Shouts of ‘Akwaaba!’ (Welcome) reverberated across Kotoka International Airport as Asafa Powell, history’s fourth-fastest man and the first Jamaican to break the 100m world record arrived in Accra, Ghana on Monday.
The former world-record holder will be in Ghana until March 7.
During the trip he will meet and speak with local athletes, pay a courtesy call on the President of the Republic at the Jubilee House and also engage the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ghana Olympic Committee and the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) of the African Games Accra 2023 as well as the Ghana Athletics Association on how best Ghana sports can benefit from his huge image on the international sports arena.
Hundreds turned out to see the sprint legend in person as the Ghanaian media lined up for interviews with the now-retired Jamaican Olympian to hear what he and the Ghanaian Olympic Committee (GOC) headed by President Ben Nunoo Mensah, had in store for the athletic community in Ghana.
“The welcome I received upon landing yesterday was truly amazing, the warmth, the music, the dancing and the hospitality was beyond fantastic,” Powell said on Tuesday.
“I feel like I am in my home away from home.”
Powell’s wife Alyshia Powell, who was born and raised in Ghana, was excited to be able to share her homeland, culture and family with her world-famous husband.
Powell began the second day of Ghanaian trip with a visit to Ghana's Youth & Sports Minister, the Honourable Mustapha Ussif. He and his wife also visited Black Star Square as well as The Ghanaian House of Parliament.
On Wednesday, Powell is scheduled to visit the residence of the late footballer Christian Atsu. While there, he will sign the condolence book for the Ghanaian footballer who perished during the recent earthquake in Turkey that claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people.
He is also scheduled for a media session hosted by the Ghana Olympic Committee at the Accra City Hotel.
On Thursday, Powell and his wife head to the Cape Coast to visit the school she attended as a child as well as to trace his ancestral roots. He will meet some of Alyshia’s family as well as the Chief of Cape Coast.
GOC President Nunoo Mensah thanked corporate Ghana for their swift response in supporting the visit and embracing Powell as their own.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced a new licensing partnership with NextWave Multimedia, Nazara Technologies’ independent subsidiary, which will feature 27 of the West Indies Men’s team in the latest version of the mobile game “World Cricket Championship 3 (WCC3)”, the world’s No.1 cricket game on mobile.
The collaboration is the first time that West Indies players have ever featured in a mobile game with the West Indies being the first official cricket team to be featured in the game.
Twenty-seven players from across the Men’s Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) squads are featured in the game as well as the West Indies famous team kits and shield. CWI recently embarked on a new team licensing programme, in partnership with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), which gives fans the opportunity to download, purchase and engage with licensed team products, driving additional revenues for CWI to invest back into cricket and to generate new revenues for the players payment pool.
WCC3 serves as a next-gen sequel to the World Cricket Championship 2. Leveraging advanced AI, NextWave Multimedia has used state-of-the-art gameplay feathers, realistic animations and professional commentary to give the players an immersive experience. To make the game more realistic, they have also added real-time motion capture of professional cricketers.
With the collaboration with the official West Indies team players, gamers will no longer have to play with fictitious player names, random players and jerseys. Instead, they will now be able to play with the real West Indies team. The game will feature the West Indies team in ODI, T20 and Test formats and include the official roster, player likeness and team kits of all formats. Player lookalikes, real player names and kits will add authenticity to the game and greatly enhance the gaming experience of the fans.
“CWI is excited that with WCC3, West Indies fans now have the opportunity to emulate their heroes and play with their favourite West Indies players on their mobile devices," said Dominic Warne, CWI’s Commercial Director.
"We want to provide access to the West Indies teams in different ways. Mobile and console gaming is a fast growing entertainment space which can also introduce the West Indies teams to new audiences. We’re sure that fans and gamers will enjoy this realistic mobile cricket gaming experience, giving them the chance to take on the world and win with the #MeninMaroon.”
Commenting on this collaboration, NextWave Multimedia, Co-founder and CEO, P.R. Rajendran said: “We are very excited about the collaboration of WCC3 and the official cricket team of West Indies. WCC3 is a unique, one-of-its-kind cricket mobile game in India that has gained the interest and admiration of many young players. In order to help our customers have a more realistic and immersive cricket experience, we have been working hard to integrate AI and build a real-time motion capture game. With this collaboration, our gamers will be able to play with the faces of the real West Indies team and I believe that will greatly enhance the experience for them. We believe this is a major step for us towards making WCC3 one of the most realistic cricket games in India.”
