Jane Chapple-Hyam could saddle her first Cheltenham Festival runner on a rare foray to the National Hunt scene if Stavvy sneaks into the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
Although most commonly associated with big-race success on the Flat, Staavy earnt his shot at Prestbury Park glory when cruising to a nine-length success at Southwell last month.
That was his handler’s first ever victory under National Hunt rules and the intention is for the four-year-old to be declared for the Grade One event, even though his spot in the final line-up is not guaranteed, with a safety factor of 24 meaning seven of the 31 confirmed entrants could miss out.
Chapple-Hyam is hoping for some good fortune at declaration time on Monday to enable herself and her staff the chance to experience the Festival for the first time, having enjoyed plying their trade amongst the jumps fraternity with Stavvy this winter.
She said: “I haven’t got a runner just yet as he needs two not to declare, so I’m going to have to wait and see!
“The plan is to run but we have a ballot number and we need two not to run, so it’s not certain just yet.
“The staff have enjoyed it and it has been good fun. It’s been a wet winter and it has given the yard a bit of flavour and something to enjoy which has been good.
“He won well at Southwell considering there was an odds-on shot in the field. It was heavy ground and that shows that if Cheltenham was to go slow or dead, then he is able to handle that.”
“The owners have enjoyed watching him progress and he was bought to be a Flat runner, but he is showing us enough to have a go at this. If he gets in, he won’t let us down.”
Stavvy was ridden to victory at Southwell by Bryony Frost, who has also encroached on Flat territory recently to put the big-race outsider through his paces at home in Newmarket.
Chapple-Hyam is hoping the 28-year-old will be available to do the steering if making the cut for Wednesday’s Grade One event – with the gelding available at odds of 100-1, the same price Mudawin was when landing the Ebor for the Australian native in 2006.
She added: “Bryony is jocked up at the moment but it all depends what Mr Nicholls does with his three entries and he obviously has first call – so that’s another thing I will have to sit and wait on and I just have to wait for her agent to let me know if she is available or not.
“As long as the horse stays fit and well until Wednesday, we hope to be competing and I hope Bryony is available to ride him because she has sat on him twice (on course) and has come and ridden him here at home in Newmarket.
“Mudawin won the Ebor at 100-1, so it’s never say never.”
Owner Rich Ricci insists the Mares’ Hurdle remains “Plan A” for Lossiemouth at next week’s Cheltenham Festival, despite the increasing clamour for her to take on the boys in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Winner of the Triumph Hurdle 12 months ago, the Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old was so impressive on her reappearance on Cheltenham’s Trials day card in late January that many called for her to take on the mighty Constitution Hill in Tuesday’s feature event.
While the Mares’ Hurdle was immediately put forward as her most likely objective, the subsequent defection of the reigning champion led to Mullins saying he supposed “a conversation will be had” regarding the possibility of switching Lossiemouth to the big one.
However, with Mullins now responsible for the red-hot favourite for the Champion Hurdle in the form of last year’s runner-up State Man, it appears almost certain Lossiemouth will be taking the perceived easier option on the same afternoon.
“We all know that five-year-olds have a challenging record in the Champion Hurdle and we learned a lot last year with Vauban – look how he struggled and he’s a fine horse,” Ricci told Sky Sports Racing.
“This year we said to ourselves ‘let’s just take our time with the mare, she’s very young’ – she had a hard season last year and she didn’t run until Trials day this season.
“The plan was always to run in the Mares’ Hurdle, keep one eye on the Champion in case it cut up, but the intention has always been to run in the Mares’ and hopefully if she’s good enough come back and have a real go at the boys next year.
“I know a lot people would be thinking about running her in the Champion Hurdle, but if you look at her best ratings and times not one of them would have won a Champion Hurdle in the last 10 years, so I think we’re doing the right thing.
“We’ll keep an eye on the Champion Hurdle in case it cuts up further, but I think Plan A is to run in the Mares’ Hurdle.”
Lossiemouth will be tackling two and a half miles for the first time on Tuesday, but Ricci is optimistic her stamina will last out over the extra distance.
