Paris

The 19-year-old phenom entered last year’s World Championships as one of the best jumpers on the planet at the young age of 18 thanks to his World Under-20 record 17.87m he did to win the SEC Outdoor title in Baton Rouge last May.

At the time of those World Championships, the former Kingston College standout had also produced jumps of 17.56m, 17.68m and 17.66m, making him one of the favorites for the gold medal.

In the preliminary round of the triple jump in Budapest on August 19, Hibbert produced the furthest jump in qualifying with 17.70m to book a spot in the final scheduled for two days later.

Unfortunately, during his first attempt, Hibbert stopped in his approach to the board with some discomfort in his hamstring.

He was unable to attempt another jump and ended the final with no mark. He didn’t jump again that season.

Now, one year later, Hibbert will get another opportunity to go toe-to-toe on the big stage with some of the best in the world at the Paris Olympics.

“I’m just really excited and pumped up especially after last year in Budapest,” Hibbert told Nationwide 90FM on Friday, noting that his injury in Budapest made him depressed and sad for some time.

“I have to forget what happened in Budapest because it literally broke me for months,” he said.

“I was depressed and so sad but I had to get over it. Thank God for the confidence I have now and for the lessons that I’m learning now in the sport and it just makes me more hungry to give out my best,” he added.

Going into these Olympics, Hibbert’s season’s best of 17.75m dome at the Racers Grand Prix on June 1 puts him third in the world this season behind Spain’s Jordan Diaz and Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo.

Diaz and Pichardo put on one of the most thrilling triple jump duels ever at the European Championships in Rome in June.

Both men went over 18m with Diaz winning gold with 18.18m, the third longest jump of all time, and Pichardo jumping 18.04m in second.

If Hibbert wants to medal, there is a good chance he’ll have to at least surpass James Beckford’s national record of 17.92m done back in 1995.

“Right now, I’m even more focused to go out there and give it my best. There may be uncertainties here and there but the biggest thing is to just trust what God has for you,” Hibbert said.

Men’s triple jump qualification at the Olympics gets underway on Wednesday, August 7.

Thompson, 23, is currently the world leader in the event after running a personal best 9.77 to win the 100m title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston in June.

The MVP Track Club-trained sprinter also produced times of 9.82 and 9.84 in the heats and semi-finals, respectively, at those national championships and, most recently, ran 9.91 shutting down to win at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary on July 9.

“Thompson is the favourite,” Boldon said in an interview with LetsRundotcom on YouTube on Friday.

“I know Noah (Lyles) is the World champion. I think Noah made it a little bit more interesting by running that 9.81 into a headwind which kind of almost converts to a 9.77 but there’s no way you can look at the way in which Thompson ran that 9.77 and just go ‘Oh Noah will beat him.’ Noah has his hands full with that guy,” Boldon said.

Blazing speed acknowledged, one thing that Thompson lacks that his other competitors don’t is experience competing at the highest level of the sport with this being his first time representing Jamaica at any level.

If there is anything to prevent Thompson from delivering on the form that he’s shown so far this season, Boldon believes that would be this lack of experience on a stage like the Olympic Games compared to his peers.

“There are things which I see people completely ignoring. Kishane Thompson has not been under the microscope of Olympic favourite. Rounds are a great equalizer. Noah has the medals that he does because of how well he runs rounds. Is Noah suddenly a lock for the silver? No but he does have his hands full,” he said.

“There are others who are going to be in the 100m that are used to the pressure and pressure is a big thing. If he’s able to pull this off, you write books about stuff like that,” he added.

 Thompson's quest for Olympic glory will begin in the heats of the men's 100m beginning on Saturday' August 3.

In recent weeks, the Wanda Diamond League has been forced to suspend a number of its early-season meetings as a result of health and logistical concerns brought about by the global coronavirus crisis.

Today the series announced the postponement of further meetings in Eugene, scheduled for 7 June, and Paris, June 13.

As with previous suspensions, this decision was reached in close consultation with all relevant parties and based on concerns over athlete safety as well as widespread travel restrictions which make it impossible to stage the competitions as planned.

Meanwhile, the Bislett Games also announced plans to host an alternative athletics competition, an exhibition event dubbed 'The Impossible Games', on June 11, the original date of this year’s Oslo Diamond League meeting.

The concept will see a number of world-class athletes take part in a one-off showpiece event in full observation of Norway’s coronavirus regulations and social distancing rules.

