AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
19-year-old Jamaican triple jump star Jaydon Hibbert is grateful for his first experience at an Olympic Games.
The former University of Arkansas star and current NCAA Indoor, Outdoor and World junior record holder produced a best jump of 17.61m to finish just outside of the medals in Paris at the Stade de France on Friday.
Illustrating how close Hibbert was to a medal, Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez took bronze with 17.64m.
After qualifying sixth overall on Thursday, Hibbert opened Friday’s final with a 17.31m jump before going out to 17.61m in the second round.
He then jumped 17.53m in round three before fouls in rounds four and five and then passing on his sixth and final attempt.
“It was a good experience. Firstly, I have to thank God for what he has done,” Hibbert told Jamaican media after his final.
The former Kingston College standout competed in both qualifying and the final with a brace on his left knee, signaling that he was not 100% going into these championships.
“I almost boycotted the Olympics and I’m here standing on fourth place. I don’t know how many 19-year-olds can say they came fourth at the Olympics,” he said.
Hibbert said he felt even more pain during one of his attempts, at which point he decided to just prioritize the future rather than potentially doing even more damage.
“I got a hard fall on one of the jumps and I felt something so I kind of stopped competing right there,” he said.
“My coach was trying to convince me to go back but I told him ‘coach, I’m 19 and have a lot more years to come so I don’t want to risk injury,’” he added.
As for what’s next for Hibbert, he says his focus right now is rest and recovery.
“For now, I’m grateful for the fourth-place finish and it’s just road to recovery after this. I’m going to rest and re-evaluate a lot of stuff. I’ll be good,” he said.
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.
Keilando Goburn takes up role assistant coach at University of Maryland Eastern Shore
St. Jago High School is now searching for a new head coach for their girls track and field team as Keilando Goburn has left the institution.
Goburn, who coached the St. Jago girls team for 16 years, will take his knowledge overseas and take up the role of assistant coach for track and field and cross country at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
During Goburn’s 16 years at the helm of St. Jago’s girls team, they were consistently one of the best performing schools at “champs,” always finding themselves in the top five of the points standings when all was said and done.
Goburn also has had a hand in the development of some of the country’s most promising young athletes including the likes of NCAA Indoor 60m champion Brianna Lyston who started her high school career at St. Jago before making the switch to Hydel High.
Blake, Ogando, Camacho-Quinn secure wins at Gala dei Castelli in Switzerland
Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake and the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando both secured wins at the Gala dei Castelli, a two-day World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bellinzola, Switzerland from September 8-9.
Blake, a bronze medallist at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow earlier this season, continued his fine form lately with 9.96 to win the men’s 100m ahead of South Africa’s Akani Simbine (10.04) and Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (10.11).
Ogando, a 200m finalist at the Paris Olympics last month, won the event in Switzerland comfortably in 20.19 ahead of Canada’s Aaron Brown (20.49) and Switzerland’s William Reis (20.55).
Both Blake and Ogando will be in action at the Wanda Diamond League final from September 13-14 in Brussels.
On the women’s side, Puerto Rican Olympic medallist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took top spot in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.52, just ahead of American Grace Stark (12.54). Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji ran 12.82 in third.
Camacho-Quinn will also be in action in Brussels.
De Bruyne launches scathing review after Belgium loss
Kevin De Bruyne hit out at Belgium following their 2-0 defeat to France on Monday, claiming they have "to be better in every way".
Ousmane Dembele ran the show for Les Bleus in their second Nations League match, scoring France's second after Randal Kolo Muani had opened the scoring in the first half.
Belgium, meanwhile, managed just nine shots in the game, with just two of those coming in a lacklustre first-half performance.
While De Bruyne refused to give any details of his half-time team talk, he did not hold back his criticism of the team.
"I can't say here what went wrong. I already did that to the team at half-time," he said.
"I cannot repeat that in the media, but it has to be better in every way. If the standard we want to reach is the best, but we're no longer good enough to get to that level, then you have to give everything.
"If you don't even do that, it's over.
"I can accept that we're not as good as in 2018 [when they reached the World Cup semi-finals].
"I was the first to see that, but other things are unacceptable. I'm not going to say what."
Belgium sit third in Group A2 after two games, level with France on three points.
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