He added: “She seems to be maturing and settling a bit, the trip is a slight concern as she’s never won over it, but they all think she’ll get it and on breeding she should get it.
“She’s certainly our best chance of the week, so we’re looking forward to seeing her on Tuesday.”
Another Ricci-owned star set to be in action on the opening day of the Festival is Gaelic Warrior, who is poised to drop back in trip for the Arkle Trophy.
Although the six-year-old has displayed a preference for going right-handed, he has finished second at Cheltenham in each of the past two years and Ricci hopes he can put a disappointing run at the Dublin Racing Festival behind him.
“He’s a nut job and a bit of a knucklehead at the racecourse,” he said.
“He jumps a bit right and prefers going right-handed and probably the easiest thing to do with him is to take him to Fairyhouse and Punchestown, but there’s only one Cheltenham Festival so we’ll take our chance again.
“He’s run there twice and run well twice. We’re leaning at the moment towards running him in the Arkle.
“I don’t know what happened the last day, no one can explain it, he just sort of spat the dummy. He seems to be back in better form and I’m hoping you’ll see a much better performance than you did at the Dublin Racing Festival.”
Monkfish looked a genuine Gold Cup contender after winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase three years ago, but subsequently spent two years on the sidelines.
He notched his first win since his return in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park in late January and while the Stayers’ Hurdle remains an option, Mullins has suggested he may belatedly get his tilt at Gold Cup glory next Friday.
Ricci added: “Willie keeps talking about the Gold Cup, (but) we haven’t engaged much on Monkfish.
“It would appear to me that the natural race would be the Stayers’ Hurdle as he hasn’t jumped a fence in public over the last three years and he was very good the last day in the Galmoy. That being said, if it comes up soft he may go for the Gold Cup, that’s what Willie is intending to do at the moment.
“We won’t talk about it until next week, but the fact that Willie is talking about that, given the level of the competition (in the Gold Cup), means the horse is in great nick and in great form.
“We always thought he was a Gold Cup horse and maybe this is the year he’ll take his chance.”
The Ricci squad also includes Allegorie De Vassy, who will look to go one better than last year in the Mares’ Chase, and popular veteran Sharjah, who has been placed twice in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and this year looks set to contest the Turners Novices’ Chase.
The owner believes Bialystok has a “great each-way chance” in the County Hurdle and that Mercurey may “outrun his odds” in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.
Richard Hannon possesses a strong hand in Saturday’s BetMGM Lady Wulfruna Stakes at Wolverhampton – but stresses Group One performer Shouldvebeenaring will not be in optimum condition for his seasonal reappearance.
Owned by Middleham Park Racing, the four-year-old sets a clear standard on what he achieved last season, finishing the campaign by placing in top tier events both at Haydock and ParisLongchamp.
He drops to Listed level for his return to action, but with many big days and a long summer ahead of him, Hannon has warned the mount of Sean Levey will not be fully tuned up for his Dunstall Park appearance.
Hannon said: “He’s going to need it badly, it is going to be quite a busy year for him and we’re just giving him a run to get him ready for some of the bigger races later in the year.
“He’ll enjoy having a run round there and he might still win, but I imagine he will improve massively on this whatever he does.”
Hannon has won this race twice in the last four years and is also represented by 2021 champion Mums Tipple, who although well held after meeting trouble in running at Lingfield recently, is expected to come on for the run in the hands of Hollie Doyle.
“Mums Tipple has had the advantage of having a run and he won’t be far away, he’s working great,” continued Hannon.
While both Shouldvebeenaring and Mums Tipple are proven performers, Geoff Oldroyd’s Doctor Khan Junior is very much taking a step into the unknown on his first try in Pattern company.
Proven in the West Midlands, the five-year-old is unbeaten in his last four outings – all on the all-weather – and his handler feels there is no better time than the present to test the waters at a higher level.
“He just keeps progressing and we’ve got to the stage now where he is rated 99 and it is probably going to be hard in handicaps,” explained Oldroyd.
“There aren’t that many races around for him at the moment, so we’re just going to pop him up into a Listed race and see how we get on.
