NCAA Track&Field

Kemba Nelson recaps 'incredible season' after 10.90s 100m run at NCAA Championships Saturday

By June 14, 2021
Kemba Nelson Kemba Nelson University of Oregon

Kemba Nelson has characterized her first season competing on the American collegiate circuit as ‘incredible’ after her fourth-place finish in the 100m at the NCAA Division I Outdoor season that concluded in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.

Nelson, who turned 21, in February, spent her first two years of college at the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica, before making the move to the University of Oregon last December.

After a solid indoor season during which she was crowned national 60m champion, Nelson capped off her year with a 10.90s run that saw her finish behind Cambrea Sturgis 10.74, Twanisha Terry 10.79 and Tamara Clarke 10.88. The trailing wind was 2.2m/s but Nelson had run a wind-legal 10.98 in the preliminary rounds the week before.

One would have thought that finishing out of the top three would have been a disappointment for the young Jamaican, especially after she was involved in a mishap that ended up with a dropped baton in the 4x100m relay.

However, for Nelson, when one considers what she endured before ending up at Oregon, the just-concluded season was not such a bad one after all.

“A year ago, I left NACAC with a messed up Achilles and Pan Am in a wheelchair with a Grade 2 hamstring tear. Six months later, I strained my other hamstring and so I decided to leave my previous camp four months after this incident,” she said in her posts on social media on Sunday.

“Fast forward six months into my collegiate career. I broke the Indoor Collegiate Record, Meet Record, School Record, 5th Jamaican all-time over 60m, rank 2nd in the world over 60m. Outdoor season with dipping 4 times under 11 seconds. 4th fastest collegiate over 100m in the NCAA. And oh yeah, I’m all-American. Incredible season!”

Nelson will now rest up before flying to Jamaica to see if her year can get even better by earning a spot on Jamaica’s team to the Tokyo, Olympics in July.

Tags
« Personal bests for Lamara Distin, Roje Stona, as Jamaicans experience mixed fortunes at NCAA Championships Following 1.90m PB at NCAA championships, Lamara Distin targets Olympic standard 1.96m at Jamaican trials »
Leighton Levy

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.

Latest from Leighton Levy

Related items

  • Camacho-Quinn, Peters crowned champions as Caribbean athletes end Diamond League finals on high Camacho-Quinn, Peters crowned champions as Caribbean athletes end Diamond League finals on high

    Grenada’s javelin thrower Anderson Peters and Puerto Rico’s sprint hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn were on song in their respective events, as they brought the curtains down on the season in champion fashion on day two of the Diamond League finals in Brussels on Saturday.

    While Peters and Camacho-Quinn logged the only victories, it was another positive day all-round for Caribbean athletes, as Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon, Ackera Nugent, and Rajindra Campbell, as well as the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando, all secured podium finishes to also end their seasons on a high.

    Camacho-Quinn, the Paris Olympic Games bronze medallist, left rivals in her wake to win the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.38s. Dutchwoman Nadine Fisherman (12.54s) and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent (12.55s) secured the other podium spots. Another Jamaican, Danielle Williams (12.62s), was fifth.

    Peters, also a bronze medallist from the Paris Olympics, again demonstrated his rich vein of form with an opening throw of 87.87m that was not to be beaten. India’s Neeraj Chopra (87.86m) kept things interesting but had to settle for second, while Germany’s Julian Weber (85.97m) was third.

    For Salmon (53.99s), a well-paced race proved rewarding as she stayed on for third in the Women’s 400m hurdles, even after stumbling over the final obstacle. The event was won by Dutchwoman Femke Bol (52.45s), who secured a third consecutive Diamond League title, while American Anna Cockrell was second in 53.71s.

    The other Jamaicans, Janieve Russell (55.94s) and Andrenette Knight (56.70s), were seventh and eighth, respectively.

    Brazil’s Alison dos Santos reigned supreme in the men’s 400m hurdles, as he outclassed the field to win in 47.93s. Qatar’s Abderrahman (48.20s) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.26s) were second and third, respectively.

    Jamaican duo Roshawn Clarke (49.08s) and Malik James-King (49.37s) were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the men’s 400m hurdles.

    Meanwhile, Ogando (19.97s) placed third in the men’s 200m, which was won by American Kenneth Bednarek in a brisk 19.67s. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (19.80s) was well-beaten into second.

    Earlier, Campbell took bronze in the men’s shot put with a best throw of 21.95m. The event was won in fine style by Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri, who threw a meet record of 22.98m. American Ryan Crouser (22.79m) was second.

    Elsewhere in the field, Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford struggled for rhythm in the men’s high jump and had to settle for fourth at 2.22m. Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi finished tops at 2.34m, with Ukraine’s Oleg Doroshchuk (2.31m) and South Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok (2.225m) taking second and third, respectively.

  • David, King demand more from Soca Warriors in October window as League A survival on the line David, King demand more from Soca Warriors in October window as League A survival on the line

    Trinidad and Tobago’s interim head coach Derek King and captain Aubrey David were left ruing the Soca Warriors’s sub-par performances in the September window, which has their Concacaf Nations League, League A survival in the balance.

    The Soca Warriors, who lost their opening contest 0-4 away to Honduras, were heavily favoured to take three points off French Guiana in the following encounter at home, but they were instead held to a goalless stalemate.

    This was much to the disappointment of King, David, and the many spectators that flocked the Dwight Yorke Stadium, as that result left the Twin Island Republic sitting at the foot of Group B on a point. Jamaica (four points), Nicaragua (four points), Honduras (three points), Cuba (two points), and French Guiana (one point) complete the group.

    The Soca Warriors now face a must-win scenario in their next two fixtures against Cuba on October 10 and 14 to have a slim chance at making the top two for a quarterfinal berth, but more importantly to avoid relegation to League B.

    Having made the quarterfinal in the previous edition of the Concacaf Nations League, David believes there is a need for individual and collective introspection as they need to raise the standard of their game.

    "It was a sad result for us. It's a draw, but it feels like a loss for us because three points would have put us in a good position in the group once again. Unfortunately, we didn't get going. We need to reset again because we have two important games coming up,” David said as he reflected on the outcome of their contest against French Guiana.

    "I think we as a team have to look at ourselves in the mirror and go back to the drawing board and look at the things that brought us success in the last campaign. I think we need to be humble and have that hunger to get good results,” he added.

    Alvin Jones echoed similar sentiments.

    "I think each and everyone has to look in the mirror and decide what they want—whether we want to play big football or we just want to compete. I think we have a lot of work to do mentally and physically. Each and every player,” he noted.

    Meanwhile, King, who was appointed ahead of the tournament following the dismissal of Angus Eve, felt his team could have done more to secure the three points against French Guiana.