Captain of the Harbour Master, Neil Cooper, says Anderson Peters was, in fact, the aggressor in last week’s highly publicized incident on the vessel that led to the arrests of six men involved.
“It was an attack on the Harbour Master crew…not Anderson Peters,” Cooper said in a statement issued on Saturday.
The narrative all along was that the crew assaulted Peters, who won his second World title in the Javelin in Eugene last month, and then threw him overboard but Cooper says this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“On August 10, the crew and I had just successfully sailed the Recovery Cruise. I instructed the deckhand team to begin preparing the boat for our next cruise which was scheduled for 8 o’clock. After some time, I went to check on the crew and saw them asking a group of young men to leave the ship. My team tried encouraging the men to leave but again, the group (who I didn’t know at the time included World Champion Anderson Peters) refused to leave the ship. Anderson began to get aggressive and pace up and down the ramp. I approached him and asked him to leave. He then cursed at me, disrespected my nationality, and insulted me for being Trinidadian. I asked Anderson four times to leave the vessel and each time he responded with aggression and cursed at me.”
He further stated,” What happened next is where the issue started. While on the ramp, I informed Anderson that I was the captain of the ship. He responded by cursing at me and throwing water in my face. I tried avoiding further altercation by walking away from him, off the ramp and back onto the main deck. When I got there, I realized a member of Anderson’s clan had assaulted my cruise manager, Benji, by slapping him in his face. My crew tried once again to get the men off the boat, but they continued to refuse with aggression. All men continued to curse at us. Anderson then spat at me and began throwing punches at my face. My crew and I did not start the confrontation, Anderson and his group did. As any team would, we defended ourselves from the ongoing attack.”
Cooper then outlined how Peters ended up in the water.
“The brawl eventually moved to the ramp. With all the scuffling, Anderson lost his balance and fell into the water. No one threw him into the water! It’s upsetting to see reports that my crew and I threw him into the water. We were relieved to see that Anderson was pulled up out of the water and was safe, but even then, he continued to be aggressive towards us and refused to leave the boat. Eventually, the police arrived on the boat, and a mob gathered outside saying that we attacked Grenada’s National Hero.”
“In my profession, I make an ode to protecting all souls on every vessel I captain. I would never intentionally harm another human. I understand Grenada’s love for Anderson Peters but I believe the public should know the truth about the situation,” he added.
Olympic medallist Rajindra Campbell breaks own Jamaican shot-put record in Zagreb
Jamaican shot putter Rajindra Campbell made more history at the Ivan Ivancic Memorial in Zagreb on Saturday.
The 28-year-old, who became the first Jamaican to medal in a throws event at the Olympic Games with his bronze medal in Paris, established a new national record of 22.31m to finish third at Saturday’s meet behind American Olympic and World champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser who threw a meet record 22.93m to win and Payton Otterdahl who threw 22.46m in second.
Campbell opened his competition with 21.05m before going down to 20.61m in the second round.
He then signaled his intent for a big throw with 21.56m in round three before unleashing his national record-breaking throw in round four.
He fouled his next two attempts which didn’t matter as no one else was able to eclipse his mark.
Campbell broke his own previous national record 22.22m done in Madrid last year.
Clarke pleased with first Diamond League win; hoping for personal best at Diamond League final in Brussels
Jamaican World under-20 400m record holder Roshawn Clarke is pleased after securing his first win on the Diamond League circuit in Zurich on Thursday.
The former Camperdown High star produced a fast 47.49 to take the win ahead of Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (47.58) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.02).
Thursday was Clarke’s fourth Diamond League appearance. He made his debut on the circuit at last year’s edition of the Zurich Diamond League on August 31, 2023.
“It means a lot because I came out here trying to get myself into the Diamond League final so I was trying to rack up as much points as possible and I came out with the win,” he said in a post-race interview with Citius Mag.
“I’m very pleased with my first Diamond League win and it came in Zurich. What better place?”
The 20-year-old was a finalist at the Olympic Games in Paris but unfortunately failed to finish after clipping the eighth then smashing into the ninth hurdle while in a battle with Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos for the bronze medal.
Clarke spoke about using that disappointment as motivation to finish out the season on a strong note.
“Strong-minded. I had disappointment in Paris and that has kept me pushing to make myself even better,” he said.
“I want to come back stronger. I did not finish in the final at the Olympics so I use that as motivation to keep my season going,” he added.
Speaking of finishing out the season strong, Clarke’s winning time on Thursday is the second fastest time of his young career, bettered only by his national record and world junior record 47.34 which he ran in the semi-finals at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
Running a time that fast at this stage of the season on the back of that disappointment in Paris is a sign of Clarke’s mental fortitude that should see him being a medal threat in the event for a long time.
Clarke’s mind will now shift to the Diamond League final in Brussels from September 13 to 14.
“My goal is to go out there, run my race, run as best as possible and try to come out with a personal best in my last race for the season,” he said.
Grenada's Anderson Peters feels he's returning to top form ahead of Diamond League final
Grenadian javelin thrower and two-time world champion Anderson Peters believes he is regaining his best form just in time for the Diamond League finals in Brussels. Peters, who claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics in August, secured victory at Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Zurich with a throw of 85.72m.
Though not a season's best—his top mark this year being 90.61m—Peters is encouraged by his progress, especially after recovering from illness. "It still feels like I am coming back," Peters admitted. "After Lausanne, I was sick with the flu, so my body is still recovering. I have not been training, just relaxed and tried to recover. So it still feels like my body is on the way to top competition form."
Despite the setback, Peters remains focused on finishing the season strong, with the Diamond League final in Brussels as his next target. "I was looking forward to competing here and seeing what my body can produce. I've got just one more competition for this year and I am done. Definitely, it is Brussels. It’s going to be my third time in the Diamond League final, and it will be my shot at the win."
Looking ahead to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Peters is confident in his ability to peak at the right time. The World Championships will take place later in the season, but Peters is unfazed, having previously won his world title in Doha in October. "That is something we know how to do, and it is just a matter of doing it again," he remarked.
Peters also reflected on the unpredictable nature of javelin throwing, a quality he relishes. "The beauty of the javelin throw is that it is an unexpected event. One day you throw 90m, and another day you throw 80. It’s a little bit unpredictable, but that’s why most javelin throwers like it. You never know when you’ll get a good throw or when the world record could be broken," Peters said, referencing Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record of 92m in Paris.
"I like competing, and that keeps me going. That’s what I live for," Peters added. He also shared that he had already returned to Grenada briefly after the Paris Olympics to celebrate his success. "After Paris, I managed to go home for three days, so I’ve already had the celebrations, and it was good."
As Peters gears up for his final competition of the season in Brussels, the Grenadian star is eager to continue pushing his limits as he seeks another Diamond League crown.
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