“He likes Wolverhampton and comes alive around there, so while he’s healthy and in good nick, it’s probably a good time to find out if he is good enough to go up in that grade.”
Another attempting to make her mark at this level is Nine Tenths, who has always been a consistent performer for trainer William Haggas and owners St Albans Bloodstock and having gained black type when second to Dear My Friend at Lingfield last month, will now bid to go one better.
“She’s quite lightly raced for a four-year-old but she has been very consistent and I think she has only been out of the first four once in her career to date,” said the owners’ racing manager Richard Brown.
“She got her black type last time which is important and she looks to have a fair chance of getting some more. Whether that is winning black type though, I don’t know and we will find out.
“Richard Hannon’s horse will be hard to beat on the ratings, but she’s fit and well and ready to go and we’ve obviously got William (Buick) on board which is always a great help. We’re hoping for a big run and she goes there match fit, which we hope will give us some bit of advantage.”
Course-and-distance winners Misty Grey (David O’Meara) and Intervention (Mick Appleby) complete the sextet heading to post for this seven-furlong feature.
Although growing up in touching distance of Prestbury Park, Noel George will be attempting to land a blow for France when Milan Tino becomes the first horse he will saddle at the Cheltenham Festival.
His father Tom George has sent out both Galileo (Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle, 2002) and Summerville Boy (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, 2018) to strike at the showpiece meeting from the Slad training base where George Jr learnt the ropes.
However, the younger George has swapped the Cotswolds for Chantilly, where alongside Amanda Zetterholm he has formed a formidable Anglo-Swedish training partnership that is taking French racing by storm.
It is the exploits of superstar chaser Il Est Francais that first alerted a British audience to George and Zetterholm’s training talents, but the JP McManus-owned juvenile Milan Tino is the source of the duo’s Cheltenham dreams as he prepares for a shot at the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on the opening day of Festival action.
George said: “He did his last piece of work on Tuesday and worked very nicely. He is heading over on Sunday and we’ve got our fingers crossed for a good run.
“It’s our first Cheltenham Festival runner and it’s a real dream. The fact we are coming over from France with one with a live chance is really exciting.”
Milan Tino is no stranger to Cheltenham having visited twice already this season, each time finishing third and only having Triumph Hurdle favourite Sir Gino and the highly-talented Burdett Road ahead of him in his most recent trip to Prestbury Park on Festival Trials day.
He has also finished in the money in competitive juvenile heats at Auteuil and George is hoping the handicapper has given the four-year-old a real chance of what can be classed as a rare Festival success for France.
“To start with he was off 136 because of his French form and the handicapper seems to think off his English runs he is now 126, so I hope we have a few pounds in hand I guess,” continued George, with Milan Tino a best price of 8-1 at Cheltenham.
“Sir Gino I knew before from when he ran in the Prix Wild Monarch and he has always been a bit special and Burdett Road is also obviously a very good ex-Flat horse, so we go there with a live chance and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Dario Barthley and Naasira Mohammed have resigned their positions in Cricket West Indies Media Department, Barbadian broadcaster Andrew Mason is reporting. The news follows on the heels of the departure of long-time media and public relations manager Phillip Spooner in January.
According to Mason, Barthley has already obtained a new job in Bermuda.
Sportsmax.TV has independently confirmed both resignations.
The news of the resignations comes as a shock with the ICC Cricket World Cup set to begin on June 1, 2024.
Sportsmax.TV will have further updates on this developing story.
Reigning Olympic 110m hurdles gold medalist Hansle Parchment has hinted that the upcoming Paris Olympics in 2024 could signal the beginning of the end of his illustrious athletics career. The 33-year-old, who stunned the world with his gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, shared his sentiments with Sportsmax.TV on Wednesday night, expressing uncertainty about committing to another four-year cycle.
"I’m not sure I want to go another four years; that’s a lot of time and a lot of hurdling, and hurdling is a little bit more taxing on the body than normal running, so I will see what the body has to offer. I’m trying to take the best care of myself to make sure that I can put my best foot forward each time," Parchment disclosed.