WCC3 is available to download immediately on the Google Play Store and will be available to download in the Apple App Store from the middle of March.
Aiden Markram and Alzarri Joseph starred as honors were shared on day one of the first Test between the West Indies and South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday.
The hosts won the toss and decided to bat first, a decision that was proven to be the right one as Markram and Dean Elgar put on 141 for the first wicket before Elgar was dismissed for 71 by Joseph in the 36th over.
That brought debutant Tony de Zorzi to the crease to join Markram and the pair brought the score up to 221-1 in the 57th over before de Zorzi was run out for 28.
Before that partnership was ended, Markram, making his return to the Test side after being dropped last year. Brought up his fifth Test hundred off 150 balls.
Two balls after de Zorzi’s wicket, Temba Bavuma, in his first innings as South Africa’s Test Captain, was dismissed for a duck.
Four overs later, Markram’s knock finally came to an end when he was bowled by Joseph for a classy 115. His innings came off 174 balls and included 18 fours.
Markram’s wicket started a collapse for South Africa as they lost their next four wickets for 64 runs as Heinrich Klaasen (20), Senuran Muthusamy (3), Keegan Petersen (14) and Kagiso Rabada (8) all fell in quick succession.
South Africa ended the day 314-8 off 82 overs with Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee on 17 and 11, respectively.
Alzarri Joseph has, so far, taken 3-60 off 16 overs for the Windies.
Scores: South Africa 314-8 off 82 overs (Aiden Markram 115, Dean Elgar 71, Alzarri Joseph 3-60)
President Michael Ricketts, the Jamaica Football Federation and the entire football fraternity, are saddened by the passing of former national player and outstanding coach, Frank Brown.
Brown, who was widely regarded as one of Jamaica’s best ever defenders, passed on Monday afternoon.
“He was a passionate individual who lived, breathed and taught football,” remarked Michael Ricketts. ”Frank will be remembered equally for his defensive abilities as a player and his outstanding work as a football coach and mentor. He represented Jamaica with distinction. He then went on to guide countless youths both in Kingston and the rural areas to a better life through football. It was no accident that so many of his charges went on to represent Jamaica. There are no words to express the debt of gratitude Jamaica’s football owe to Frank. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace,” Ricketts concluded.
Frank Brown was one of a short list of coaches who won both the Manning Cup and the DaCosta Cup.
Jhaniele Fowler’s West Coast Fever are Suncorp Team Girls Cup champions after defeating the Adelaide Thunderbirds 49-41 in the final at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday.
The two teams couldn’t be separated in the first half and entered the bread tied at 22. The Fever then won the third period 13-12 before pulling away in the final quarter 14-7 for an overall 49-41 win.
Sasha Glasgow was player of the match, shooting 21/24 while Fowler shot 12/13.
Courtney Bruce and Kim Jenner were both stand outs in defence. Bruce had four gains while Jenner had two to her name.
Jamaicans Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson had two gains, each, for the Thunderbirds.
Elsewhere, Romelda Aiken-George shot 15/16 to help NSW Swifts defeat Giants Netball 44-38 to finish fifth.
The Team Girls Cup acts as a pre-season tournament ahead of the Suncorp Super Netball League in which the Fever are the defending Champions. In last year's final, Fowler scored 58 goals as the Fever beat the Melbourne Vixens 70-59. She was also named player of the year for the fifth year in a row.
Grenades FC, Old Road and Tryum were among the winners as action continued in the ABFA Premier League at the ABFA Technical Centre in Pynter.
On Friday, Grenades beat Swetes 2-0 through goals from Carl Osbourne in the 58th minute and Barrington Blake in the 88th minute.
There were three matches played on Saturday.
Old Road secured a 4-0 win over Liberta Blackhawks in the day’s first game. Raheem Deterville led the charge with a hat-trick. His goals came in the 10th, 56th and 73rd minutes. Jonathan Shoy scored their other goal in the 62nd minute.
The most exciting game of the week came when Tryum and All Saints United played out a seven-goal thriller, with Tryum coming out on top 4-3.
Zafique Drew gave All Saints United the lead in the eighth minute before an Escalliere Bennett own goal in the 11th minute levelled proceedings.
