Jaydon Hibbert.
Team Jamaica
World Under-20 Triple Jump record holder is looking to make up for his bad luck at last year’s World Championships in Budapest with a good performance in the Paris Olympics.
The 19-year-old phenom entered last year’s World Championships as one of the best jumpers on the planet at the young age of 18 thanks to his World Under-20 record 17.87m he did to win the SEC Outdoor title in Baton Rouge last May.
At the time of those World Championships, the former Kingston College standout had also produced jumps of 17.56m, 17.68m and 17.66m, making him one of the favorites for the gold medal.
In the preliminary round of the triple jump in Budapest on August 19, Hibbert produced the furthest jump in qualifying with 17.70m to book a spot in the final scheduled for two days later.
Unfortunately, during his first attempt, Hibbert stopped in his approach to the board with some discomfort in his hamstring.
He was unable to attempt another jump and ended the final with no mark. He didn’t jump again that season.
Now, one year later, Hibbert will get another opportunity to go toe-to-toe on the big stage with some of the best in the world at the Paris Olympics.
“I’m just really excited and pumped up especially after last year in Budapest,” Hibbert told Nationwide 90FM on Friday, noting that his injury in Budapest made him depressed and sad for some time.
“I have to forget what happened in Budapest because it literally broke me for months,” he said.
“I was depressed and so sad but I had to get over it. Thank God for the confidence I have now and for the lessons that I’m learning now in the sport and it just makes me more hungry to give out my best,” he added.
Going into these Olympics, Hibbert’s season’s best of 17.75m dome at the Racers Grand Prix on June 1 puts him third in the world this season behind Spain’s Jordan Diaz and Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo.
Diaz and Pichardo put on one of the most thrilling triple jump duels ever at the European Championships in Rome in June.
Both men went over 18m with Diaz winning gold with 18.18m, the third longest jump of all time, and Pichardo jumping 18.04m in second.
If Hibbert wants to medal, there is a good chance he’ll have to at least surpass James Beckford’s national record of 17.92m done back in 1995.
“Right now, I’m even more focused to go out there and give it my best. There may be uncertainties here and there but the biggest thing is to just trust what God has for you,” Hibbert said.
Men’s triple jump qualification at the Olympics gets underway on Wednesday, August 7.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Osaka crashes out in Olympics first round to fierce Kerber
Angelique Kerber breezed into the second round at the Paris Olympic Games with a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka.
In her final tournament, the German kept her hopes of going out on a high alive, getting a 7-5 6-3 victory in just 69 minutes at the end of a rainy opening day at Roland Garros.
Osaka started strongly, racing into a 3-1 lead, but Kerber fought back and eventually got the vital break in the penultimate game of the set to edge in front.
The two were evenly matched again at the start of the second, but Osaka struggled to maintain her high level and lost her serve twice at the end as Kerber's four-game winning run carried her over the line.
Kerber will now face Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the second round.
Data Debrief: Going for gold
Kerber won a silver medal in singles at Rio 2016, and she is looking to sign off her glittering career by going one better in Paris.
She asserted her dominance in the second set, particularly, winning 13 of 14 points when she got her first delivery into play.
Kerber also bows out holding a 5-2 head-to-head record over Osaka, who once again struggled on clay.
France 1-0 Guinea: Sildillia fires Les Bleus into Olympic quarter-finals
Kiliann Sildillia's second-half goal helped France continue their perfect start to the Olympic Games as they booked a place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.
Les Bleus made it two wins from two thanks to the right-back's header, though they rode their luck against a spirited Guinea side, who had two first-half goals disallowed.
Amadou Diawara forced Guillaume Restes into a superb fingertip save just minutes into the tie before Jean-Philippe Mateta wasted a hat-trick of chances to put the hosts ahead.
A cheeky backheel dribbled wide, and a thumping header missed the target on either side of Soumaila Sylla's smothering save.
Naby Keita clinically picked out the bottom corner from an offside position just before half-time, with Abdoulaye Toure also seeing a goal ruled out moments later after meeting a free-kick.
France came to life in the second half and gave a warning sign when Loic Bade struck the post from a tight angle.
In the end, Sildillia proved the difference as he was left unmarked to meet Michael Olise's cross, and Sylla could not get to his thumping header.
France are through to the next round, and top Group A with six points, while Guinea sit bottom of the group having lost both of their matches so far.
Data Debrief: Les Bleus leave it late
For much of the first half in this game, France were sluggish and could have easily gone into half-time 2-0 down if it was not for two tight offside calls.
In the end, Thierry Henry's side showed their quality, with Olise proving the key man. He created six chances, more than anyone else on the pitch, with one of those resulting in an assist.
It is the first time France have reached the quarter-finals at the Olympics since 1996, as they looked to end a 40-year wait for a gold medal in the event.
Alcaraz and Nadal storm through first round of Olympic doubles
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal did not disappoint in their much-anticipated doubles debut as they battled through to the second round of the Paris Olympic Games.
The Spaniards saw off Argentinian pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in straight sets 7-6 (6-4) 6-4 in one hour and 49 minutes on Saturday.
Alcaraz, who began the day with a victory in his singles debut, made a nervy start as he dropped his first serve, but Nadal soon helped to settle the nerves.
They got the vital break in the next game, though there was little to separate the teams after that with a tie-break necessary to put Alcaraz and Nadal in front.
Gonzalez and Molteni rallied in the second set, racing into a 3-0 lead, but could not prevent a fight back as Alcaraz and Nadal won the next three games.
After another vital break for the Spaniards at 4-4, Nadal then served out the match to set up a meeting with either Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof or Marton Fucsovics and Fabian Marozsan of Hungary.
Data Debrief: Living up to expectations
It is the match-up that everybody was waiting for at the Olympics, and despite a sluggish start, Alcaraz and Nadal soon turned on the style.
They hit 17 winners, and even though Alcaraz's first service game was not his usual best, they went on to win 46 of their 64 service points (72%).
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