St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred can now call herself the inaugural Caribbean Games Women’s 100m Champion after winning the event at the Stade du Gosier in Guadeloupe on Friday.
Alfred ran 11.34 in the preliminaries before returning to run 11.07 to comfortably win the final ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Akilah Lewis (11.55) and Leah Bertrand (11.57).
Alfred goes into the World Championships in Eugene later this month on the back of some excellent form. The Texas standout ran a personal best and national record 10.81, the fourth fastest time on the world this year, at the Big 12 Championships on May 14.
She then went on run 11.02 to win the 100m at the NCAA Championships on June 11.
Meanwhile, Trinidad & Tobago’s Kion Benjamin ran 10.36 to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of Franquelo Perez Occena of the Dominican Republic (10.55) and Antigua’s Darrion Skerritt (10.72).
Jamaica’s Anthony Cox, who was named in their World Championships squad on Friday as well, ran 46.15 to lead all qualifiers into the Men’s 400m final while the Dominican Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil Fernandez (51.11) led all qualifiers in the Women’s equivalent.
Elsewhere, Puerto Rico’s Paola Fernandez Sola won the Women’s long jump with a 6.15m effort ahead of Cuba’s Yani Carrion Cremdelly (5.81m) and Guyana’s Chantoba Bright (5.85m).
Antigua’s Sheldon Noble jumped 7.31m to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of the Cayman Islands’ Louis Gordon (7.23m) and Grenada’s Nishon Pierre (6.91m).
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“Every time he stepped up, I knocked him down”- Bailey dismisses notion of rivalry with Johnson
1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey has dismissed his track ‘rivalry’ with Michael Johnson and explained how the 150m race between him and the American sprint legend came to be.
Speaking on ‘The Powells’ YouTube Channel hosted by former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and his wife Alyshia, the Jamaican-Canadian explained that there was no rivalry between himself and Michael Johnson since every time they raced together, he was always the one winning.
Bailey, a former world record holder himself, said the first time they clashed in 1994, he beat Michael Johnson.
At the event, Michael Johnson would only run in the final but Bailey competed in all the rounds and still beat the former 200m and 400m world record holder in the final.
“Michael and I ran together for the first time in 1994 in Germany and he was trying to step down and I think he was actually doing a couple of rounds. My coach and agent told me that Michael Johnson would be running the 100m final but not the heats or any other race. The people were there to see the fastest guys run and I was like he’s sitting in the stands watching us run. I ran and won my heat and then the finals came and I murdered them,” Bailey said.
“I’m sitting in the stands, there’s no rivalry then or now…you know. I’m in the 100m and odd list history of the Olympics, I’ve been the only one to break the world record and to not be the fastest man in the world, and Michael said that…I mean, the NBC said that first but Michael bought into the idea and I think to this day. I know that I represent terrible days at his office, every time he stepped up, I mean, I knocked him down,” Bailey added.
After the 1996 Summer Olympics, American Sportscaster Bob Costas claimed that 200m Gold medalist Johnson was faster than Bailey because Johnson's 200m time (19.32 Seconds) divided by 2 (9.66 Seconds) was shorter than Bailey's 100m time (9.84).
This started a debate on whether Johnson or Bailey was the real "World's Fastest Man", which in turn resulted in a 150m race between the two in 1997, in which Bailey won after Johnson allegedly injured his hamstring.
He says the 150m race came about after discussions while admitting that from it, he made a lot of money.
Competing before a sold-out stadium at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Bailey explained that he knew he had to win the race to prove everyone wrong and he certainly showed, winning in 14.99 seconds.
“There was no rivalry…I appreciate that. Running the 100m, Michael is a 10.1 guy at his greatest thing and then again and he is one of the best endurance athletes to ever walk the face of this earth…world record in the 200m and 400m, no chance can he be in the 100m,” he explained.
“Bob Kersee had said Michael Johnson was the fastest man and I think it was also America, and they were hosting the Olympics. I had just arrived from Texas and broken a world record. They had to build up Michael,” Bailey added.
Alfred grateful for continued recognition after Olympic success in Paris
St. Lucian Olympic champion Julien Alfred is grateful to continue to receive recognition for her historic achievements at the Paris Olympics in August.
On Wednesday, the 23-year-old took home the award of best female athlete of Paris 2024 at the Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC) Awards ceremony held in Cascais, Portugal.
Alfred stormed to a historic 100m gold medal in Paris, the first Olympic medal in St. Lucia’s history.
“It’s truly an amazing feeling getting the love and support. I was not expecting so many praises, tonight especially, but it’s an amazing feeling knowing that my sacrifices and hard work are being celebrated and I’m truly grateful for it,” Alfred said after receiving her award.
She also spoke of her status as a role model for youngsters in St. Lucia and the importance of making them feel like nothing is impossible once you work towards it.
“It’s truly inspiring. Growing up, I looked at Usain Bolt and Levern Spencer, one of my countrywomen, but to be able to be standing here inspiring the youth is something that I’ve always dreamt of and it makes me feel like all my hard work is paying off,” she said.
“Now it’s time to continue to inspire the nation and the youth that no matter where you’re from, you can always work towards your dream,” she added.
Another history maker, Botswana’s 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, took home the award for best male athlete at Paris 2024.
The award for best male team went to Denmark Handball while the best female team went to Italy Volleyball.
The best male team in individual sports award went to Japan Artistic Gymnastics while the female award went to Great Britain Track Cycling.
Austria’s Lukas Mahr and Lara Vadlau took home the award for best mixed team while Chinese six-time Olympic Table Tennis champion Ma Long and New Zealand’s eight-time Olympic gold medallist in canoeing Lisa Carrington took home the male and female outstanding career awards, respectively.
Lifespan Spring Water throws support behind Pink Run
There were 1208 new cases of Breast Cancer in Jamaica in 2020, in fact, it is estimated that 1 in 21 women will get the disease. It is the most common form of cancer in the island with an estimated 637 deaths.
The Annual Pink Run for Breast Cancer Awareness, which took place on October 26th is designed to break the stigma around the disease and raise awareness while at the same time raising critical funds for organizations dedicated to fighting breast cancer and supporting individuals affected by it.
Lifespan Spring Water recognizing the crucial nature of the event and the cause, immediately threw its support behind the run as hydration sponsor. “Knowing that cancer of the breast is the most common cancer among Jamaican women, we are taking a positive step to raise awareness and provide tangible support to our students who have taken on this life saving project,” said Nayana Williams CEO Lifespan.
“Our vision is longevity for the Jamaican people, so doing our part to reduce this scourge is in keeping with who we are”, she added.
The event kicked off at 6.45am on Saturday at the UWI Guild location where Lifespan erected water stations at the start/end and 2 spots along the way.
“We are honoured to have Lifespan be a participating sponsor in this event to ensure that our participants remain hydrated and energized throughout the day. With Lifespan being a trusted provider of clean, natural spring water, we believe that your brand aligns perfectly with the health and wellness focus of the event,” commented Michael John External Affairs Chairperson UWI Guild.
Emerging from the race as Male winners were Matthew Hutchinson (1st) Rolando Rednan (2nd) Jaheim Murdock (3rd).
In the Female category, the winners were Paula Kay Clarke (1st) Colleen Scott (2nd) Tannice Anglin (3rd).
The Pink Run forms part of the Pink-Tober series of events.
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