Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce fell just short of winning a third Olympic gold medal in the women's 100m but is proud to have left behind a legacy on the grandest stage as she reiterated her intention to retire next year.
The reigning world champion, seeking to become the first woman to win the same athletics event at three different Games following her success at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, finished marginally behind compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce previously announced she intends to bow out of athletics in 2022 and will push ahead with those plans after adding to those two previous golds and the bronze collected at Rio 2016.
"The Paris Games are some way off, and I did say this would be my last Olympic appearance," said Fraser-Pryce, who missed more than a year of action around the birth of her son in 2017.
"As I said previously, I'm just happy to be competing at my fourth Games, doing it as a mum at 34 when people believe you're at the end of your career. To do what I'm doing now is a gift from God.
"I haven't had my best moment yet. I definitely believe something else is there. This is my final Olympics, but I'm looking forward to the World Championships next year and that will definitely be my final season."
Fraser-Pryce posted the fastest time in qualifying for Saturday's final, which saw six of the eight competitors finish under 11 seconds in what was the quickest women's final of all time.
Thompson-Herah's Olympic record time of 10.61s saw her take a second successive gold in the event and Shericka Jackson completed a Jamaican one-two-three with a personal best of 10.76s.
"I have respect for both of those ladies," Fraser-Pryce said. "Of course I'm disappointed – that was my first reaction. If you're an athlete and didn't run the race you wanted, you still have to be grateful for the opportunity and be happy for those who won.
"If it wasn't for the pandemic I can only imagine what would be happening in Jamaica right now. Just speaking about the legacy that we have back home, all those athletes young and old, they are all inspired by something that happened tonight."
POLAND MAKE HISTORY
The women's 100m race was one of three medal events on Saturday, with Poland earlier pulling off an upset by winning the Games' first ever 4x400m mixed relay.
Poland's team, comprised of Karol Zalewski, Natalia Kaczmarek, Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and Kajetan Duszynski, posted the fastest time in the heats and produced another great display in the final with a winning time of 3:09.87.
It is the second Olympic gold medal Poland have won in a relay event in athletics following their success in the women's 4x400m at the Tokyo Games in 1964.
United States are the world champions and entered the event as favourites, but they had tough time of things in qualifying – initially being disqualified before being reinstated – and finished third with 3:10.22.
Despite being pipped to gold by Poland and silver by the Dominican Republic, USA competitor Kendall Ellis was pleased to simply be on the podium.
"It feels great," she said. "It is so exciting to come here and run the first mixed relay at the Olympic Games, and to come out with a medal feels great. It feels like a win for us."
SWEDISH ONE-TWO IN MEN'S DISCUS
Sweden's Daniel Stahl lived up to his reputation of world champion by coming out on top in the men's discus to win gold, while compatriot Simon Pettersson took silver.
Stahl was the strong favourite coming into the event and registered a distance of 68.90m on his second attempt to finish ahead of Pettersson (67.39m) and Lukas Weishaidinger (67.07m) of Austria.
The last time Sweden took gold and silver in an event at a summer Games was in the men's 10,000m walk race at London 1948.
Australia's Matthew Denny sent the discus soaring a personal best 67.02m on his final attempt, but that was not enough for a medal.
"It's amazing. I am very happy," said Stahl, who became the first Swedish athlete to win an Olympic title in athletics since 2004. "There was a lot of hard work and fun on the way. I am extremely proud.
"My training partner [Pettersson] has been working hard. We have had a lot of fun together for many years. I am very proud of my coach too for believing in us and having faith."
POST-BOLT ERA BEGINS IN TOKYO
Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt won three straight men's 100m titles between 2008 and 2016, but he announced his retirement four years ago and the discipline is now wide open.
The preliminary rounds kicked off on Saturday, with the headline act being Dorian Keletela – competing at the Games as part of the Olympic Refugee team – advancing to Sunday's semi-final with a personal best of 10.33s.
In Saturday's other qualifying rounds, Cuba's Juan Miguel Echevarria spearheaded a group of 12 athletes to progress to Monday's final in the men's long jump with a leap of 8.50m.
2019 world champion Tajay Gayle, representing Jamaica, had to have a bandage applied to his left knee after struggling in his first two attempts, though he still advanced with a jump of 8.14m.
There were no surprises in the men's 800m heats, with all the favourites still in contention to take the title off David Rudisha, who is not competing at this year's Games due to injury.
After bruising season Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finding healing in fashion in Italy
After a grueling season battling injury while facing the fastest women on the planet, Jamaican track icon star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took some time to enjoy some of the finer things in life at the Bottega Veneta fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 in Milan, Italy on Saturday.
