The hearts of Jamaican track fans sank on Sunday as two-time Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah appeared to suffer an injury while competing in the 100m at the New York Grand Prix. The incident has raised significant concerns, especially with Jamaica's national championships less than three weeks away.
Thompson-Herah, who had opened her season with an eighth-place finish at the recent Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in Oregon, started her race well at the Icahn Stadium. However, she ended up finishing ninth in 11.48 seconds and was visibly limping shortly afterward.
The situation took a worrying turn when Thompson-Herah was seen being carried off the track moments later, leading to fears that she might have sustained a serious injury. This comes as a significant blow to the sprint queen, who had been gearing up to defend her titles at the upcoming Jamaica National Championships set to begin on June 27 in Kingston, Jamaica.
Thompson-Herah, who spectacularly won the 100m and 200m double at the 2016 Rio Olympics and then defended those titles in Tokyo in 2021, has been aiming to achieve an unprecedented three-peat double in Paris this summer. However, the current outlook appears uncertain given the apparent severity of her injury.
As fans and fellow athletes await further updates, the hope remains that Thompson-Herah will recover swiftly and be able to compete at her best in the national championships and beyond. Her potential absence would be a significant loss not only for Jamaica but also for the global track and field community, as she remains one of the most electrifying sprinters in the sport.
Thompson-Herah's situation will undoubtedly be closely monitored in the coming days, with everyone hoping for a positive outcome that will see her back on the track, continuing her pursuit of greatness.
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.
Commonwealth champion Sada Williams to headline Barbados National Championships
Two-time World Championship bronze medalist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sada Williams headlines a star-studded list of Barbados’s top athletes set to compete at their National Track and Field Championships from June 21-23.
Williams, who trains at the MVP Track Club in Jamaica under the tutelage of Stephen Francis, is her country’s biggest medal hopeful for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games having already qualified.
The 26-year-old will contest the women’s 400m event at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex in Bridgetown.
The Bajan national record holder has, so far, had a sub-par 2024 season by her lofty standards, failing to dip below 50 seconds in all five of her 400m races.
Her season’s best 50.71 came at the Oslo Diamond League on May 30.
Williams created history at 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon by winning 400m bronze in a then-personal best and national record 49.75 seconds.
Later that year, Williams became the first woman to run under 50 seconds at the Commonwealth Games with 49.90 to capture gold. She closed out 2022 with a third-place finish at the Diamond League Final in Zurich in 49.98.
She followed up that fantastic season with another bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
Williams produced a personal best and national record 49.58 in the semi-finals before returning to run slightly slower in the final, 49.60, to claim consecutive bronze medals.
Also confirmed for the Barbados nationals are Olympians Mario Burke and Tristan Evelyn who are expected to contest the men’s and women’s 100m events respectively.
Burke, 27, has a personal best of 9.98 done back in 2019 and was an Olympian in Tokyo in 2021. In 2016, he took home 100m bronze at the World Junior Championships in Poland in 10.26. He has a season's best of 10.22 done at the Last Chance Sprint Series on June 7 in Sherman Oakes, California.
Hurdlers Tia-Adana Belle and Rasheeme Griffith are also among the big names, along with quarter miler Desean Boyce and former CARIFTA sprinters Julian Forde and Kishawna Niles.
Griffith, a senior at the University on Tennessee, established a new 400m hurdles national record of 48.79 in the heats at the SEC Championships on May 9.
CARIFTA Games gold medalist Layla Haynes and Hannah Connell as well as national javelin record holder Kayla Thorpe are also set to compete.
Tyquendo Tracey's disciplinary hearing suspended indefinitely, leaving sprinter’s future in limbo
The disciplinary hearing for Jamaican sprinter Tyquendo Tracey has been adjourned indefinitely, casting uncertainty over the two-time national champion's future in athletics. The decision came as a surprise after Tracey's attorneys had been expecting to receive a crucial statement on Monday, ahead of the scheduled June 25 hearing.
