Jamaica's hammer throw standard bearer Nayoka Clunis
To throw as far as you can, is a simple concept, but there is something beautiful about the moment when hard work fuelled by stubborn determination, and just the mere need to rise above challenges, combine to create a seemingly effortless mark.
Such is the case of Jamaica’s hammer thrower Nayoka Clunis, who charted and has now completed the first phase of her course towards top level competition, as she not only achieved a personal best mark of 71.18 metres along the way but will be the first –male or female –to represent the island in the discipline at the upcoming World Athletics Championships.
In fact, just making the country’s team to Budapest, is testament of Clunis’s growth and unwavering desire to make it big to honour her now deceased mother Michelle Morgan and Grandmother Letta Black, both of whom serve as the reason why she continues to smile in the face of adversities.
“They are my main motivation. Seeing how these two women made things happen in their lives, despite the difficulties they faced with little help, really gave me the will I need to overcome all the challenges I’ve faced,” Clunis told Sportsmax.tv.
Those challenges the now 27-year-old refers to are those that came with living in a fairly unsafe space, and so she sought solace in sports, netball in particular, which she declared was her first love.
“I got into track and field because my life wasn’t in the greatest place and my netball coach thought it would be a good idea to get me away from home and stay safe even for a few hours. Netball was my first love. I remember my mom playing netball and after she passed away, I did everything I could to follow in her footsteps, but things just didn’t work out where that is concerned,” she shared.
So started her journey in track and field where she tried her hand and feet at various disciplines to include the sprints, before injury forced her to take up javelin, shot put, discus and later heptathlon, before she inevitably finding her niche –hammer throw.
In a discipline which arguably favours power and technique over passion, it wasn’t necessarily easy for Clunis, as her best throw back in 2016 was marked at 50.23m, but she eventually found her footing and now seven years later, she breached 71m, not once, but three times in quick succession.
The first was 71.13m in Idaho, with the second coming on July 14, when she hit her new lifetime best of 71.18m and two days later, Clunis, a four-time National champion, launched the instrument to 71.11m. All marks were achieved at separate meets, mere weeks after Clunis claimed another Jamaica title with a 70.17m throw.
“As everything in life, change is challenging. Specializing is challenging, but I always knew I’m destined for more and even though I am not yet at the point in my life where I want to be, I’m satisfied with where I am at and I remain hungry to see how much more I can give,” Clunis said.
“Making a career, however, has been extremely difficult because throwers don’t get paid compared to other events. So, the journey has been difficult but I’m hoping it will get easier with sponsorship,” she noted.
Still, there remains a willingness to succeed and a sense that the mood, and, by extension, Clunis’s attitude has changed for the better in recent years.
Clunis believes her lifetime best throw was long overdue and was accomplished due to the exact combination of her biomechanics, physical attributes and excellent technique.
“I am pleased and grateful that I’ve gotten to the point of my career where I’m able to throw lifetime bests, but there’s more there and, like I said, I’m hungry. This tells me the consistency is important and a big throw is coming. This tells me that I’m becoming the athlete I’ve always dreamt of being, and so I am working on myself one day at a time,” she said.
The frightening sense of determination in Clunis’s tone is very much understandable, given the fact that she has improved leaps and bounds over the past year, and it has given her a new-found confidence and perspective on what is possible.
“Qualifying for the Olympic Games would be amazing and not being able to do so yet is my motivation over the season. I believe next year is going to be great, I am just focusing on the little things that I need to do in order to achieve the Automatic Qualifying standard, as it would be honestly amazing to hit 74m.
“I just want to catapult my self-belief in a whole different league. Throwing 71m so consistently this season has been a dream and I want more so I’m patiently working until the marks come,” the bubbly athlete revealed.
“For now, my main goals at this point are to gain sponsorship leading to the Olympic Games because I would like to focus on training…like really get the opportunity to focus on training and see how great I can be with help,” she ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Reggae Girls fall short of Gold Cup prelims after 1-1 draw against Guatemala
Jamaica's Reggae Girls fell short of their goal to qualify for the preliminary round of the Concacaf Women Gold Cup following their 1-1 draw against Guatemala in the final match of Group B of League A of the Road to W Gold Cup on Sunday night at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
The result also means that Panama have finished in first-place in the group and have qualified for the W Gold Cup group stage. Guatemala will progress to the Prelims, while Jamaica finish in third.