Despite contemplating the potential conclusion of his competitive journey, Parchment affirmed his commitment to maintaining his current training regimen. Adopting a laid-back Jamaican perspective, he humorously stated, "Well, dem say if it no bruk down, you nuh have to fix it. I intend to do the same things that helped me in previous years, so it’s just a matter of trying to put all of that together and get everything to work how it is supposed to work and giving my best each time I go out."
Reflecting on his performance at the World Championships in Budapest last year, where he secured the silver medal behind American rival Grant Holloway, Parchment admitted he was not at his best. However, he rebounded admirably, achieving a lifetime best of 12.93 weeks later to claim the Diamond League title.
For Parchment, hitting his peak at the right time in Paris is a paramount focus for the upcoming season. While he acknowledged the timing issue in 2023, he remains optimistic about refining his approach.
"Probably slightly. I would have hoped to be a little bit sharper a little earlier, but I am not upset. I am thankful that I could get a PR so long after running 12 several years ago, so hopefully, I get it a little closer this year," he commented.
As he gears up for the 2024 campaign, Parchment plans to open his season next month before embarking on the Diamond League circuit set to commence in the latter part of April.
Whilst most sports are now moving to develop and promote their women’s game independently of the men’s, racing has the rare distinction of allowing both sexes to compete directly against one another.
The majority of jockeys are male, but there has been breakthrough after breakthrough in the women’s ranks and responsible for much of that progress is the great talent of Hollie Doyle.
Doyle is not just a supreme female jockey, but a leading rider regardless of gender and is one of only a handful of jockeys to enjoy a retained role as the go-to for Imad Al Sagar’s Blue Diamond Stud.
It is aboard their star mare Nashwa that she has enjoyed great success in recent seasons, winning three Group Ones and collecting several placings at the top level in a career that looks set to continue when the Flat season really starts next month.
John and Thady Gosden train Nashwa but Doyle is the stable jockey for Archie Watson, for whom she has registered countless victories aboard big names such as Glen Shiel, Outbox and last year’s Royal Ascot scorer Bradsell.
With a stable jockey position and a retainer, Doyle could be expected to take only a limited book of outside rides, but her CV proves she is in demand whenever available and she is the rider associated with Alan King’s top stayer Trueshan.
Her status would also grant her the right to sit out the lower quality meetings and choose not to travel the length and breadth of the country for all-weather rides, but Doyle is arguably one of the hardest-working riders in the weighing room and took just shy of 800 rides last year in Britain alone.
During the window that determines the British Flat jockeys’ championship, she rode 89 winners last season, finishing fifth behind William Buick, Oisin Murphy, Rossa Ryan and her husband, Tom Marquand.
In addition to that, she has plied her trade in almost every significant racing jurisdiction that exists and last year brought home prize money from Japan, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy – something she does not take for granted.
“I get loads of support from everyone and it’s really nice to feel that I have such an open book of trainers that are willing to use me,” she said.
View this post on Instagram
“It is great to have the association I have with Imad Al Sagar and it’s even better that Nashwa is in training for another year, and that’s something to look forward to for the season ahead already.
“I’m really lucky, I’m attached to Archie’s stable and always busy in that regard, he has a nice team of horses to go forward with.
“I’ve been riding all around the world, I did a stint in Japan and I thoroughly enjoyed that – it’s something I’ll be hoping to do a lot more of.
“It’s great as it’s always hard to go to a new jurisdiction and pick up some good rides, you have to take it all in and adapt to the style of racing riding there.”
Hayley Turner broke many barriers at a time when there was some reluctance to use female jockeys, with her success then paving the way for younger riders like Doyle.
“Hayley was a massive trailblazer for everyone, especially when I was young and she was really at the peak of her career,” she said.
“She definitely carved out a path and that’s had an impact on us all.”
Managing director of the Netball Super League Claire Nelson hopes netball can “capitalise on this moment for women’s sport” as it strives for professionalisation.
England Netball announced last year that the Super League will be relaunched in 2025 with the vision of clubs playing in bigger venues, enhancing live and TV audience experience and providing closer competition.
