Sports officials urge nation to be patient with stars even if medals are not won Local senior sports officials are urging Jamaicans to continue supporting the country’s track and field athletes even if they do not equal or better their exploits at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The Beijing Olympics saw Jamaica taking home 11 medals – six gold, three silver and two bronze, including three world records and an Olympic record. Usain Bolt won three gold medals in world record time, including with the men’s 4x100m relay team. Melaine Walker took the 400m hurdles title with an Olympic record. However, according to G.C. Foster College principal Edward Shakes, Jamaica Netball Association President Marva Bernard and Jamaica Cricket Association secretary Fritz Harris, whose organisations send representatives to international competitions on a yearly basis, there are no guarantees in sports and, as such, athletes for one reason or another can fail to perform. They said this, however, is no reason for persons to turn their backs on the athletes. “We have to see our performance of four years ago in China as being extraordinary,” said Shakes, who joined Bernard and Harris as guests at a special Gleaner Editors’ Forum […]
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The Exclusive Film on USAIN BOLT. Worldwide release in July 2012 Directed by Gaël Leiblang. Produced by Elephant Doc & Leiblang Productions [hr] JAMAICA APPAREL
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Jamaica’s team to the London Olympics Games received a helping hand yesterday with the Supreme Ventures Foundation’s (SVF) announcement that it will be supporting local sports through a donation of J$20 million to the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA). “This event marks the success for what we outlined a few months ago,” said Dr David McBean, chairman of the SVF, during a press conference held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston yesterday. “Through our efforts we will be able to make a significant contribution to the JOA and the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA),” McBean said. The commitment was for $30 million to be donated between the two sports associations. The SVF had previously handed over $10 million to the JAAA, prior to the national trials, in order to assist in ensuring the success of the event. First project The $20 million was raised through the Go For Gold Fundraising Raffle, the SVF’s first project since inception in April 2012. Brian George, president of Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), noted that SVL has been involved in the national trials for the past nine years. George told The Gleaner: “There has been significant growth over this period which reflects the […]
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Eight of the ten Jamaicans in action on the opening day made progress to the next round of their respective events at the 14th 1AAF world junior championships in Barcelona, Spain. Javon Francis set a personal best 46.31 seconds to move into the semi-finals of the men’s 400 meters by winning his heat. He shaved 45 hundredths of a second off his previous best of 47.16 seconds and will run in semi-final three at 1.14pm on Wednesday. Lennox Williams 47.30 placed 4th in his heat and failed to advance. Jazeel Murphy will run in semi-final one of the men’s 100 meters tomorrow, after winning his heat in 10.45 seconds. Odean Skeen also made progress with a time of 10.50 seconds and will contest semi-final three staring at 12.30pm. Shawnette Lewin who produced 11.78 for 2nd place and Monique Spencer who won her preliminary race also in 11.78 seconds, will run in the women’s semi-finals at 12 noon on Wednesday. Sprint hurdlers Stefan Fennel 13.81 and Yanick Hart 13.87 seconds both placed 2nd in their respective heats and will compete in the semi finals of the men’s 110 meter hurdles. Simoya Campbell will contest semi-final one of the 800 metres at […]
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Trials behind her, Campbell Brown enters final stretch before London – IAAF Online Diaries With the grueling Jamaican Olympic Trials now behind her, Veronica Campbell Brown is now turning her entire focus to her upcoming appearance at the Olympic Games in London where she will be targeting a third consecutive victory in the 200m. “Each June, the focus is on National Championships and every four years, the Championships takes on added significance as it doubles as the Olympic Trials. There are months of preparation and competition with an eye on performing at ones best in order to become an Olympian. You have to get it right on that last weekend in June, there is no redo, it’s all a part of what makes the Olympic Trials the special event it is. Veronica Campbell Brown with members of her Foundation (Claude Bryan) “I raced just once in the month in the lead up to the Trials, competing on my training track in Clermont, Florida at 100m. I spent the rest of my time primarily doing last minute fine-tuning for both of my events. I arrived in Kingston a few days before the National Trials started, visited with my family and enjoy some […]
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Usain Bolt’s agent revealed on Monday night that the triple Olympic champion has made a full recovery from muscle tightness that hampered him at the Jamaican Olympic trials and is training normally and “good to go” to defend his titles in London. Last week, Bolt flew to Munich for treatment by celebrated sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt just days after he suffered a double defeat in the 100 metres and 200m at the hands of his training partner, Yohan Blake. Following his 200m loss, his first over the distance outside a qualifying heat since 2007, Bolt was given hamstring-stretching treatment on the Kingston track. A statement was released a few days later to announce that he was being withdrawn from the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on July 20, where he was due to contest the 200m in his final competitive outing before the Olympics. The sprinter’s subsequent journey to Germany for medical treatment raised fears that the world’s greatest athlete was struggling with a serious problem just weeks before the start of the Olympics. But Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms, insisted the problem was nothing more serious than a tight hamstring and insisted that he was fully recovered and training normally. He […]
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London, UK – Provisional entry lists for this weekend’s two-day Aviva London Grand Prix on 13-14 July, the eighth stop of the 2012 Samsung Diamond League series, are now available. Sixteen Olympic and 15 reigning World champions are expected to take to the track this Friday and Saturday. You may download the entry lists (as at 09 July) from the meeting’s official website here. Around 50 of Great Britain’s Olympic squad will join an array of global stars in the capital’s two day Samsung Diamond League event, with the country’s only defending Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu lining up in the 400m on Saturday, as well as in-form World champions Dai Greene and Mo Farah racing in the 400m Hurdles and 5000m respectively on Friday evening. After missing out on his home Olympics in Beijing four years ago, 110m hurdler Liu Xiang will highlight Friday evening’s line-up. The Chinese superstar will have his work cut out with World Indoor champion Aries Merritt, World champion Jason Richardson and Britain’s Olympic contingent of Andy Turner, Andy Pozzi and Lawrence Clarke all keen to test themselves against the current best in the world. The clash of the second fastest woman of all-time, Carmelita Jeter, with new Jamaican record […]
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Usain Bolt has a “slight” injury and will not participate in his final warmup race before the Olympics, the runner, who won three gold medals in world-record time at the 2008 Games, and his coach said in a statement on Thursday. But Bolt said he had no intention of pulling out of the London Games despite the unspecified problem that he referred to as a “challenge.” “I am happy to have earned my spot on the Jamaican Olympic team despite the challenge,” Bolt said in the statement. “I will be in London to defend my titles in the 100, 200 and 4×100 meters.” Bolt is coming off surprising second-place finishes to Yohan Blake in both the 100 and 200 at the Jamaican Olympic trials over the weekend. He had his right hamstring stretched out on the track following the 200. His coach, Glen Mills, didn’t elaborate on the “slight problem” Bolt had at the trials that prompted his withdrawal from the 200 meters at the Monaco Diamond League later this month. “After careful assessment I have had to withdraw him from the Samsung Diamond League Meeting in Monaco on July 20 to give him sufficient time for treatment and time to train and […]
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