Jamaica came out strong early and almost snuck in a goal through Davia Richards, but instead it was Guatemala breaking the deadlock in the 10th minute. Ana Martinez was taken down in the Jamaica penalty area and it was Martinez who converted from the spot to hand the home side a 1-0 lead.
That was followed later in the half by a buzzing chance from Andrea Alvarez from 40 yards out that forced Jamaica’s goalkeeper Serena Mensah to make a leaping save with her fingertipping the ball to safety.
Jamaica were keen to get back on even footing and a long ball played up to the Guatemalan half led to a mix-up between a pair of defenders, allowing Davia Richards to swoop in and score to level things at 1-1 in minute 66.
But the Guatemalan defense would hold firm the rest of the way to secure the necessary result to earn their prelims place.
USA Rugby League team edges out Jamaica's Reggae Warriors in hard-fought battle at Mona
In a thrilling men's senior international rugby league clash at the Mona Bowl, University of West Indies in Kingston, the USA Rugby League team managed to hold on for a hard-fought victory against Jamaica's Reggae Warriors, securing a 30-26 win.
Despite challenging conditions with the temperature soaring to 85 degrees, the Reggae Warriors took an early lead of 10-0, showcasing resilience despite having less possession. However, the USA Hawks responded strongly, turning the tide to lead 14-10 by halftime. Kyle Granby, the Brooklyn Kings centre, played a pivotal role, scoring two of his three tries in the lead-up to halftime.
Granby's exceptional performance continued after the restart as he completed a genuine five-minute hat trick. Veteran loose forward Joe Eichhner crossed the try line on the hour mark, contributing to the Hawks' lead. Granby, who also kicked two goals, showcased his versatility and skill throughout the match.
USA's skipper, Peter Lupton, reflected on the challenging contest, stating, "It was back and forth, and we had to deal with some big players. It was tough from start to finish." He acknowledged the efforts of both teams, emphasizing the significance of the game for the growth of rugby league.
Despite two late tries from Jamaica's Tahj-Jay Lynch and Kenneth Walker, the Reggae Warriors fell just short of a comeback, concluding the match with a 30-26 scoreline. The USA team, having only one training session before the game, demonstrated resilience and adaptability.
Jamaica faced setbacks with injuries, losing Andrew Simpson in the first half and Kevin Thomas in the second, limiting their bench options. Head coach Roy Calvert expressed gratitude to the USA Hawks for their visit, acknowledging the support from the local fans. Calvert said, "It was a fantastic occasion despite the narrow loss. We're 1-1 now for games between the nations played here in Jamaica and are looking forward to the next one."
Dominican Republic’s Luguelin Santos stripped of world junior title for age-manipulation violations
Dominican sprinter Luguelin Santos has been stripped of his World Junior Championships gold medal from 2012 and handed a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for age-manipulation violations. The AIU revealed this decision on Friday, uncovering Santos's admission to competing with a falsified date of birth during the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona.
Luguelin Santos, now 31 years old, had clinched the 400-metre gold at the 2012 World Junior Championships when he was just 18. However, the AIU's investigation exposed that Santos had utilized a passport with a manipulated birthdate, claiming to be born on November 12, 1993, when, in reality, his birthdate is November 12, 1992. Consequently, Santos was ineligible to participate in the 2012 World Juniors, as per the competition rules requiring junior athletes to be either 18 or 19 years old on December 31 of the competition year.
The AIU, in a statement, clarified the gravity of the violation, stating, "Thus, he was ineligible to participate in the World Juniors 2012." The age-manipulation incident tarnished Santos's victory at the championship, leading to the unprecedented decision to strip him of the gold medal.
Santos, a two-time Youth Olympic champion, had furthered his career by claiming a silver medal in the 400m event at the 2012 London Olympics. However, Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU, emphasized that unlike doping violations, age-manipulation sanctions do not warrant the annulment of Olympic results. Clothier explained, "There is no basis on which to annul his Olympic result as that was not an age-group event and no violation was committed there."
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