Professionalisation will also aim to provide “advancements in the elite environment to ensure players can choose and experience rewarding careers in netball”.
Nelson was appointed to her role in April last year having previously worked for Netball Scotland and Strathclyde Sirens and hopes netball can “capitalise” on its moment.
She told the PA news agency: “We have some amazing targets. We talk about our 10-year strategy, but we want to win golds on the world stage at World Cups and we want to build the most competitive, commercially vibrant, captivating league in the world.
“When you look at what we have as foundations, they’re so good and everything we’re doing now is to actually capitalise on this moment for women’s sport, but more importantly for our sport.
“This is a moment for netball, our bounce back post-COVID has seen us absolutely smashing our participation and membership numbers – we’re a big sport.
“We’ve now got this professionalisation opportunity where we can go into bigger arenas and take our sport to more households.”
The Super League is already three games into the 2024 season ahead of next year’s relaunch and Severn Stars and Manchester Thunder are the only unbeaten teams, sitting three points ahead of defending champions Loughborough Lightning.
The sport’s professionalisation ambitions follow in the footsteps of other women’s sports which are continuing to flourish at the highest level and Nelson believes netball is the “biggest untapped opportunity”.
“For me, netball’s the biggest untapped opportunity in women’s sport bar none,” she added.
“We’re in this moment where women’s sport is front and centre, so people are wanting to see, to experience, to consume, to support women’s sport.
“Then what we bring to the table is the opportunity to blank canvas, create this product which actually is an intersect from what happens on a court to what’s happening digitally and how we can become more lifestyle and music and fashion and entertainment, how we can unlock the talent potential in our athletes and tell their stories.”
Domestic professionalisation can only be helped by England’s Vitality Roses, who continue to enjoy success on the international stage.
The Roses earned an historic gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in a dramatic final against Australia and they finished third in the World Cup on home soil in 2019.
More recently, England took silver in their maiden World Cup final appearance in South Africa last year and Nelson believes the Roses are the “pinnacle” of England Netball’s aims.
She said: “This is the beauty of what we do here at England Netball, we’ve got the whole sport, we’ve got international, we’re going to have professional domestic and then we’ve got grassroots and community.
“All of these should be integrated and they should be complementary and that’s what we’re trying to build – this ecosystem of a sport where everyone can enjoy their experience and thrive in it, but the Roses are absolutely the pinnacle.
“I have to get the best performance programme and competition in the Super League because that is going to ensure that we have Roses success on the world stage. Roses success on the world stage makes people want to show up and support.
“It’s all interconnected and it’s all complementary, it makes my job a whole lot easier when we have great performances from these incredible athletes on the world stage.”
The Grand National remains the world’s most famous race and on International Women’s Day, a woman stands proudly at the helm in Liverpool.
Sulekha Varma was appointed clerk of the course at Aintree in 2019 after gaining years of experience in the racing industry.
As a teenager, Varma went on a work experience placement at the yard of dual Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell. Upon graduation from Edinburgh University she gained a place on the British Horseracing Authority Development Programme, during which she spent time on the news desk at the Racing Post.
After returning to Russell’s yard as racing secretary and working for the Arabian Racing Organisation, Varma then began to take the first steps towards her current career with a trainee role at the Jockey Club that led to spells at Market Rasen, Nottingham, Warwick, Huntingdon and then Hamilton Park.
That experience stood Varma in good stead when the role of clerk of the course at Aintree became vacant and she subsequently became the first woman to hold the position, in the very thick of the action on the world’s most famous and watched day of racing.
“It’s a great honour. I can’t believe it’s been four years already since I took on the role,” she said.
“Working for Lucinda was a great grounding for me in horse racing. Learning about sport from the very grassroots; how a yard operates and what life is like at that end of the sport, and from then I moved into the administration side.
“I did the BHA Development Course in 2006, straight out of university, and my placement was at the Racing Post which was incredible, I got to write a double-page spread for the paper which was something I never thought was going to happen.”