The programme is currently set to include a world record attempt from Norwegian hurdles star Karsten Warholm and a long-distance pole vault battle between world record holder Mondo Duplantis and record Diamond League Champion Renaud Lavillenie.

Organisers were nonetheless keen to stress that the full programme is yet to be confirmed and subject to changes.

The hour-long event will be shown live by Norway’s public broadcaster NRK and will be partly financed by the Norwegian National Athletics Association and World Athletics.

“This is really positive news for athletes and fans and promises, even in this early stage, to be another great night of athletics from the Bislett stadium. Congratulations to the Oslo Bislett Games for dreaming this up and following it through, working within the pandemic guidelines set out in Norway,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

“We are delighted to support the event by releasing the funds World Athletics makes to each Diamond League event but with one caveat, which is that the entire amount we are contributing goes to prize money for the athletes competing.”

Oslo meeting director and Bislett Alliance CEO Steinar Hoen said the athletes were “hungry for competitions”.

“We want to give them a high-class event. We have had a very positive dialogue with both the municipality of Oslo and the infection prevention superior in Oslo, and have confirmed a concept that is well within the government's infection control requirements,” he added.

McCoy, running out of lane nine, produced an excellent last 50m to finish second in heat two in 20.35 behind Uganda’s Tarsis Orogot who won in a comfortable 20.32.

Brazil’s Renan Correa ran 20.41 to secure the third automatic spot relegating Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson, who ran 20.53 for fourth, to Tuesday’s repechage round.

Ogando was the third fastest qualifier to the semis after running 20.04 to finish second in heat four behind American Kenny Bednarek who’s winning time of 19.96 was the fastest in the heats. Germany’s Joshua Hartmann took the third automatic spot in that race with 20.30.

Jamaica’s Bryan Levell and Bahamian Ian Kerr will both have to come back to tomorrow’s repechage round if they are to make it to the semifinals after fourth and fifth place finishes in their respective heats.

Levell ran 20.47 to finish fourth in heat six behind 100m champion Noah Lyles (20.19), defending Olympic champion Andre De Grasse (20.30) and Japan’s Towa Uzawa (20.33).

Kerr ran 20.53 for fifth in heat five won by American Erriyon Knighton in 19.99. Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu ran 20.07 for second while South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi ran 20.20 for third.

Medal contenders Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (20.10) and Joseph Fahnbulleh of Liberia (20.20) both advanced as heat winners.

The 31-year-old Scot won the Games test event in the French capital last month and a top-three finish at the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Spain on Sunday would see her meet the selection criteria for the British team.

Whether she qualifies this weekend or not, there seems little doubt Potter will be part of the British line-up next summer, joining a notable list of athletes who have competed at the Olympics in two different sports.

It was after using her summer holidays from her day job as a physics teacher to race in the 10,000 metres in Rio in 2016 that Potter decided to throw her eggs in the triathlon basket.

“I think I probably had doubts until last year,” she told the PA news agency.

“It’s been really hard. I think those around me, the guys I train with, my boyfriend and my mum and dad, will know how hard it’s been. Even that first year I was in Leeds I probably spent every day pretty upset and wondering whether I’d made the right choice. I think I probably cried every day.”

Potter used family motivation to keep her going, saying: “I always did know it was never going to happen overnight, these things never do, it always takes four or five years.

“It was in line with my sister finishing her medical degree in Sheffield. I gave myself until then, if I’m not making a living out of it by then or things are just not going how I thought they would then I’ll probably just quit and go back to the day job. Luckily I beat her to that. She’s just finished her training.”

Potter grew up doing swimming alongside her athletics but she was a cycling novice when she made the transition to triathlon aged 25.

“It’s not as easy to pick up skills like that as an adult because you have the fear, you know what’s going to happen if you come off,” she said. “It’s not like a kid where you just bounce off the ground. You know you’re going to hurt yourself.

“There was just a lot of doubt. I found that quite hard, constantly trying to believe in myself and constantly be like, it is going to work, I’m just not quite there yet. Getting to grips with a completely different sport.

“It was a very steep learning curve. Getting thrown into the world series and drowning, basically, way out of my depth. There was one way that I could race. If I had an easy swim and an easy bike then that would be fine.

“The way racing has been the last couple of years it’s not been ideal for me but now I’ve got my bike and my swim up to those levels, I’m trying to turn myself into an all-round athlete that can win from any position.

