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Miller-Uibo, Taylor take NACAC Games 400m gold

The Olympic and World Champion left very little to doubt as she left the blocks and quickly covered the field by the top of the straight.

World championship bronze medalist Sada Williams of Barbados looked to battle back against Miller-Uibo down the stretch but the Bahamian had enough to pull a few metres clear by the finish line.

Miller-Uibo, who has lost just once in 8 races over the distance this season, stopped the clock in 49.40, her fourth fastest time of the season.  Williams finished second in 49.86, while Jamaica’s Stephenie-Ann Mcpherson was third in 50.36.

In the men’s equivalent, Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor recorded his fastest time over the distance this season after outbattling his opponents down the stretch to stop the clock at 44.63, only his second time below 45 seconds this season.  Another Jamaican Nathon Allen was second in 45.04 with the United States’ Bryce Deadmon third in 45.06.

Morrison lays down marker with fast new pb at Trufit Classics

The World Championships relay gold medalist gave an early warning there could be a special run on the cards, after breaking the 11-second barrier in heat 2 of the preliminary round.

In the final, Morrison clocked 10.87 to finish well clear of second-place Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas who stopped the clock at 11.02.   Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams was third in 11.19.

In the men’s equivalent, Jamaica’s Julian Forte had to settle for third spot on the back of a fast run from American quarter-miler Fred Kerley.  With the win barely within the legal limit, Kerley stopped the clock at 9.91 to claim section 1.  He finished ahead of Joshua Washington who was second in 10.01 and Forte third in 10.03.

In the women’s 400m, the fastest time of the day was clocked by Jamaica’s Janieve Russell who recorded 52.12 to claim section 1.  Her compatriot Tiffany James was the winner of section 2 in 52.67 and second fastest overall.  Jordan Lavender was third in 52.82.  In the men’s equivalent, top billing went to Jamaica’s Nathon Allen who took the event in 46.02.

MVP coach Francis taking wait-and-see approach with rumours of Thompson-Herah departure

According to reports earlier this week, the double Olympic champion had submitted a letter to the club that stated her intentions to sever ties ahead of the new season.  Later in the week, however, the athlete denied the reports suggesting that they may have arisen out of her not starting training as yet.

The athlete is, however, not back due in training as yet and Francis insists that while he is not jumping to conclusions the future remains uncertain.

“From my perspective, we start back training sometime in October, the 18th or 19th…and my philosophy, as usual, is to see who turns up,” Francis told Jamaica television station TVJ.

“What my experience tells me is that sometimes athletes, in general, especially those that come from a lower expectation level.  In other words, not much was expected from them, they are usually unable to separate themselves from people who hop on to their bandwagon,” he added.

The 29-year-old is coming off her best season to date.  Thompson-Herah successfully defended both the 100m and 200m title at the Olympics and joined with former MVP athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Briana Williams to win the 4x100m relays.  The sprinter later went on to record a blistering time just outside Florence Griffith-Joyner’s longstanding 100m record.

The MVP track club is no stranger to athletes leaving the club at the peak of their career with Fraser-Pryce and Melanie Walker also having secured moves away after years of success.

My age won't stop me' - Fraser-Pryce targets familiar spot atop medal podium for Olympics

 At 34, Fraser-Pryce will be one of the oldest women lined up to face the starter's gun, should the event eventually be staged in Tokyo later this year.  The 32nd Olympiad was initially slated to be staged last summer but was postponed due to the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The postponement of the quadrennial event has meant another year of training and preparation for some legendary athletes facing another race, the one against time.  The situation will not be an entirely new one for nine-time World champion and two-time Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce.  In 2019, at the age of 32, she became the oldest female sprinter to win a 100m world title.  In that event, by comparison, silver medalist, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith was nine years her junior.  Showing herself to be very much at the top of her game in 2020, however, despite the havoc the global pandemic wrought on the international schedule, Fraser-Pryce is clearly in the mood to defy the odds yet again.

“Yes, I’m 33, but if I can come back from having my son and be able to stand on the podium, my age is not going to stop me.  I’m still going to work hard.  I’m still going to be committed and I’m grateful for the years of experience I’ve had,” Fraser-Pryce told the BBC.

"I'm probably older than most of the women in the race but so what? I'm just focusing on getting the job done and being happy."