Naturally Varma’s success is the result of drive and hard work, but she credits the industry with being filled with people who are willing to help those looking to advance their career.
“I met a huge number of people who were very willing to help me out, whether it be work experience or just talking through opportunities and learning about the industry,” Varma added.
“I think you have to open doors for yourself, but there are also a lot of people who, if you show enthusiasm and love for the sport, they will also open doors for you.
“Being the first female to fill this role is something that I’ll always treasure. Absolutely.”
Jamaica remained unbeaten while Guyana and Barbados picked up their first wins of the season in round two action in the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup in St. Kitts on Wednesday.
Stafanie Taylor once again led Jamaica to a comfortable 9-wicket win over the Leeward Islands at Conaree Cricket Centre.
Batting first the Leeward Islands fell short of a 100-run total, as they were bowled out for 98 in 35.1 overs. Vanessa Watts and Taylor, with their off-spin, combined for 6 wickets between them.
Watts had figures of 3/15 while Taylor had 3/16. Reniece Boyce was the stop scorer for the Leewards with 37, followed by Shebani Bhaskar 14 and Shanwnisha Hector 14.
Experienced batters Rashada Williams and Chedean Nation then made quick work of the small target, to reach victory in 11.2 overs, to end of 99/1. Williams 29 and Nation 61 remained not out when victory was achieved.
Guyana earned their first win of the tournament with a handsome 44-run win over the Windward Islands at Warner Park.
Batting first a patient 61 off 102 deliveries from Shabika Gajnabi and 42 from skipper Shemaine Campbelle propelled Guyana to 207/8 from their 50 overs.
Carena Noel once again starred for the Windwards with her spin, taking 3/47. Nerissa Crafton continued her run of form with the bat with a quickfire 47 off 54 deliveries, but it was not enough as she ran out of partners to take their team to victory, as the Windwards were bowled out for 163 in 40.2 overs.
Plaffiana Millington, Ashmini Munisar and Nyia Latchman all had 2 wickets a piece, to finish with figures of 2/23, 2/31, 2/38 respectively.
In the final match, Trinidad and Tobago Divas suffered their second defeat in as many matches, when they lost by 8 runs to archrivals Barbados at St. Paul’s Sports Complex.
Batting first, Barbados 186 all out in 48.4 overs, thanks to a brilliant 93 from captain Kycia Knight.
Knight’s innings of 134 deliveries which included seven fours and a six, looked set to take Barbados well past 200 but tactical bowling and a batting collapse prevented that.
Karishma Ramharack once again led the Divas bowling figures with 4/20 followed by Samara Ramnath with 3/38.
In their run-chase, the Divas had 33 from skipper Britney Cooper, 32 from Ramnath and 26 from Lee Ann Kirby but the rest of the batters failed to fire as they finished on 178/8 from 50 overs. Aaliyah Alleyne and Keila Elliott had figures of 2/33 from 10 0vers each.
Round 3 matches see Jamaica vs Trinidad and Tobago Divas at Conaree, Guyana vs Barbados at St. Paul’s and the Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands at Warner Park.
While admitting that there is a deficit in Jamaica’s football where coaching education is concerned, senior Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says the onus is on coaches across the island to make the necessary step towards personal development until better opportunities arise.
Hallgrimsson shared this view after engaging coaches during a recently-concluded two-month tour of the island where he, along with assistants John Wall and Merron Gordon, hosted clinics and assessed facilities, as well as some aspiring national players.
Though the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Concacaf occasionally hosts licence coaching courses, and there was also the Joan Duncan Foundation-sponsored coaching school, the general consensus, according to Hallgrimsson is that those are inadequate.
“It was quite similar in every parish. Everyone talked about coaching education, lack of coaching education and the lack of opportunities to learn. So, I think that was one of the concerns. The second thing was, was the pitches and that has been kind of my cry, from day one that we really need to improve our facilities, our pitches,” Hallgrimsson shared in a recent interview with Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) media.
“That is in every parish. The coaches and the administrators of clubs were complaining about both lack of access to pitches and also the quality of the services and because of that, some or most parish coaches said it was sometimes difficult to get kids into training,” he added.