Tryum went ahead on the stroke of half-time through Eliot Donawa. Nine minutes after the second half resumption, Blake Thompson scored the second own goal of the game, this time to All Saints United’s benefit to make in 2-2.
A 65th minute penalty from Chevel Cunningham helped Tryum regain the advantage before, five minutes later, Leroy Graham scored for All Saints United to make it 3-3. The winning goal came in the 76th minute when Cunningham scored his second of the game.
The day’s third encounter saw goals from Malcolm Stewart in the 21st minute and Tevaughn Harriette in the 87th minute helped Parham beat SAP 2-1. Kevon Samuel got SAP’s goal in the 35th minute.
Sunday, Piggot’s Bullets and Ottos Rangers played out a 1-1 draw. Akeem Isaac got the goal for the Bullets in the 39th minute while Josue Arias got the Rangers’ equalizer in the 72nd minute.
Five Islands and Greenbay Hoppers played out a dramatic 1-1 draw in the day’s second match. Tony Sanchez gave Five Islands the lead in the 16th minute before Jordan Riley scored a dramatic equalizer for the Hoppers in the 91st minute.
Empire got a 2-0 win over Cedar Grove Blue Jays in Sunday’s final game. Rakeem Joseph (62’) and Jayvaughn Joseph (75’) got the goals.
Willikies FC and FC Aston Villa will close out week 13 on Monday.
After 13 rounds, Grenades FC are top of the table with 33 points, two points ahead of All Saints FC in second and five ahead of FC Aston Villa in third.
As someone who didn’t excel at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in her home country of Jamaica, Dominique Clarke has gradually made a name for herself at the University at Albany in New York. A sophomore, Clarke is now a two-time America East 60m champion and the 2023 200m champion despite the fact that she is not a fan of running indoors.
At the America East Indoor Championships at the Track at New Balance in Boston just over a week ago, Clarke defended her 60m title, winning in 7.45, 0.10 faster than the time with which she won last year and led her teammates Adaliz Hunt and Rori Lowe in a sweep for UAlbany.
She repeated the feat in the 200m that she won in a championship record of 23.69 with teammates Jazmen Newberry and Lowe also ending up on the podium. It was the first time in UAlbany history that anyone had accomplished that feat.
This was a significant milestone for Clarke, who grew up in the tiny community of Constitution Hill in St Andrew and attended Papine High School where she didn’t even take up track until 2016 while she was in Grade 10.
“In 2019 I didn’t get past the first round because I was hurt and then 2020 Champs got cancelled and that was the first year I broke 12 seconds,” she recalled.
“Champs was one of the hardest things to get a medal at since I started so late in my Class II years.”
Unfortunately, her winning times were not fast enough to qualify her for a place at the NCAA Division 1 championships set to begin on March 10 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, she has found a silver lining in the disappointment.
“I did not get to qualify for nationals but I am very grateful,” she told Sportsmax.TV.
“I’ve run the fastest times ever so early in the season. I am looking forward to a better outdoor season because indoor has been great. I’ve never been one to set goals. I just try to be in front of where I was the year before. As long as I am training, I just need to know I am clocking a faster time than last year.”
Notwithstanding the success she has found running indoors at UAlbany, Clarke admits she is not a fan of indoor running but is grateful for the opportunities it has afforded her.
“Everywhere you go you are going to have so pros and cons, some good and bad. At Albany, the weather is the worst part but it has been okay so far. My experiences here at Albany have been great even though my path has sometimes been rocky but I am so grateful that I am here,” she said.
“I don’t really like indoors, the experience has been very hard for me because I am not one of the best starters but if I get it on a day I will run a proper time. It is very hard to compete indoors because it’s way shorter because I am a 100/200 runner. The 200 indoor is not for me either but nevertheless I always try my best because you can’t defeat yourself from the beginning say you can’t do it.”
UAlbany has also given Clarke the chance to develop some of her other skills that she intends to exploit in the years to come.
“I am majoring in sociology and minor in creative writing,” she said.
“After track of whenever, I am definitely going to write some books because I am a really good poet, many people don’t know that about me. I am also going to write sociology books about the 20th century those are the things I am interested in.”
West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite wants his troops to put recent series against Australia and Zimbabwe in the past as they gear up to take on South Africa in the first of three Test matches beginning in Centurion on Tuesday.