The two-time Olympic 100m champion, known for her colourful wigs and trendsetting couture, was among a galaxy of celebrities gathered for the occasion that included writer, fashion editor, and New York Times best-selling author Derek Blasberg, Erykah Badu as well as Sabato de Samo, Gucci’s new Head of Creative.
The five-time world 100m champion is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August as well as a longstanding knee injury that significantly impacted her preparation last season. But what better way is there to heal the body and soul than immersing one’s self in the world of high fashion.
How entertainer DMajor's long-standing relationship with Usain Bolt gave life to latest song "Unstoppable"
Jamaican entertainer DMajor has taken the music scene by storm with his latest release, "Unstoppable," produced by none other than Usain Bolt's A Team label. The track hit the airwaves on Friday, September 22, 2023, and has been making waves ever since. However, what makes this collaboration truly special is the long-standing relationship between DMajor and the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt.
In an exclusive interview, DMajor revealed the story behind "Unstoppable" and how his journey with Bolt and the Racers Track Club paved the way for this remarkable musical partnership.
"I've known Usain since around 2006 or 2007," DMajor began, reminiscing about his early days with the sprinting legend. "What most people probably don't know about me is that I'm a lover of track and field. To stay in shape, at one point, I was training with the Racers Track Club around that same time. So, you know, I would have been all about keeping the lungs up and training with the Racers track club as my fitness regimen."
Back then, DMajor and Bolt never discussed music as a common interest. Bolt's love for music was no secret, but it wasn't until 2023 that the stars aligned for a collaboration. DMajor explained, "This year, in 2023, I had an idea to do a song, you know, one of those celebratory songs for championships. Somehow, the inspiration just hit me, and I had put down a melody on my phone."
However, a twist of fate nearly derailed DMajor's musical vision. "Now that phone just crashed, and I lost the melody," he lamented. But fate had other plans. A conversation with a friend reignited DMajor's creative spark. "I was reasoning with a brethren one day, and I was giving him the idea, and he was like, 'yow, all Bolt you could have linked on that, you know.' And I said, 'You know, you’re right.'"
The stars continued to align as DMajor found himself at Big Yaad Studios, celebrating engineer Kamal's birthday, where he ran into Nugent Walker (NJ), Usain Bolt's business manager. DMajor shared his idea with NJ, who embraced it without hesitation. "NJ was just like instantly (sold), like no hesitation. He was like, 'So Major when you want to do it?' Just like that, and myself, NJ, and Kamal decided upon the following Sunday."
The timing couldn't have been more perfect. DMajor continued, "That Sunday was when the 100-meter finals were on at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August. This is like a month and a half after I got the initial idea. We never got a medal, but still, you know, so you say everything is tying in."
As they worked on the track, NJ and DMajor knew they had something special in the making. DMajor explained, "NJ decided that the 22nd would be a good release date, and it was, in fact, released on the 22nd."
DMajor expressed his gratitude to the A-Team, NJ, and Usain Bolt for making this dream a reality. "Big up to the whole team, the whole A team," he said. "NJ said when he sent it to Bolt, he instantly fell in love with the track. So it's just a blessing overall, you know, for everything to say how everything that's come to fruition just from a simple idea and the challenges of losing the audio on the phone. We still came out with a track that we really believe in and represents what I was initially going for."
"Unstoppable" has already taken flight, released on Friday, and is quickly gaining momentum. DMajor summed up the collaboration with a smile, "I guess that happens when you link up with the king of speed, you know, things happen fast. So it's a great thing, man. Unstoppable. Oh gosh, man, stadium status."
Former BAAA President Alpheus Finlayson passes away at 76
Veteran sports advocate, broadcaster and former BAAA (Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations) president Alpheus Finlayson has died, aged 76, just weeks after the death of his wife, Dawn.
Finlayson served as co-captain of the St John’s University Track Team, President of the Pioneer’s Sporting Club, and of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association from 1989 to 1997.
He was also elected Vice President of the Central American Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation as well as Vice President of the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Area Athletic Associations.
It was during Finlayson’s administration of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association in 1992 that the first Bahamian Olympic medal in Track & Field was won, and in 1995 and 1997 the first three World Championship medals were won.
Finlayson, affectionately nicknamed “Hawk,” made history when he became the first Bahamian elected to the 27-member Council of the IAAF, the World governing body of Track & Field.
He also held the distinction of being the only Bahamian to attend every IAAF World Championships, from Helsinki in 1983 to London in 2017.
His book From Vancouver to Athens: Finlayson Fifty Years of Bahamian International Track & Field Competition is a best-seller.
He also authored weekly columns on “Track World” from 1980 to 1986 in The Tribune and produced a television show on ZNS called Track World with Alpheus Finlayson. Finlayson also wrote international newsletters with the same name.
He also hosted the weekly radio show called Track World with Alpheus Finlayson on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM.
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