Well aware that coaches play a significant role in player development, particularly at the grassroots and youth levels, Hallgrimsson agreed that proper coaching education and good facilities should be given more consideration for investments, but in the same breath, the Icelander argued that coaches need to take more initiative in certain regards.
“I think though a problem with most here in Jamaica is that they are waiting for something to happen. The complaints are that an investor needs to come and change this, or the JFF needs to do it, or the government needs to do this so we can do that. But I think it all starts and finishes with us as coaches,” he declared.
“We just need to start to roll, to get things rolling to make football attractive, to make kids want to come to your football sessions. It's not even about the facilities, even though they are important in developing good football players, but it's about the coach. So, I think it all starts with us coaches to do whatever we can do to get the best training we can from what we have,” Hallgrimsson opined.
That said, Hallgrimsson pointed out that with the right enthusiasm, coaches can utilize the advancement in technology to improve their knowledge of the profession, not just technical and tactical, but more around fitness, nutrition, recovery and the psychological aspect of things.
“Even now, the high-level teams are looking into how players sleep, their breathing, into meditation, all of these things. So, I would say at the moment, Jamaica is behind in coaching education, and we need to step up there. The good thing about today is the technology. The technology there is so fantastic that you can actually tap into all knowledge in a flash,” Hallgrimsson reasoned.
He continued: “So if you are an enthusiastic coach, you can actually with Google, go into the correct websites and apps and you can get all the knowledge you need so you can fast forward your coaching education. So even though it will be a license system, and you need a licence as a coach, you can still be a really, really good coach without a licence.
“So, you know two things goes go hand in hand. I think if you have a licence, you've already gone through some learning process, but you could also be a good coach without the licence. So, I encourage everyone just to be creative and look for information if you are, if you are a coach.”
Still, Hallgrimsson stressed the need for holistic development in the country’s football, both from a coaching and a facilities perspective.
“For players’ development, the two most important ingredients are coaching education and the facilities to coach football, and both are pretty much behind here in Jamaica. Only with changing these two factors will the development of players be totally different as it will be faster to produce better players,” said Hallgrimsson.
“There are a lot of other factors to produce good players, but if these two are lacking, then there will always be a hurdle that will be difficult to jump over. Therefore, the sooner we change those things, the quicker we develop,” he ended.
The tour was a part of Hallgrimsson’s objective to focus on local players in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) and gauge their progress for possible inclusion in his team for the CONMEBOL Copa America and Concacaf World Cup qualifiers later this year. The Boyz are scheduled to face United States in the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals on March 21.
Tokyo Olympics relay gold medalist Briana Williams is set to make waves this year as she gears up for an ambitious dual challenge – competing in both the 100m and 200m events. Speaking with Sportsmax.TV at the launch of the 2024 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Wednesday, Williams shared her plans for what she considers a pivotal year in her burgeoning career.
"This year is a very big year. I owe myself a lot. I am not thinking about what the crowd or people have to say; I'm doing it for me,” expressed Williams who has had to face her fair share of public criticism in recent times.
“I am doing this to raise the flag of Jamaica in Paris, and I am really focused on this year, doing everything I can to just give myself the glory and to fulfill the dream that I have had since I was little – to be in Paris. I really want to make myself, my mother, my family, my coaches, and Jamaica proud. I really owe it to myself, and I feel like I can do it."
At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland that concluded last weekend, Williams produced times of 7.22 and 7.19, which saw her bow out at the semi-finals, a step back from her 2022 campaign in Belgrade where she was fifth in the finals in a lifetime best of 7.04.
Williams emphasized that she is not overly concerned about what happened in Glasgow as her primary focus this year is on returning to her best form in the 200m. Reflecting on her indoor achievements, she explained, “I wasn’t really preparing for World Indoors. I am opening up next week in the 200m (Velocity Fest) and I really want to focus on that this year because the 200 holds a special place in my heart because I feel like the last time I had a great 200m was in 2018 and that was when I really fell in love with it so I want to pick up back from there and continue to excel in the 200m.”
