China remain atop the Olympics Games medal table as they maintained their five-gold buffer over the United States with two on Friday in Tokyo.
The table-toppers head into the penultimate day at the Olympics with their advantage still intact, courtesy of gold in the women's javelin and the men's team table tennis.
Shiying Liu became the first Asian woman to win gold in the javelin, while China extended their perfect record in table tennis since its 2008 introduction – Ma Long becoming the most decorated table tennis Olympian with his fifth triumph.
USA matched China's gold count on day 14, collecting the top spot in the women's beach volleyball and via Gable Steveson's last-second victory in the men's superheavyweight freestyle wrestling.
Japan remain in third place and collected two golds, the first of which came in the women's featherweight freestyle wrestling from Mayu Mukaida with the second following through three-time world champion Ryo Kiyuna, who was crowned the first ever men's kata karate Olympic champion.
After falling down to sixth on Thursday, Great Britain bounced back up to fourth with a pair of golds. Laura Kenny teamed up with Katie Archibald to become the first British female Olympian to triumph at three consecutive Games – winning the women's madison comfortably.
Kate French captured Team GB's other gold in the women's pentathlon, though there could have been a third had the men's 4x100 metre relay team not been pipped at the line by Marcell Jacobs' Italy.
The Russian Olympic Committee sit in fifth on 17 golds, Zaurbek Sidakov securing their sole gold of the day in the men's welterweight freestyle wrestling.
After firing a blank on Friday, Australia – who equalled their best ever medal haul at the Games a day earlier – dropped down to sixth, level with the Russians on 17 golds.
Antiguan cyclist Andre Simon passes away
Antiguan cyclist Andre Simon passed away at a medical facility in Houston, Texas on Thursday, his family confirmed.
Simon’s death comes 13 months after he was left physically paralyzed after being hit by a car along with fellow cyclists Sean Weathered, Ghere Coates and Tiziano Rosignoli along the Sir George Walter Highway.
Simon was airlifted to the US after the accident where he continued to receive treatment.
He was 35-years-old.
His family also thanked all who were involved in the valiant efforts made to assist him.
JC and Cayman sprinter Jaiden Reid commits to LSU
Caymanian sprinter Jaiden Reid has decided to compete for the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers next season, the school announced on social media on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old had an excellent 2023 season competing for Jamaica College and the Cayman Islands.
He ran a personal best and Caymanian junior record 10.24 in the Class 1 Boys 100m semis at the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March. He then took bronze in the final with 10.26. A week later, Reid also reached the Under-20 Boys 100m final at the 50th Carifta Games in Nassau, running 10.63 for sixth.
Reid has a 200m personal best of 20.91 done at the Corporate Area Development Meet at the national Stadium in Kingston last year. He competed in the event at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia that same year, running 21.53 for sixth in his heat.
He was also a member of the Jamaica College quartet that produced 40.97 to win the Championship of America 4x100m at the Penn Relays this year.
Arkansas' McLeod, Pinnock go 1-2 in NCAA Div. 1 long jump final, Kentucky's Turner wins bronze
Carey McLeod was crowned 2023 long jump champion as the 2023 NCAA Division 1 National Outdoor Track and Field Championships got underway in Austin, Texas on Wednesday.
McLeod led a University of Arkansas 1-2 finish as Wayne Pinnock won the silver medal while Jordan Turner of the University of Kentucky made it a Jamaican 1-2-3 when he won bronze.
From a totally Jamaican perspective it was a Kingston College 1-2 with Calabar High third.
McLeod, the 2023 NCAA Indoor champion achieved the winning mark of 8.26m in the opening round equalling the facility record set by Steffin McCarter of Texas in 2021. Pinnock, the 2022 champion, followed leapt out to 8.15m for silver with Turner only two centimetres behind with 8.13m.
McLeod is the sixth Razorback to win a NCAA Outdoor long jump while Pinnock won the program’s sixth silver medal.
Meanwhile, Arkansas’ Phillip Lemonious was the fastest through to the finals of the 110m hurdles with a personal best 13.28. Fellow Jamaican Giano Roberts, representing Clemson University was also among the automatic qualifiers when he finished second in semi-final three with a personal best of 13.35.
Rasheem Brown of the Cayman Islands, a senior at the University of Tennessee also ran a personal best of 13.53 to advance to the finals that will be run on Friday.
It wasn’t all good news for Caribbean athletes however as Clemson’s Tarees Rhoden did not finish his 800m semi-final after leading at the end of the opening lap while Navasky Anderson struggled to a third place finish in his semi-final heat but his time of 1:48.79 was not fast enough to see him advance to the Friday final.
Rhoden will have a shot at a 4x400m relay medal after helping Clemson to a time of 2:59.78 that saw the advance to the final.
Barbados’ Rasheeme Griffith, a junior at Tennessee, ran 49.00, the third-fastest time going into the final of the 400m hurdles. He finished third in the last of three and fastest of the semi-final. Alabama Chris Robinson won the heat in 48.79 with Baylor University’s Nathaniel Ezekiel finishing second in 48.95.
Jamaica’s national 400m champion JeVaughn Powell is through to the final of the 400m with a time of 45.02. The University of Florida junior’s time was the seventh fastest to qualify.
Justin Robinson of Arizona State ran a time of 44.54 to lead all qualifiers into the final set for Friday.
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