University of Technology’s Stephanie McPherson ran another world leading time for the women’s 400 metres at the UTech Classic at the National Stadium yesterday. McPherson who clocked a world-leading and personal best 50.78 seconds for the distance at the inter-collegiate championships a week ago, lowered her time to 50.74 but she still felt she could have done better. “I wanted to run a faster time but the heavy wind affected me, but I am looking forward to the remainder of the season as I am hoping to make the National team to the World Championships this year,” McPherson, a former Mannings’ School student, said after winning her event yesterday. G.C. Foster College’s Anastasia Leroy continued her good early season form, placing second in 53.54 as her former high school teammate, Bobbi Gaye Wilkins-Gooden, in her first competitive race in two years, was third overall in 53.67. Scare for Blake Olympic 100 metres silver medallist Yohan Blake gave his supporters a scare in the men’s 100 metres which was being run at press time. Blake stopped half way the event which was won by St Kitts’ Kim Collins. An official from Blake’s camp said the athlete felt some stiffness in […]
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Double Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt has passed on his congratulations to Bayern Munich on winning the Bundesliga title in record time. Bolt, who defended his 100m and 200m Olympic titles at London 2012, is occasionally in Munich to see renown sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt, who also works with the Bayern team and the Germany side. The 26-year-old specifically thanked Dr Mueller-Wohlfahrt after his 100m victory in London having been treated by the German doctor in the build-up to the Olympics and says the pair speak by telephone “from time-to-time”. He is also friends with some of Bayern’s players. Bayern won the Bundesliga title for the 22nd time in the competition’s 50 year history on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt, thanks to Bastian Schweinsteiger’s second-half goal, and Bolt offered his congratulations. “It’s impressive what Bayern have done this season,” Bolt told German daily Bild on Sunday after Bayern won the title with six games left, a new Bundesliga record, and hold a 20-point lead. “To be champions with such a lead and so early in such a strong league, is extraordinary. “First of all, I want to congratulate Basti (Schweinsteiger) and the team, who, just like […]
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NEW YORK — Veronica Campbell-Brown, the queen of Jamaican sprinting, announced tonight on Irie Jam Radio that she will return to the adidas Grand Prix in NYC on May 25 to run her specialty, the 200 meters. With seven Olympic and 11 World Championship medals, Campbell-Brown, 30, is one of the most-decorated sprinters in history. Her collection includes back-to-back Olympic gold medals at 200 meters in the Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008, and she is the reigning 200-meter World Champion. In her most recent trip to the adidas Grand Prix, in 2010, Campbell-Brown scorched to victory over Allyson Felix in their first-ever meeting at 200 meters in the United States. Her winning time of 21.98 not only stands as the meet record, but it was also the fastest time in the world that year and the fastest 200 run on U.S. soil in almost a decade. This will be the popular Campbell-Brown’s sixth appearance at the NYC meet, at which she has won four times. In addition to her 200-meter triumph, she has won at 100 meters three times—including a meet record time of 10.91 in 2008—and she finished third at that distance once, albeit in a wind-aided […]
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With less than three weeks remaining for her April 20 world title fight in Panama against Chantall Martinez for her World Boxing Council super bantamweight title, Alicia ‘Slick’ Ashley has left her New York base to train in Argentina. The fight will take place at the Roberto Duran Arena in Panama City. There are two reasons for this change. The first is that her lead trainer Hector Roca has to be in Argentina to be with one of his fighters, Carlos Abrega, who has a fight there on April 15. The second is that Argentina is warmer than New York at this time of the year and this is what Ashley says that she wants at this time. She arrived in Argentina last Saturday and resumed her training schedule immediately. She told The Gleaner that she is enjoying the warmer weather in Argentina, and is pleased that she has two good male sparring partners who can really push her. She concedes that Martinez will be a good opponent, but is going into the ring very confident that she will retain her title. “I am not about to give up my title to anyone, and whoever challenges me will have a […]
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Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant which has sponsored the series for three years since its inception in 2010, has opted not to renew its deal for the forthcoming season, leaving the world governing body with precious little time to find a replacement before action gets underway. The title sponsorship deal is believed to have been worth around £3 million a year to the IAAF, who have been forced to make financial cutbacks in recent years to weather the global economic crisis. However, the IAAF insisted yesterday that the series would not be affected by Samsung’s departure and that it would make up any shortfall in the budget from its own reserves until another commercial partner was found. Until then, the series will be known as the IAAF Diamond League. Samsung’s decision is a blow to the sport so soon after it enjoyed spectacular exposure at the London Olympics but an IAAF source the company had opted to “cut back on its exposure-driven activities”. It recently announced an individual endorsement deal with Usain Bolt and continues to sponsor the Olympic Games and Chelsea Football Club. [column3] [/column3] [column3] [/column3] [column3_last] [/column3_last]
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On the track and in the field, the Carifta Games was Jamaica’s business as usual. A total of 69 medals and a 28th straight year on top don’t lie. Off track, burning questions beg for good answers. As soon as young star Michael O’Hara was declared ill with a full-blown case of chicken pox, a red flag went up. Apparently, young O’Hara arrived in The Bahamas afflicted. It makes you worry for those with whom he travelled there and for his family, friends and colleagues at Calabar. If the virus was passed on to the Carifta team and those they came close to in The Bahamas, the consequences are dire. Presumably, the Carifta officials were convinced that the crisis was well handled by the Jamaican team. Otherwise, they would have had no choice but to send Jamaica home. HEALTH CONCERNS PERSIST That would have killed off the Carifta Games, but the health concern would have had top billing. As things stand, it’s critical to check how O’Hara became infected and to care for any others who may be in danger. I’m no public-health expert, but the first step seems to be an immediate check with his family […]
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The National Aquatics Centre was briefly plunged into darkness six finals into the ultimate evening of competition at the 28th staging of the Carifta Swimming Championship. An announcement followed over the public address system, asking that the grandstand to the far side be evacuated. As the youngsters who became excited by the possible danger piled out, smoke was seen coming from the rear of the stand. The fire brigade was soon on the scene, as it was reported that there was a small fire coming from one of the generators. The area was cordoned off and persons were allowed to return to the stands and focus returned to the pool. This was the only dark spot on a bright night for Jamaica’s swimmers, as they bettered their medal haul from last year. At press time, with the six relays – yet to be contested – the country’s tally stood at 35: 11 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze. Jamaica also moved up on the points standings, as they occupied fourth with 508 points, having finished sixth last year. Guadeloupe (686) led ahead of Trinidad and Tobago (630) and Aruba (601). Last year, Jamaica won 32 medals. Jamaica’s 11th gold […]
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HAILING FROM Leeds but representing Jamaica, the main goal for three-metre diver Yona Knight-Wisdom is to represent the Caribbean country at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil. But like every sportsperson, the price of success is not cheap and the 17-year-old from Chapelton needed financial support to assist him with achieving his dream of competing in Rio. And thankfully for Yona, who won a gold medal at the British National Diving Championships in Plymouth in February, entrepreneur Levi Roots has committed to sponsoring the promising athlete. Disclosing how he got in touch with the founder of Reggae Reggae Sauce, Yona told the Voice of Sport: “I sent him an email from the email address on his website saying what I was doing, what I was looking for, I sent him a video of some of my dives and they replied to me. They asked me to come down to London and have a meeting with them. I discussed it with my coach and with them and they were really happy give me some money for the next four years in the run up to the Olympics. “He was there in the meeting and he was asking me all […]
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