At the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, Williams won both the 100m and 200m, the latter in what was then a championship record of 22.50, which still remains a lifetime best for the soon-to-be 22-year-old.
To achieve her goals this year, Williams said she is also honing in ramping up her fitness.
"I am focusing on toning my body this year and being in the best shape of my life. It's not going to happen overnight, but I have been seeing the progress, and so we are just focusing on speed now, running these races and winning," she affirmed confidently.
The anticipation among track & field fans in Jamaica and around the world is growing by the second with the world's top High School Athletics showcase, the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys & Girls Championships, on the horizon.
The meet, set to take place from March 19-23 at the National Stadium in Kingston, had its official media launch on Wednesday evening at the same venue.
This year will mark the 113th year of the showpiece event as well as the 25th anniversary of the merging of Boys and Girls Champs.
Kingston College are defending champions on the boys side while Hydel High ended Edwin Allen’s eight-year reign on the throne last year of the girls side.
101 teams are down to compete on the boys side while 97 are set to do battle for the girls title. Athletes will contest a total of 88 events over a grueling five days of competition.
While Tuesday’s day one will feature only preliminaries, Wednesday’s day two will see 17 finals contested highlighted by the 100m and 1500m. Thursday and Friday will each have 13 finals contested before the festivities culminate with 43 finals on Saturday’s final day.
Organizers have also added a special event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the merge between the Boys and the Girls events.
There will be exhibition mixed relays, twinning traditional boys’ schools with their sister schools as well as adding Manchester High School in honor of Mr. Branford Gayle, late former principal who was instrumental in the merger.
This year’s edition will also see the introduction of international technical officials to complement the local technical official pool.
President of the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA), Mr. Keith Wellington, expects this year’s event to be special.
“The 2024 version of the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships promises to be another landmark staging of the greatest High School Athletics Championships in the world,” he said at Wednesday’s event.
“We expect patrons that patrons will be dazzled, not only by the performances of our athletes but will also experience pulsating entertainment off the track,” he added.
Wellington also commented on the addition of international officials.
“We believe that the inclusion of an international start referee and the addition of an international official to the jury of appeal will not only add significant credibility to these areas, but will enhance the already significant reputation of “Champs” as a meet of the highest international quality,” he said.
GraceKennedy, who have been sponsoring “Champs” since 2007, have committed $178 million to this year’s edition.
“Champs continues to be the largest sponsorship in dollars and heart by far, for the entire GraceKennedy Group,” said GraceKennedy Group CEO Don Wehby.
“We are honored and proud to be the title sponsor of such an iconic event, an event that holds such cultural prominence among Jamaicans at home and abroad. This is a significant investment and represents a powerful example of our commitment to invest in our schools, youth and our country. Our support for Champs and youth development in Jamaica is unwavering, and will continue for years to come,” he added.
Wehby also announced that, in honor of GraceKennedy’s 102nd anniversary, they will have a special award of $202,000 for any school whose student breaks a 200m record.
Willie Mullins has confirmed the newly-named Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle as Ballyburn’s Cheltenham Festival target, with Mystical Power and Tullyhill both bound for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Beaten by Firefox on his hurdling debut at Fairyhouse in December, Ballyburn subsequently bolted up over two and a half miles at Leopardstown before successfully reverting to two miles to strike Grade One gold at last month’s Dublin Racing Festival.
The six-year-old has been at the head of ante-post lists for both the Supreme and the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle since that latter triumph and Mullins moved to clarify running plans on Thursday.
“Mystical Power will run in the Sky Bet Supreme and Ballyburn, all being well, will run in the Baring Bingham (Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle),” he told Sportinglife.com.
“Paul Townend will probably ride Tullyhill in the Supreme.”
Mystical Power, a son of Galileo out of Champion Hurdle-winning mare Annie Power, is two from two over hurdles and looks likely to be partnered by Mark Walsh, retained jockey for part-owner JP McManus.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned Tullyhill was beaten at 1-8 on his hurdling debut, but has since registered two wide-margin wins at Naas and Punchestown respectively.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
