Learning from the mistakes made during the indoor season has resulted in a new personal best in the long jump for Carey McLeod this past weekend when he became the 2021 SEC Outdoor champion.
McLeod, a junior at Tennessee, jumped a personal best 8.34m for victory over the talented LSU junior Juvaughn Harrison, who jumped 8.24m for the silver medal. Bahamian Laquan Nairns, a senior at Arkansas, was third having jumped 8.04m.
The winning jump was a Bryan College-Station facility record and has McLeod as the fourth-best long jumper in Jamaican athletics history. Only 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle’s (8.69), James Beckford (8.62) and Alain Bailey (8.35m) have jumped farther.
McLeod, who had an indoor best of 8.26m, lost to Harrison at the SEC Indoor Championships in February, said he was not motivated by revenge.
“I am definitely excited that I won but I was not thinking about revenge on anyone but coming off indoors I made so many mistakes and I just told myself that I was not going to make the same mistakes,” he said.
“I know I am capable of jumping far and once I get it right I am going to fly so that’s what I had to do and everything just came together at the right time.
“It’s not every meet that you’re going to win so it was more about being patient; the jumps will come when it matters the most. Indoors wasn’t my favourite, I love outdoors more so I take outdoors way more seriously.”
Notwithstanding his relative dislike for jumping indoors, McLeod carried his good form outdoors, which he believes he will carry into the summer for the Olympics in Tokyo where he intends to be at his best.
“From indoors I was jumping well so I just brought over the same energy and just started focusing on the simple things I was doing wrong. I made more technical adjustments like my approaches and my jump,” he said.
“I still wasn’t perfect on my 8.34m so there is a lot more in the tank. The peaking season is all the way down in summer at the Olympics so I am definitely looking forward to that, so I am taking it meet by meet, putting in all the preparation needed to be among the best because the long jump is going to be the event where everyone is jumping far and I want to be jumping far too.”
Meanwhile, fellow Jamaican Damion Thomas was second in the 110m hurdles. The LSU graduate clocked 13.25 losing to Alabama's Robert Dunning, who ran a personal-best 13.15. Thomas' LSU teammate Eric Edwards Jr was third in 13.27.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Cairo double sinks Dunbeholden, as Suriname's Robinhood takes pole position
Shaquille Cairo scored a pair of goals to lead 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield winners Robinhood of Suriname to a 2-0 victory against Jamaican side Dunbeholden in Group B action of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup at Sabina Park on Thursday.
Robinhood now sit atop the group with six points after two games, while Dunbeholden have one point after three matches.
Robinhood raced out to an early 1-0 lead in the 15th when they were able to take advantage of a defensive error from Dunbeholden. The home side failed to clear their lines adequately and a deflected ball up into the air right in front of goal was headed into net by Shaquille Cairo.
Dunbeholden went right to work on finding an equalizer and Stephen Barnett looked poised to do it in the 25th, only for Robinhood goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel to make a sensational stretch save.
Odane Samuels was next to be turned away on a brilliant save by Jonathan Fonkel, this time on a shot from just a few yards out that the visiting shot-stopper somehow managed to parry to safety in the 34th.
Robinhood absorbed Dunbeholden’s punches and then landed another big blow in the 55th when a cross from Tuur Don met the charging Cairo, who fired into net for a 2-0 Robinhood lead.
The Robinhood defense took over after that, nailing things down to record the clean sheet victory.
T&T's Soca Warriors back in top 100 on FIFA World Rankings list; Reggae Boyz now at 56th
Eight-time Caribbean Cup champions Trinidad and Tobago have surged inside the top 100 on the FIFA World Rankings list for the first time in almost five years following recent wins over El Salvador and Curacao.
The Soca Warriors – in the latest list published Thursday – climbed four places up to 98th from 102, a spot they held in the last rankings in July. They were last inside the FIFA top 100 at 92nd in December 2018. Based on their world position, the twin island republic remains the fourth highest rated in Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz jumped two places up the FIFA list to 56th and remain number in CFU ahead of Haiti at 87th world ranked and Curacao (90th). Antigua and Barbuda complete the CFU’s top five at 137th.
In the only change to the CFU’s top 10, Guyana have climbed into 10th position with a three place move to 165th in the world, as Barbados – the result of Nations League losses to Montserrat and Nicaragua – slipped out of the top 10. The fell six places on the world list from 166th to 172nd.
World champions Argentina strengthened their grip at the summit of the world rankings. The Argentines, who dethroned Brazil at the top in April, defeated Ecuador and Bolivia in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers earlier this month to improve their status.
Despite losing to Germany in a friendly last week, France retained second place, followed by Brazil (third), England (fourth) and Belgium (fifth).
Shericka Jackson stuns as she collects 2022 RJR/Gleaner Honour Award for Sports
In acknowledgement of her incredible exploits on the track in 2022, Shericka Jackson, the 2023 World 200m champion, was awarded the Gleaner Honour Awards at a ceremony held at the studios of Television Jamaica on Tuesday.
Jackson, who won the 200m world title in Eugene, Oregon, last year in a then championship record of 21.45, which at the time was the second fastest time ever run by a woman over the distance, also won a silver medal in the 100m behind compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. She was also a silver medallist in the 4x100m relay.
The 29-year-old track and field superstar, who successfully defended her title in Budapest last month, was one of 11 recipients of the award that the Gleaner bestows on Jamaicans who were outstanding in their respective fields of pursuit.
Stunningly beautiful and statuesque, dressed in a black strapless sequined gown and white track shoes, Jackson collected her award in during the ceremony that was recorded Tuesday night and is to be aired on Television Jamaica later Wednesday evening.
“Thank you to the RJR/Gleaner Communications Group for acknowledging my hard work by presenting me with the RJR/Gleaner Honour Award in the field of Sports for my World Championships performance of 21.45. It was a pleasure,” she wrote on Instagram.
At the world championships in Budapest in August, Jackson smashed her own championship record when she ran 21.41 to win her second world title and capped her season by winning the 100m in 10.70 and the 200m in 21.57s at the Diamond League finals in Eugene on September 16 and 17.
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