NACAC stunned by ANOC decision to name Canadian swimmer MacNeil best female Toyko 2020 athlete ahead of Jamaica’s Thompson-Herah

The 29-year-old Thompson-Herah became the first female sprinter in history to claim the Olympic sprint double twice after emphatic victories in the 100 and 200m metres.  In Tokyo, Thompson’s winning time of 10.61 was the second-fastest ever recorded over the event and eclipsed the 33-year-old Olympic record held by the United States’ Florence Griffith-Joyner.

Her dominant 21.53 win in the 200m, not only decimated the rest of a quality field but was also the second-fastest time in history, bettered by only Griffith Joyner's world record of 21.34, set in 1988.  Thompson-Herah went on to add a third gold medal with the Jamaica team in the women’s 4x100m relays.

The Canadian MacNeil also won three medals in Tokyo, which included a memorable victory in the women’s 100m butterfly event where she came back from seventh place at the halfway mark to eventually win gold.  The 21-year-old also claimed a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle and bronze in the 4x100m medley.

“NACAC has expressed its disappointment with the results of the Award from the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) for Best Female Athlete at the Tokyo Olympics held earlier this year,” Vincent, who is also general secretary of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Olympic Committee,” wrote in NACAC’s weekly bulletin.

"For the several NACAC member countries in attendance at the Awards Ceremony held on the evening of Sunday, 24 October, in the city of Heraklion on the Island of Crete, Greece, it came as a shock that Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson was not the eventual winner.”

Thompson-Herah who was voted as NACAC’s Female Athlete of the Year last week is among the favourites for the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award.

Nairne sets new pb, Davis finishes third at Tyson Invitational

In her first year from high school, out of Jamaica, the Texas Longhorn clocked 23.47 to finish behind LSU’s Symone Mason and Florida’s Talitha Diggs who crossed the line first in a personal best of 22.94.

Also in action was St Lucian, Julien Alfred, who also competes for the Longhorns.  Alfred finished in second place after competing in heat 6 where she crossed the line in 23.53.  The event was won by Arkansas's Jada Baylark who took top spot in 23.49.  Stacy-Ann Williams took third place in 23.66.  Jamaica’s Kemba Wilson of Oregon was also listed to compete in the heat but did not face the starter.

The fastest time of the event was clocked by Texas’s Kynnedy Flannel, who took heat 10 in a personal best 22.73, finishing behind her was Alabama’s Tamara Clarke, who was second in 22.89, a season’s best. 

In men’s action, Oregon’s Xavier Nairne, another Jamaican, clocked a personal best 21.14 to win heat 4 of the men’s 200m.  Nairne finished ahead of teammate Jacoby Mcnamara and Texas’ Caleb Hulbin.  Philip Lemonius of Arkansas also took top spot after claiming heat 1.

Nelson seemingly deletes Twitter account after being flooded with criticism

Nelson, who finished second at the country’s national trials, ran the lead-off leg for Jamaica and was part of a botched first to second leg exchange with Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.  On Sunday critical messages were posted to the @iamkemba account, which has since become unavailable.

 The athlete had also failed to keep pace with the United States’ Melissa Jefferson, who clocked an 11.35 split on the opening leg, compared to Nelson’s 11.45.  Despite blistering third and final legs from 

100m and 200m world champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, the team narrowly failed to claw back the deficit.

The result left several fans upset, with some going on to blame Nelson for the loss and expressing the opinion that they did not believe the athlete should have been selected ahead of, another young sprinter, Briana Williams.  Williams was part of the successful relay team that won gold along with Thompson-Herah, Fraser-Pryce, and Jackson at last year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.  Interestingly, however, Williams's first-leg split in the first round was identical to the time Nelson ran in the final.  Williams was, however, the only Jamaican to win a relay leg.

Never give up on yourself' - Blake credits, perseverance, coaches for fastest time in a decade - national title

On Friday, the 32-year-old announced his return to top form in grand fashion after stopping the clock at 9.86 seconds, finishing ahead of a field of mostly younger challengers.  The title was the athlete’s fifth overall but first since 2019.

More impressively, however, the time was the athlete’s fastest since 2012, a year when he ran a blistering 9.69 and the 9.76 to put him in the same conversations as legendary compatriot Usain Bolt.

 A devastating injury a year later, however, significantly derailed Blake’s career.  After failing to medal at any major Games since then and missing out on the final at last year’s Olympic Games, many doubted Blake could ever get back to top form.

“It just goes to show you that you should never give up on yourself,” Blake said following the event.

“Always believe in yourself, trust God, trust your coach and go for it,” he added.

“I’ve been working assiduously all season and it just came together.”