“It’s been quite good this year how I’ve managed to win and get on the podium in different events and in different race scenarios.”

Potter has put together a brilliant 2023 campaign, winning world series races in Abu Dhabi and Montreal and then getting the better of big French rival Cassandre Beaugrand in a head-to-head finish at the test event.

A repeat in Pontevedra would see the winner crowned world champion, although Potter’s main target remains booking her spot in Paris.

“My goal at the start of the season was to qualify for the Olympics,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting to be in the running for the world title. I knew I could be up there but I didn’t expect it to come down to the wire.

“It’s a bit of a chicken and egg where I think if I just focus on doing the little things right, I’ll probably get the Olympic qualification and finish wherever on the podium.”

Olympic silver medallist Alex Yee is in the running for the men’s title having also won the test event, and the British team look well positioned to continue their brilliant run of success in the sport next summer.

Potter is currently the leading woman in the absence of the injured Georgia Taylor-Brown, individual silver medallist in Tokyo, and her gold medal-winning mixed relay team-mate Jess Learmonth, who recently gave birth to her first child.

Potter praised the coaches in Leeds who have kept the faith through the last six years that her move to triathlon would pay off.

“They’ve stuck by me through thick and thin so I owe it to them because they believed when I was nothing,” she said. “They can see a reward now hopefully. It was a bit bonkers to do it but I definitely think it’s been the right decision.”

Greene, 17, was the first of the trio to compete, producing a time of 27.23 to finish third in heat number five.

The 20-year-old Lyn and 18-year-old Gibbs both lined up in the seventh heat and finished fifth and sixth with times of 26.08 and 26.27, respectively.

Lyn was the highest placed of the three in the overall standings after the heats in 29^th while Gibbs and Greene came in at 31^st and 42^nd, respectively.

Only the top 16 swimmers advanced to the semifinals.

Wiley secured a move to Stamford Bridge from Atlanta United for a reported £8.5million ($11m) on Monday.

But before linking up with his new team, Wiley will play for his country as the Stars and Stripes aim to claim gold at the Paris Games.

The USA are playing at the Olympics for the first time since 2008, and open their account against France in Marseille on Wednesday, and the aim for Wiley is clear.

The left-back told the Associated Press: "A medal. That's what we're going to fight for, and I have full belief that we're going to do it."

Wiley has been overwhelmed with congratulatory messages after his transfer to one of the giants of English football, but he has credited the Olympics with helping him take his mind off one of the biggest moments of his career so far.

He said: "I think for me the most important moment was staying present. It's been an ongoing thing for a while now, for a few months.

"Just knowing where I was, staying focused with Atlanta at that time and then now with the Olympics has helped me kind of just be in the moment.

"I think it's important to enjoy it first. You know this doesn't happen to many kids and so I think you need to embrace the feeling."

The 19-year-old registered six goals and seven assists in 77 MLS matches across two and a half seasons with Atlanta.

The USA, along with Thierry Henry's France, have also been grouped with Guinea and New Zealand in Group A.

And coach Marko Mitrovic is embracing the enormity of facing the hosts in their first match after a 16-year absence, but stressed the result against Les Bleus will not define his team's tournament.

He said: "We are very grateful to play that game. It's going to stay forever for us, but it's only one of three games that we have in the group stage and the points of the game count the same as in the other games."

Fraser-Pryce ran her second sub 10.7 clocking this season, equalling her own world-leading 10.67 for victory ahead of Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.99) and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou (11.01).

The eight-time Olympic and nine-time World Championship medallist previously ran 10.67 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya on May 7.

Bahamian Olympic 400m Champions Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo both also showed good form to secure 400m victories.

Gardiner, who is also the defending World Champion, produced a typically easy display of running to win in a season’s best 44.21, ahead of the Dominican Republic’s Lidio Andres Feliz (44.92) and South Africa’s Zakhiti Nene (44.99).

Miller-Uibo, on the other hand, went out extremely hard in the first three quarters of her race before shutting down with about 50 metres to go, to win in 50.10 ahead of Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek (50.24) and Anna Kielbasinska (50.28).

Bahamian Devynne Charlton ran a season’s best 12.63 to finish second in the 100m hurdles behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who did a personal best and African record 12.41 for victory. Great Britain’s Cindy Sember ran 12.73 for third.