The suspension of the hearing was communicated in a letter received by Tracey's legal team on Wednesday, June 19. The letter, issued by the Chairman of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association's (JAAA) disciplinary committee, stated: "The Chairman of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association's disciplinary committee has further reviewed the complaint against him and decided that the matter be adjourned sine die."
Tracey faces charges for two breaches of the JAAA's disciplinary policy following his public criticism of the selection process for Jamaica's 4x100m relay team at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
His allegations, made in a 15-minute YouTube video in August 2023, accused Maurice Wilson, the technical director of Jamaica's delegation to the World Athletics Championships, of “bias” and “favouritism.” Tracey claimed Wilson favoured Kadrian Goldson, a sprinter from GC Foster College, where Wilson serves as principal, for the relay team despite Goldson not qualifying through the National Championships.
Tracey finished fifth in the men's 100m final at those championships, while Goldson placed seventh. According to established protocol, the top six finishers are typically selected for the relay pool. In his video, Tracey alleged a pattern of such behaviour by Wilson and labelled him "a very evil and vindictive person."
The fallout from Tracey's video was immediate and severe. He reported that after discussing the issue with reporters in Budapest, he was approached by Security Liaison Officer Steve McGregor, who informed him that his accreditation would be withdrawn and he would be asked to leave the team village.
Wilson, responding to Tracey's accusations, described them as “libellous and defamatory.” He stated, “My family is coming under attack on social media. The posts are out there. There is no way I will not have to seek redress in reference to my reputation. Track and field is a part of what I do. I’m also involved with youngsters that I mentor and try to assist so there is no way that I can allow this to just be a passing fire.”
The disciplinary hearing was initially set for over a week ago but was postponed until June 25, two days before the start of the Jamaica National Championships on June 27, where the team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be selected. With the hearing now suspended indefinitely, the situation remains unresolved, leaving Tracey's immediate athletic future in limbo.
West Indies face major blow as Brandon King suffers injury in loss to England
The West Indies' T20 World Cup campaign took a severe hit after their eight-wicket defeat to England in the Super 8s match in St Lucia on Wednesday night with the news that they could be without opener Brandon King for the remainder of the tournament. The Jamaican retired hurt due to an apparent side strain early in their innings of 180-4.
King had given the West Indies a strong start, smashing 23 runs off just 12 balls, including a massive 101-metre six off Reece Topley that flew over the midwicket boundary. However, his promising innings was abruptly halted on his 13th delivery when he attempted to drive Sam Curran through the covers and suffered a side strain, forcing him to retire hurt after medical attention.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) later confirmed the injury: "Brandon King has suffered a side strain and will not return to the field of play in this evening's match." King did not field during England's chase, with Shimron Hetmyer taking his place.
Side strains usually take several weeks to heal, making King's participation in the remaining matches of the World Cup highly unlikely with only ten days left in the tournament. West Indies captain Rovman Powell expressed concern over King's injury. "Yes, a little bit worrying but hopefully he can pull through for the next game," Powell said. "We know how important a player he is for us."
King's absence would be a significant setback for the West Indies. Despite a modest tournament so far with a top score of 34, King’s experience and leadership, having recently captained the team against South Africa, are invaluable.
The West Indies have five standby players: Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr., and Matthew Forde. Kyle Mayers, who narrowly missed the initial squad, is the frontrunner to replace King, though Fletcher's experience as a top-order batsman also makes him a strong candidate.
The team will travel to Barbados on Thursday ahead of their next Super Eight match against the USA at Kensington Oval on Friday. With their World Cup ambitions in jeopardy, the West Indies will need to quickly adapt and find a way to mitigate the loss of their dynamic opener.
As the tournament continues, the focus will be on the West Indies to see how they handle this adversity and whether Brandon King can make an unexpected return to bolster their World Cup hopes.
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