En route to the title, the 32-year-old got the better of 21-year-old Oblique Seville (9.88) and 20-year-old Ackeem Blake third in 9.93.

Nugent strikes 100m hurdles gold for Jamaica, Vascianna takes silver in men's event

The event itself was filled with on-track carnage as Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who was stride for stride with Nugent early on, clipped the fourth hurdle before crashing into the fifth.

The accident put off Poland’s Weronika Barcz who was also out of the race after hitting the fifth hurdle and perhaps also Slovakia’s Viktória Forster who failed to navigate the seventh obstacle.

Nugent, however, held her nerve to finish comfortably ahead of the field, stopping the clock at 12.95.  Estonia’s Anna Millend was second in 13.45 with Hungary's Anna Tóth third in 13.58.

In the men’s equivalent, Vashaun Vascianna hit the second to last hurdle but still managed to make his way onto the medal podium after finishing second behind France’s Sasha Zhoya.  The Frenchman clocked a world U-20 record 12.72 over the distance, with the Jamaican trailing behind in a personal best 13.25.  Poland’s Jakub Szymański also clocked a personal best, 13.43, to secure the bronze medal.

In the women’s 200m the Jamaicans missed out on the medal spots after Briana Lyston, who crossed the line fourth, was disqualified.  The other Jamaican in the event, Aalliyah Francis finished 7th in 23.96.  The event was won by Namibia’s Christine Mboma, in a championship record 21.84, with her compatriot Beatrice Masilingi second in 22.18, Nigeria’s Favour Ofili was third in 22.23.

Nugent takes women's 60mh silver at Big 12 Indoor Champs

In the preliminary round, it was Nugent who grabbed the headlines, after storming to an impressive 7.91 seconds, well clear of Brissett who took second in 8.06. 

In the final, however, it was Brissett who set the track on fire after finishing first in 7.89 for a new meet record.  Nugent finished second in 7.98 with Texas’ Emelia Chatfield third in 8.05.

In the women’s 60m, another Jamaican Kevona Davis was narrowly edged out for the top spot after finishing just behind Texas teammate Kynnedy Flannel.  Flannel clocked 7.25 for first place, Davis clocked the same time with the two separated by milliseconds.  Monae Nichols was third in 7.46.  In the women’s 200m the finishing order for the Texas teammates was the same, with Flannel taking top spot in 22.55 and Davis second in 22.87.  Baylor University’s Aria Minor was third in 23.03.

At the SEC Indoor Championships, there was a top spot finish for Jamaica and LSU sprint hurdler Damion Thomas, who took top spot in 7.60, a new personal best.  LSU teammate Eric Edwards JR was second in 7.67, with Arkansas Tre’Bien Gilbert third in 7.70.

Parchment declares himself in good form ahead of early season clash with McLeod

With the World Championships and Commonwealth Games on the schedule as major games this year, the Jamaicans are expected to see quite a bit of each other over the coming months.

McLeod, unfortunately, did not get the opportunity to defend his title as he missed out on making the Jamaica squad after failing to qualify from the country’s national trials and will no doubt have his eyes set on redemption later this year.

For his part, Parchment has in the meantime established himself as the country’s top performer at the event and will be looking to keep the wins coming in.

“So far I am feeling good, I think I am in good form,” Parchment told members of the media on Thursday.

“I still have a lot of work to do but I am looking forward to executing a really good race [in Birmingham] and hoping to get a really lovely time on this beautiful track.”

The race will also feature former world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi of Great Britain.”

Patience, determination key for Jamaica Sunshine Girls in historic win over Australia

The Jamaicans registered a 57-55 win in the Pool A encounter, a result that marked the first time the Sunshine Girls were registering a win over the number one ranked team at the Commonwealth Games.

The Sunshine Girls staged a furious fourth-quarter rally after trailing Australia 46-40 at the end of the third.  According to Francis, a key part of that success had to do with taking better care of the ball.

“We went back to the basics, pushed it around, looked for short and long passes, something that we are not accustomed to but we have implemented for this tournament,” Francis said.

“We decided we were going to be very patient and not make silly passes, only one silly turnover was on the side and I thought we should not have gone there because we had other players that could have taken the ball,” she added.

“At that stage in the later part of the game when we surged forward, they were determined to keep the lead because that is what we have been practicing and that is what they wanted.  They wanted this victory more than anything else.”

The team’s highest finish at the Commonwealth Games is third, which they have achieved on three separate occasions.

