Olympic bronze medalist, Megan Tapper, credits her background in gymnastics for instilling her with her trademark fighting spirit.
Speaking on the latest episode of On Point published on Friday on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel, Tapper says her time in gymnastics helped her develop the mindset she now has when competing on the track.
“Determination and grit are things that were ingrained in me from my days in gymnastics."
During her time as a student at St. Andrew High School, Tapper spent several years as a gymnast before she transitioned to athletics.
She said the main thing she gained from the experience was to push through any adversity, a characteristic she has often displayed in competition.
“If I learned anything, it was to push through when the road is extremely rocky; when you can’t see the end when you have no energy left. It is to just continue pushing and never ever giving up,” said Tapper, who created history when she won the bronze medal in Tokyo in the 100m hurdles. She is the first female Caribbean sprint hurdler to win an Olympic medal in the event.
The full interview can be seen on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel and on the Sportsmax app.
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.
Keely Hodgkinson sets new 800m British record at Paris Diamond League meeting
Keely Hodgkinson lowered her personal best and British record with a brilliant performance in the 800 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Paris.
Hodgkinson followed the pacemaker before striking for home 300m from the line, eventually clocking a time of one minute 55.77 seconds, taking 0.11secs off her previous best set in winning Olympic silver in Tokyo.
“I am a little bit shocked that I ran so fast,” the 21-year-old said. “Paris next year, I will definitely be back.
“The weather was really nice, so warm. I had heard good things about the track. With this full stadium and the great crowd, it was amazing. I am so happy.
“Now the aim is to stay healthy, we still have to see, I want to keep running fast. The focus is on the summer, on Budapest (the World Championships).
“What is next with such a fast time early in the season? Well, I do not know. Hopefully I will run even faster.”
Hodgkinson’s record-breaking run came just half an hour after Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen smashed the two-mile world record by more than four seconds.
Ingebrigtsen left the field trailing in his wake as he recorded a time of seven minutes, 54.10 seconds.
The previous mark was set by Daniel Komen in 1997, three years before Olympic 1,500 metre champion Ingebrigtsen was born.
Records continued to tumble as Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon set a new world’s best for the 5,000m, just a week after doing the same in the 1,500m in Florence.
Kipyegon produced a blistering last lap to pull away from Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey and clock a time of 14:05.20, taking almost a second and a half off Gidey’s previous mark.
The ideal conditions helped produce another world record in the penultimate event of the evening, Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma taking more than a second off the previous mark with a time of 7:52.11 in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase.
Daniel Cope, Lashana Graham among Jamaica's 19-member field-events heavy team to 2023 CAC Games
Jamaica will send a 19-member field-events heavy team to the 2023 CAC Games to be held in San Salvador from June 23 to July 8.
Orville Byfield has been appointed head coach and will have Dwayne Jarrett, Michael Vassell and Grace Bourah as his support staff that will marshal the squad that mainly features US-based collegiate field-event athletes.
The 13-member men’s team includes, hammer thrower Daniel Cope, long jumper Jordan Turner, triple jumpers O’Brien Wasome and Owayne Owens as well as high jumper Raymond Richards and javelin thrower Elvis Graham.
Giano Roberts and Odario Phillips will compete in the 110m Hurdles while Jevaughn White is the lone representative in the 100m. Rajay Hamilton and Tarees Rhoden are down to contest the 800m and Troy White is set to take on the 400m hurdles. Zidane Brown will participate in the 400m.
Among the women, Adrienne Adams and Marie Forbes will contest the discus throw while Danielle Sloley competes in the Shot Put.
Erica Belvit and Forbes will contest the Hammer Throw.
Lashanna Graham has double duty in the 400m and 400m hurdles while Yanique Dayle will challenge for medals in the 100m and 200m.
The delegation is also comprised of a support team that includes team manager Brian Smith, assistant manager Marva Samuels, physiotherapists Dionne Bennett, Kamla Forbes and Rockecia Wynter.
Paulino holds off McLaughlin-Levrone to win 400m at Paris Diamond League; Kipyegon breaks 5000m WR a week after setting 1500m mark
Olympic and World Championship silver-medalist, Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, continued her unbeaten start to the 2023 season by outdueling American 400m hurdles world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, to win the 400m at the Paris Diamond League on Friday.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the reigning Olympic and World Champion and in the 400m hurdles, ran extremely aggressively in the first 300m before Paulino used her experience in the flat 400m to reel her in and cross the line first in 49.12. The American ran a personal best 49.71 for second while 2019 World Champion Salwa Eid Naser ran 49.95 for third.
Elsewhere on the track, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, who set a spectacular 1500m world record in Florence last week, was at it again, running 14:05.20 to set a new world record in the 5000m. Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, the previous world record holder, was second in 14:07.94 while her countrywomen Ejgayehu Taye was third in 14:13.31.
Commonwealth Champion, Kyron McMaster, ran a season’s best for fifth in the 400m hurdles.
The BVI native, who fell at the LA Grand Prix on May 27, ran 48.65. The race was won by American CJ Allen in 47.92 ahead of France’s Wilfried Happio (48.26) and World Championship bronze medalist Trevor Bassitt (48.28).
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule ran a season’s best 1:58.23 for third in the Women’s 800m. Keely Hodgkinson took the race in a new personal best, British record and world leading 1:55.77 while American Ajee Wilson was second in 1:58.16.
2011 World 100m champion, Yohan Blake, ran 10.16 for fourth in the Men’s 100m behind reigning 200m World Champion, Noah Lyles (9.96), Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (9.98) and Botswanan World Junior record holder Letsile Tebogo (10.05).
In the field, Jamaican 2019 World Championship silver medalist Danniel Thomas-Dodd threw 19.25m for fourth in the Women’s shot put behind Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo (19.72m) and Americans Chase Ealey (19.43m) and Maggie Ewen (19.26m).
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