Newly crowned NCAA champion Rivaldo Marshall has thrown his name into a growing pool of promising athletes in the 800m for Jamaica.
The 22-year-old University of Iowa Junior produced 1:46.96 to take gold at the NCAA Indoor Championships held in Boston from March 7-9.
Another member of that pool of promising Jamaican 800m runners, Clemson Senior Tarees Rhoden, ran 1:47.79 for fifth while Vincentian Penn State Sophomore Handal Roban ran 1:48.16 to finish seventh.
“I’m excited. Been working hard these past few weeks and my coach told me just come out here and do my thing,” Marshall said in a post-race interview.
Marshall entered the final lap of the final in second and produced an excellent display of both speed and strength to outlast his opponents and take the title.
“I told myself that once it’s the last lap, no one’s beating me. I train to go as hard as possible in the last lap,” he said.
His winning time was just outside his personal best 1:46.86 done to win at the Tyson Invitational on February 10.
Two weeks later, Marshall had a disappointing showing at the Big 10 Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio, running 1:49.32 for fifth.
He said that performance was motivation for him.
“At the Big10 meet, I didn’t run that well and I used that as motivation to work hard these past few weeks,” he said.
This wasn’t the first taste of success on the collegiate circuit for the former Calabar High star.
Before transferring to the University of Iowa ahead of this season, Marshall previously competed for Indian Hills Community College where he won gold at the 2022 NJCAA Outdoor Championships with 1:50.82.
That same year, Marshall took silver at the NJCAA Indoor Championships with 1:51.30. A year later, he took bronze in 1:48.10.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
2024 NCAA Indoor 800m champion Rivaldo Marshall transfers to University of Arkansas
2024 NCAA Indoor 800m champion Rivaldo Marshall will be rocking new colors when fans see him competing on the NCAA circuit this upcoming season.
The 22-year-old former Calabar High standout has swapped Iowa City for Fayetteville after transferring to the University of Arkansas from the University of Iowa where he spent his Junior season.
Prior to transferring to Iowa last year, Marshall went to Indian Hills Community College where he enjoyed a lot of success on the NJCAA circuit.
He won the 2022 NJCAA Outdoor 800m title before winning the NJCAA Indoor 800m title a year later.
Marshall was also a seven-time NJCAA All-American.
He has personal bests of 1:45.86 outdoors and 1:46.86 indoors. Both those times were achieved in 2024.
Jamaica's Women advance in 4x100m relay amid the carnage for Caribbean athletes in Paris
Day 8 of Track and Field at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a day of mixed emotions for Caribbean athletes, highlighted by a standout performance from Jamaica's women in the 4x100m relay. As the morning session unfolded, the Jamaican quartet delivered a strong run to secure their place in the finals, a beacon of hope on an otherwise challenging day for the region.
The Jamaican team, comprised of Alana Reid, Kemba Nelson, Shashalee Forbes, and Tia Clayton finished third in their heat with a season-best time of 42.35 seconds, which placed them sixth overall and earned them a coveted spot in the finals.
In stark contrast, Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s relay team faced disappointment. Despite their best efforts, they finished eighth in their heat with a time of 43.99 seconds, which was not enough to advance to the finals. The team, consisting of Akilah Lewis, Sole Frederick, Sanaa Frederick, and Leah Bertrand, gave it their all but ultimately fell short.
The men’s 4x100m relay saw similar heartbreak for Jamaica. The team, made up of Ackeem Blake, Jelani Walker, Jehlani Gordon, and Kishane Thompson, ran a season-best time of 38.45 seconds but finished fourth in their heat and 11th overall, failing to make it to the finals. It was a bitter pill to swallow as they had high hopes for a strong finish.
Elsewhere, the Caribbean faced tough outcomes in other events.
In the women's shot put, Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron, along with Trinidad & Tobago's Portious Warren, did not advance past the qualification round. Thomas-Dodd threw 18.12m, Cameron achieved a season-best of 18.02m, and Warren managed 17.22m. Their efforts were valiant but fell short of the 19.15m qualification standard, ending their Olympic journeys in this event.
The women's 100m hurdles also saw Caribbean athletes falling short. Emelia Chatfield of Haiti and Denisha Cartwright of the Bahamas competed fiercely but did not make it past the repechage round. Chatfield finished sixth in her heat with a time of 13.24 seconds, while Cartwright was seventh, clocking 13.45 seconds. Despite their strong performances, they were unable to advance to the semifinals.
In the men's 800m, St Vincent and the Grenadines' Handal Roban, Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson, and Dominica’s Dennick Luke all faced similar fates in the repechage round. Roban finished fourth with a time of 1:45.80, Anderson fifth in his heat with 1:46.01, and Luke set a national record of 1:46.81 but finished sixth in his heat. None of these times were sufficient to move on to the semifinals, marking the end of their Olympic campaigns in this event.
Caribbean men struggle as big guns advance in men's 800m in Paris
The morning session of Day 7 at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games saw Caribbean athletes facing a challenging start in the men's 800m preliminary round. Handel Roban, Dennick Luke, and Navasky Anderson will need to deliver improved performances in the repechage if they hope to advance to the semi-final round.
Roban of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who aims to emulate his compatriot Shafiqua Maloney's impressive fourth-place finish in the women's 800m final, ran 1:46.00 in Heat One. Despite his strong effort, Roban finished fourth, narrowly missing out on an automatic qualification spot.
Dominica's Luke struggled in Heat 4, finishing eighth with a time of 1:47.50. Luke will need to regroup and find another gear if he is to compete at the highest level.
Anderson of Jamaica also had a difficult race in Heat Five. He finished fifth with a time of 1:46.82. His performance was below expectations, and he will need to bounce back quickly to remain in contention.
Meanwhile, medal contenders Gabriel Tual, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and Djamel Sedjati showed their class by easily advancing to the semi-finals. Frenchman Tual, buoyed by the support of the home crowd, won Heat 2 with a time of 1:45.13, securing his place in the next round.
Kenya’s Wanyonyi, a favorite for the gold, demonstrated his prowess by winning Heat 3 in an impressive 1:44.64. His performance solidified his status as a top contender.
Algeria’s Sedjati cruised through Heat 4, winning with a time of 1:45.84, ensuring his spot in the semi-finals.
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