Points leader Fraser-Pryce will not contest Diamond League 100m final with Thompson-Herah

The two-time 100m gold medallist had qualified for the 100m final, along with reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and bronze medallist Shericka Jackson.  Since the Olympics, where Fraser-Pryce placed second, the trio has competed together in two 100m Diamond League events, in Eugene and Lausanne, with Jackson and Thompson-Herah going on to compete in a third in Paris.

At current, it is Fraser-Pryce who leads the qualifiers for the final of the 100m Diamond race with 28 points, tied with the Côte d'Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou.  Thompson-Herah is third on 23.  However, Fraser-Pryce is not listed among the participants for Zurich and it has been confirmed that she will not compete.  Jackson, on the other hand, is only registered to compete in the 200m.

Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah have pushed each other to record-breaking performances this season and have recorded the fastest and second fastest times over the distance so far.  Thompson-Herah has clocked a best of 10.54, the second-fastest all time, with Fraser-Pryce next with 10.60.

Diamond League women’s 100m final (Entrants)

 GBR - ASHER-SMITH, Dina

SUI - DEL PONTE, Ajla

SUI- KAMBUNDJI, Mujinga

GBR- NEITA, Daryll

USA- OLIVER, Javianne

CIV - TA LOU, Marie-Josée

JAM - THOMPSON-HERAH, Elaine

Polish star Swoboda looks forward to facing icon Fraser-Pryce

The duo has been booked to face off in the 100m, an event that the Jamaican has so far shown strong form in this season.  Fraser-Pryce has clocked the fastest time in the world so far this season, courtesy of a 10.67 clocking in Nairobi in May, which was equalled, in France, in June.

Swoboda, for her part, improved her personal best to 11.05 in Paris last month.

"I feel proud to have my name mentioned alongside Shelly-Ann's. She is an icon," Swoboda said.

"Each athlete dreams of achieving at least half of what Fraser-Pryce has and to stay at the top for this long,” she added.

"I hope it will be the best women's 100m race ever to take place on Polish soil. On 6 August I would like to finish as close to the legend as possible."

The two could, however, could also meet at the Oregon World Championships later this month, where Fraser-Pryce will be looking to defend her world title.

Regional athletics body NACAC calls on Russia to cease Ukraine hostilities

Earlier this week The World Athletics Council imposed sanctions against its Member Federations of Russia and Belarus as a consequence of the invasion.

As a result athletes, support personnel, and officials from Russia and Belarus will be excluded from all World Athletics Series events for the foreseeable future, with immediate effect.  Adding its voice to the chorus the Caribbean body condemned the loss of life and property.

“NACAC today issues a very strong condemnation of the recent decision by Russia to invade the country of Ukraine and starting a war that will incur significant loss of lives, the destruction of the country’s economy and leaving untold numbers without homes and places of work,” a release issued by the organization read.

“NACAC is extremely proud that the athletes of the world have let their voices join those of millions around who vehemently reject the Russian invasion and its seeming disregard for all norms of democracy and international law,” he added.

“As a member of World Athletics, NACAC has been a party to all Congress decisions to impose sanctions on Russia for the numerous infractions of the organization’s competition rules and failure to satisfy all conditions required for a return to full participation in its global events. We understand only too well the evidence of State-sponsored doping that has characterised the Russian athletics program,” it added.

“Today, NACAC acknowledges that genuine leadership requires of us the airing of our condemnation of a government that has shown a complete lack of respect for peace and international understanding, two of the most fundamental principles for which sport exists. As the world’s leading sport for individuals, the entire athletics fraternity must be unified in this condemnation and ensure that there is no room for Russia to manoeuvre in sport to achieve its government’s ugly and most despicable aggression against Ukraine. We ask the same in respect of the government of Belarus that has made clear its support for the actions undertaken by Russia in respect of Ukraine.

We agree with the athletes of the world and encourage those of our sport to continue to make their voices heard, loud enough to have the desired impact, an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine and a return to international peace.”

Retired Carter given four-year ban after positive test

The 36-year-old Carter announced his retirement from track and field in August, at that time stating that medical condition had not allowed him to train since March, and insisting he was putting his health over his career.

According to reports, Carter returned an adverse analytical finding for the substance, clomiphene, which can alter male testosterone levels.  The former athlete has insisted that the substance was in a medication prescribed by his physician while he was out of competition.

The ban was the second for the sprinter, who retrospectively tested positive from a sample, taken at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in 2016.  The substance was methylhexanamine.

