traditional and emerging nurseries – the high schools. Team Jamaica’s impact on the Penn Relays is legendary and on the final day, the island’s storied history at the meet got a few more exciting chapters. Our famous ‘patties’ were called ‘meat pies’ by an obviously captivated female reporter for NBC. Another of the NBC commentators in describing the vast contingent of Jamaicans present and the party-like atmosphere mentioned that the ‘USA were the under-dogs’ based on the crowd which made it seem like it was ‘Kingston’ and that it would help their young athletes competing in what at times was a ‘hostile environment’. The Jamaican soldiers on the battlefield gave their supporters a lot to […]
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The ‘lifting’ of the ban on Michael O’Hara gave the Jamaicans present at the Franklin Field Stadium and those watching and following worldwide the opportunity to see this remarkable athlete demonstrate why he is seen by many as one of the heirs to the throne of Jamaican sprint stardom. The gifted O’Hara showcased his class firstly in the 4x100m High School Boys Championship of America event with another of his now famous blistering back stretch runs as the invincible Calabar High School picked up from where they left of at ‘Champs’ and the ‘UTech Classic’ with a record-breaking run to win in 39.63, erasing the 1 year old mark set by Jamaica College. O’Hara, Zandre Blake and the dynamic duo of Jullane Walker and Seanie Selvin won ahead of a gallant St. Jago (39.89), St. George’s College (40.17) and STETHS (40.42) as Team Jamaica swept the first four places. It was somewhat of a bittersweet moment as Kingston College, the 5th Jamaican high school in the event did not finish after star quarter-miler Akeem Bloomfield on the 2nd leg appeared to pick up an injury. We wish young Bloomfield a speedy recovery ahead of the May 9th Jamaica International […]
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It may have been called the USA vs the Rest of the World in a series of relay events but the organizers could have easily renamed it USA vs Jamaica. In what was a mini preview of the battles to come at the 2nd IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas, the USA came out 4-2 winners in the head-to-head match up against Team Jamaica but it could easily have been 3-3 after both teams were separated by a few thousandths of a second in one event after returning identical times. The USA men (38.68) were the first to strike a blow as their 4x100m Red Team buoyed by a super second leg by Justin Gatlin had enough of a lead to hold Jamaica (38.88) with Asafa Powell on anchor at bay. Gatlin destroyed Michael Frater on the 2nd leg after Nesta Carter had given the world record holders the usual bullet start. Jason Livermore on the 3rd leg failed to make inroads leaving Powell with an insurmountable mountain to climb. It was 1-1 after the women’s equivalent as Jamaica with the experienced trio of Kerron Stewart, an impressive looking Sherone Simpson and Schillonie Calvert as well as […]
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The University of Technology (UTech Knights) enhanced its burgeoning reputation as one of the top universities in track and field sprinting winning three of its four relays on the final day. The ‘Knights’ got the ball rolling when its crack team of Andrew Fisher, Julian Forte, Kemarley Brown and Tyquendo Tracey on anchor showed their class in repelling the challenge of a very good Texas A&M quartet. UTech stopped the clock at 39.27 to 39.56 for their closest rival. GC Foster College gave Team Jamaica a 3rd place finish in a time of 40.26. The University of Technology (UTech Knights) enhanced its burgeoning reputation as one of the top universities in track and field sprinting winning three of its four relays on the final day. The ‘Knights’ got the ball rolling when its crack team of Andrew Fisher, Julian Forte, Kemarley Brown and Tyquendo Tracey on anchor showed their class in repelling the challenge of a very good Texas A&M quartet. UTech stopped the clock at 39.27 to 39.56 for their closest rival. GC Foster College gave Team Jamaica a 3rd place finish in a time of 40.26. The UTech women (1.30.80) made up for the disappointment of […]
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One of the most awesome sights at Penn Relays every year is the thousands of cheering flag waving Jamaicans resplendent in the world famous Black, Green and Gold national colours as the Franklin Field Stadium is transformed into one big Jamaican party. It should be more of same on Saturday’s final day with one of the highlights being the big USA vs the Rest of the World teams in match-ups over 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m among other events. Team Jamaica will see the likes of former World Record holder Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson and Javon Francis donning national colours for the first time since 2013. In the 4x100m, the ‘Sub 10 King’ Powell is expected to be joined by the likes of Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Jason Livermore. The USA will as usual field two teams with the more formidable USA Red boasting a line up of Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers, Ryan Bailey and Isaiah Young. The Penn Relays record of 37.90 set by Jamaica in 2010 could well be history. In the women’s equivalent, Team Jamaica will be seeking to return to the top of the podium with the likes of the returning […]
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Saqukine Cameron is no ordinary athlete and place a baton in her hand and she meta-morphs into ‘beast mode’. Cameron displayed in no uncertain manner why she is one of the most feared relay runners at the high school level turning in two scintillating performances to pilot her team Edwin Allen High to repeat victories in the High School Girls’ Championship of America 4x100m and 4x400m events. Edwin Allen led a sweep of the top four places by Jamaican high schools in the 4x100m. The other members of the Edwin Allen team which won in a time of 45.40 were Aaliyah Hopkins, Patrice Moodie and Shellece Clarke on anchor. St. Jago High finished 2nd in 45.86 with Holmwood Technical High (45.94) and Wolmer’s Girls (46.63) rounding out a dominant display by Team Jamaica. The brilliant Cameron and her band of blue warriors (Davia Smith, Janiel Moore and Shannon Kalawan) crowned themselves queens of the mile relay clocking a moderate 3.40.41 to comfortably turn back the challenge of nearest rivals Vere Technical High (3.42.18) and Nansemond River (3.43.03) who broke up Team Jamaica’s push for another sweep of the top four places. Holmwood Technical High (4th – 3.43.53) and St. […]
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Team Jamaica, as expected brought lots of heat to the chilly conditions at Franklin Field Stadium on Thursday as the 121st Penn relays kicked into high gear. The top Jamaican teams advanced to the finals of their Championship of America events and several Jamaicans distinguished themselves in individual finals on Day 2. Team Jamaica won 4 individual events. The brilliant Tamara Moncrieffe of Holmwood Technical continued her outstanding 2015 season with a win in the High School Girls’ Triple Jump. Moncrieffe’s best effort of 13.36m not only saw her taking the top spot but also equalled the Penn Relays Record set in 2007 by Vere Technical’s Kimberly Williams (2014 Commonwealth Games Champion). Team Jamaica grabbed the runner up spot with Shanique Wright of Manchester High. The University of the West Indies’ Rushell Clayton won the College Women’s 400m Hurdles final in 57.81. Ronda Whyte of GC Foster College was 6th in 1.00.18. Junelle Bromfield of St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) won her heat of the High School Girls’ 400m Hurdles in 1.00.80 which saw her taking 2nd place overall. Brooklynn Broadwater of Springside was the winner with 1.00.69. The Edwin Allen High duo of Shanice Lewis and Paula […]
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