The regional side lost 0-2 away to Australia in December last year before beating Zimbabwe 1-0 in January 2023.
"I think Australia is obviously history and the Test series in Zimbabwe, obviously a different calibre team, it was good to get a series with them. I think looking here at the South African team, they still have a lot of experience," Brathwaite said at the press conference before the first Test.
"They have got world class bowlers and some quality batsmen, so we have to play some very good Test cricket and it is important that we take control of every hour and we don't think about the big picture. If we take control of every hour, every session, I think we can do well," he added.
The West Indies had three good batting displays against the Zimbabweans, producing scores of 447-6 declared, 203-5 declared and 292.
Individually, Brathwaite’s opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul notched his maiden Test double ton while Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase all hit fifties. Joshua Da Silva and Jason Holder both made half centuries in the warm-up match against a South Africa Invitational XI ahead of this series.
Brathwaite hopes this form can carry over into the first Test and beyond.
“It is important that we have a team effort in South Africa. So, it's good to see the top order getting some scores in Zimbabwe and the middle-order in the practice games before the first Test. It's great. It's important we put all the pieces together in this series," he said.
The 30-year-old also encouraged his bowlers ahead of the first Test.
"I think we look forward to bowling at any batting lineup in the world," Brathwaite said.
"We won't be focusing on what the teams have done in the past. It's important that we hit our straps and discipline is very important. We need to stick to our plans and the results will take care of themselves," he added.
South Africa are coming off a 0-2 defeat at the hands of the Aussies themselves and are in a transitional period with Temba Bavuma taking charge in his first series as Test Captain after taking the reins from Dean Elgar.
The first Test bowls off on Tuesday.
Barbadian pacer Akeem Jordan first burst onto the scene as a part of the victorious Combined Campuses and Colleges team in the 2019 CWI Regional Super50 in Guyana.
In that season, a 24-year-old Jordan finished as the third highest wicket-taker in the competition with 16 wickets in eight games.
Fast forward four years, the Barbados Pride seamer has been selected in the West Indies Test squad on the back of some superb form in the ongoing CWI West Indies Championship. Jordan has, so far, picked up 12 wickets in two matches to be the leading wicket-taker.
In a recent interview on the Cricket West Indies (CWI) YouTube channel, Jordan, now 28, reacted to being selected in the squad for the South Africa series.
“It means everything to me. I bleed and sweat West Indies Cricket. It is my heart and soul,” Jordan said.
“Me being here and given the chance to represent the West Indies means everything,” he added.
When questioned about what character trait brought him to this point in his career, “self-belief” was Jordan’s response.
“If there’s one thing I’d say for sure, self-belief. If no one would believe in me, I’d definitely believe in myself. I’m the type of guy who would take up a ball at midnight and just try to run up the road and bowl, work on little things. I believe when I put my mind to something, I can get it done. That mindset has brought me a long way so far.”
Jordan gave a very thoughtful answer when asked about expectations for himself.
“For me personally, I just want to come into the team and be a part of the family. I don’t want to come and say that I’m going to blast out anybody. I just want to ease my way in and try to do a job that the team needs me to do and not put any big expectations on my shoulders,” he said before going into how that would translate on the field.
“Hopefully, I can put up my hand in situations, dig us out of holes, take a crucial catch or take a valuable wicket. Something like that, just to be a part of the family so that everyone can feel like yeah, this guy is putting everything into West Indies Cricket.”
Jordan may get his chance to do all that when the West Indies take on South Africa in the first test beginning on Tuesday.
West Indies spinner Karishma Ramharack was the selected to the 12-member Upstox Most Valuable 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament that was released on Monday.
It was a dream come true for Tarees Rhoden when he broke Jamaica’s national indoor record on his way to the Atlantic Coast Conference 800m title in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.
A junior at Clemson, Rhoden, whose lifetime best prior to Saturday was 1:47. 89, clocked 1:46.61, a personal best and facilities record. The time also broke Alex Morgan’s record of 1:46.70 set in Indianapolis in 1996.
Two weeks prior, Navasky Anderson of Mississippi State ran 1:46.58 at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee, which at the time, was deemed to be the new national indoor record.
However, the track at Vanderbilt University on which the time was achieved, is a 300m track which under World Athletics guidelines, meant that Anderson’s record would not be ratified.