 The positive test led to Jamaica being stripped of their Beijing 2008 gold in the men's 4x100 metres.  The decision was handed down by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

Richards destroys field to defend 200m title with new PB, Games record

In one of the best performances of his career, Richards ate up the track, and his opponents, to finish near five metres clear in a new personal best of 19.80.

Heading into the final, the talk surrounded a rematch between Richards and British sprinter Zharnel Hughes who finished ahead of the Trinidadian at the last edition of the Games but was disqualified for impeding him, after the athletes’ arms came together.

This time around, there could be no such complaints as the Richards blasted through the first half of the race, came off the curve first, and powered away from the field.  Hughes was second in a season-best 20.12, with Ghana’s Joseph Paul Amoah finishing third in 20.49.

With the victory, Richards became the third athlete to successfully defend the 200m title at the event, behind Jamaican Donald Quarrie and Namibia's Frankie Fredricks.  

Santa Briana – Williams spreads Christmas cheer to Paradise Acres community   

  Williams, who joined the senior ranks at the start of 2020, was joined by her management team and ‘Santa Claus’ who handed gifts to over 100 children from the community where her mother spent her childhood before migrating to the United States.

 The athlete who admitted to having had a good year, despite the negatives of the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed that the event was all about giving back.

“I have been tremendously blessed this year and I wanted to give back to a community that means so much to my family.  I wanted every child here to have a Merry Christmas,” Williams said.

The athlete’s Manager Tanya Lee confirms the event will be an annual undertaking, with future changes to its structure to be considered once the world is past the worst of the raging coronavirus pandemic.

"Things changed a little bit because of Covid restrictions, so we’re just driving through the community and handing out gifts responsibly. We will do the treat on a larger scale for next year, God’s willing. I have to big up Digicel, Grace Foods, Sagicor & Nike for their kind donations this year,” Lee said.

Seven other competitors in the race' - Fraser-Pryce not bothered by absence of Richardson at Kenya World Athletics Continental Tour

Instead, the nine-time World Champion is more intent on keeping her attention on the rest of the field that she is set to face, which will include 200m Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma of Namibia.

Ahead of the meet, a lot of attention had been placed on the possibility of another 100m match-up between the Fraser-Pryce and Richardson, no doubt a spillover from last season which feature a highly-anticipated showdown at the Eugene Diamond League meet.  Just two days ahead of the Continental Tour, however, and for the third time this season, it was discovered that Richardson had withdrawn from the meet without a public explanation being provided.

Last year, the Eugene match-up between Richardson and Fraser-Pryce had been billed as a great redemption story of sorts for the American.  The athlete had missed out on facing the Jamaica medal-winning trio of Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson at the Olympics, after being suspended for a month for marijuana usage. 

Despite the American’s presence, however, the Jamaicans finished in the same order as the Tokyo Games, where Thompson-Herah finished ahead of Fraser-Pryce and Jackson third. Richardson finished in last place.

“As far as I’m concerned there are seven other competitors in the race that I think deserve the same amount of attention and respect as me because when we each line up to compete I don’t think we are fearful of who is beside us or in the next lane.  We are just here to compete and give our best,” Fraser-Pryce told members of the media.

“So, if someone is missing from the competition it doesn’t stop me from focusing on what I’m here to do and getting the job done.”

In addition to Mboma, the 100m field will consist of the USA’s Shannon Ray, Maximilla Imali (Ken), Bassant Hemida (Egy), Rani Rosius (BEL), Patrizia Vanderweken (Lux), and Javianne Oliver (USA).

Seville misses out on podium spot as Kerley leads USA 1-2-3 sweep

Pre-race favourite Fred Kerley recovered late on to just edge out compatriot Marvin Bracey who seemed destined for gold after getting off to a brilliant start.  A third American Trayvon Brommel was just behind.  Timewise Kerley never quite lived up to the explosive promise of a 9.79 clocking in the first round, but still took the event in a respectable 9.86.  Just ahead of Bracey who clocked 9.88 for second place.  Brommel stopped the clock in an identical time.

Just behind Brommel was Seville who was fourth in 9.97.  Despite missing out on the podium the result capped off a strong season for the 21-year-old who broke 10 seconds for the first time earlier this year and clocked a personal best of 9.86 in May of this year.  Seville is coached by Glen Mills at the Racers Track Club the same place sprint legend Usain Bolt was conditioned.

Earlier the country’s 100m national champion Yohan Blake failed to make it to the final after finishing 6th in the semi-finals.