The standard indoor track is 200m.
The development meant Morgan’s record would last a fortnight before Rhoden smashed it on Saturday along with the previous fastest time at that track – 1:50.06 – set by Michigan’s Cole Johnson earlier this year.
“I dreamt of days like this for years,” Rhoden remarked while speaking to Sportsmax.TV on Sunday.
He revealed that he and coach Mark Elliott had prepared for this kind of performance and he was just happy that he managed to pull it off.
“It definitely wasn’t a surprise based off my preparations,” said the former Kingston College middle-distance runner.
“I believe in my coach and his training to get me into shape to do great things.”
During the race Rhoden was always aware that his pace would have taken him to the record and was certain his goal would have been achieved after 600m. The way he put it, he had no choice.
“My coach kept shouting. I heard him every single lap,” Rhoden said.
Rhoden’s accomplishment comes under a year since Anderson ran 1:45.02 to shatter Seymour Newman’s national outdoor record of 1:45.30 that had stood since 1977.
He believes that he and Anderson are charting a path for Jamaica’s current middle-distance runners to follow.
“My friend Navasky did it outdoors so he set the standard for the rest of us to follow,” he said. “
We are just staying hungry and trying to put Jamaica on the 800m map.”
Notwithstanding the new personal mark on the weekend, Rhoden is far from finished. With the NCAA nationals coming up in a fortnight, the 22-year-old athlete has plans of going faster in the near future.
“1:45 indoors is the aim,” he said. “More to come.”
Kiara Grant, Oneka Wilson and Ockera Myrie accounted for more than half of Clemson University Women's 68 points at the Atlantic Coast Conference championship that concluded in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday night.
In her first conference championships since she transferred from Baylor in the Big 12, Ackera Nugent set a pair of new personal bests in the 60m hurdles and 60m dash as Arkansas crowned themselves SEC champions on Saturday.
Nugent, who holds the U20 60m world record of 7.92, stormed to a personal best 7.81 to win the silver medal behind NCAA record holder Masai Russell, who took gold in 7.77s.
The winning time was just outside Russell’s collegiate record of 7.75 run earlier in the season.
Russell, a senior at Kentucky, broke the previous meet record of 7.89 set by LSU’s Tonea Marshall in 2020 and facilities record of 7.79 that had been held by Clemson’s Briana Rollins since 2013.
Nugent, who was also under the previous meet record, eclipsed her previous best of 7.88 set in January.
Tennessee’s Charisma Taylor ran 8.03 for the bronze medal.
Nugent would have gone into the hurdles final with a boost in confidence after winning the bronze medal in the 60m dash in a personal best of 7.20, finishing just behind silver-medallist Georgia’s Kaila Jackson who clocked 7.17.
Tennessee’s Jacious Sears ran a personal best 7.11 to win the gold medal.
Arkansas’ women topped the table with 130.5 points. Florida was second with 84 while Tennessee finished third with 56.33 points.
Alabama and Ole Miss shared fourth place with 54 points each.
Meanwhile, Arkansas' men also wrapped up the men's title scoring 102.25 points, some of which were contributed by Clemson's Roje Stona.
The former St Jago thrower hit a brand new personal best of 19.96m that won him the bronze medal in the men's shot put.
The top three men all produced personal bests as silver-medallist Jordan West of Arkansas hit his best throw ever of 20.29m.
The winner, John Meyer of LSU, had the winning mark of 20.37m.
Florida finished second in the men's standings with 73 points while Alabama's 63 points put them third.
Georgia (59) and Tennessee (54) rounded out the top five.
Akeem Blake and Tina Clayton won the respective 60m titles at the Gibson/McCook Relays at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Clayton, a two-time World Junior 100m champion and in her first professional season, ran a personal best 7.02 to win the Women’s section ahead of Sashalee Forbes (7.03) and Kerrica Hill (7.10).
Remona Burchell won a windy B final in 7.04 ahead of Tia Clayton (7.05) and Jodean Williams (7.16).
Blake, a semi-finalist in the 100m at the 2022 World Championships, ran a personal best 6.42 to win the Men’s section ahead of Oblique Seville (6.42) and Zharnel Hughes (6.45). 2011 World 100m Champion Yohan Blake was fourth in 6.45.
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