Cuba’s Jordan Diaz Fortun (17.66m) and Andy Diaz (17.65) were the top two finishers in the triple jump ahead of Olympic Champion Pedro Pichardo of Portugal (17.49m).

Video circulating on social media showed both Fraser-Pryce and Richardson waiting outside the gate to enter the facility as security officials denied them entry.

Both athletes reportedly arrived to the venue in private vehicles rather than the team shuttle provided by the organizers and were told they would have to get into the venue another way.

A second video showed Fraser-Pryce trying to make sense of the situation.

“She said they changed the rule yesterday. How can you change the rule and then not say? So, they’re asking all the athletes who, for whatever reason, don’t stay in the village, they can’t come through the gate?” Fraser-Pryce said.

“We came through this gate yesterday and went through security and were okay. The man said we have to go all the way up where everybody else is entering to come back down here. That’s crazy,” she added.

Fraser-Pryce and Richardson are expected to battle for gold in the 100m.

The semifinals are set to start at 12:50pm Jamaica Time (1:50pm EST) with the final scheduled for 2:20pm (3:20pm EST).

The former University of Arkansas star and current NCAA Indoor, Outdoor and World junior record holder produced a best jump of 17.61m to finish just outside of the medals in Paris at the Stade de France on Friday.

Illustrating how close Hibbert was to a medal, Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez took bronze with 17.64m.

After qualifying sixth overall on Thursday, Hibbert opened Friday’s final with a 17.31m jump before going out to 17.61m in the second round.

He then jumped 17.53m in round three before fouls in rounds four and five and then passing on his sixth and final attempt.

“It was a good experience. Firstly, I have to thank God for what he has done,” Hibbert told Jamaican media after his final.

The former Kingston College standout competed in both qualifying and the final with a brace on his left knee, signaling that he was not 100% going into these championships.

“I almost boycotted the Olympics and I’m here standing on fourth place. I don’t know how many 19-year-olds can say they came fourth at the Olympics,” he said.

Hibbert said he felt even more pain during one of his attempts, at which point he decided to just prioritize the future rather than potentially doing even more damage.

“I got a hard fall on one of the jumps and I felt something so I kind of stopped competing right there,” he said.

“My coach was trying to convince me to go back but I told him ‘coach, I’m 19 and have a lot more years to come so I don’t want to risk injury,’” he added.

As for what’s next for Hibbert, he says his focus right now is rest and recovery.

“For now, I’m grateful for the fourth-place finish and it’s just road to recovery after this. I’m going to rest and re-evaluate a lot of stuff. I’ll be good,” he said.

The 19-year-old, in his first Olympic Games, produced a best jump of 16.99m to advance sixth overall in qualifying at the Stade de France on Wednesday.

That 16.99m came in his first-round jump. He then did 16.95m in round two before closing out his qualifying campaign with a foul in the third round.

The other Jamaican in the field, Jordan Scott, had a best jump of 16.36m to finish 24^th overall in qualifying.

Medal contenders Pedro Pichardo, Jordan Diaz Fortuin and Hugues Fabrice Zango all successfully made it through to Friday’s final.

As a result of the application, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) has once again been given a deadline to respond.

In accordance with Article 15 lit b. of the CAS Ad Hoc rules, the JAAA, as the Respondent, has until Friday, July 19, at 6:00pm Paris time (11:00am Jamaica time) to file a reply to Clunis’ application.

World Athletics, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and the International Olympic Committee were also listed as “Interested Parties” in the issue.

“Within the same timeline, the interested Parties are entitled to file a written submission if they wish to do so. Upon receipt of the written submissions of the Respondent and interested Parties, the panel will decide shortly after whether to hold a hearing,” the CAS Ad Hoc rules stated.

It is unclear what the outcome would be if the JAAA or the Interested Parties fail to respond.

Prior to filing the application, Clunis’ representatives, Sayeed Bernard and Emir Crowne, wrote to the JAAA and the JOA on Wednesday seeking an update about Clunis’ Olympic team status by 5:00pm, but their deadline was not met.

The issue stems from the fact that Clunis, who achieved a National Record of 71.83 metres in May, to be ranked in the top 32 in the world this year, was initially named to the JAAA’s athletics team for the Paris Olympics.

However, the 28-year-old’s dream of competing on the world’s biggest stage is now hanging in the balance due to a blunder from the JAAA, as her name was later omitted from the JAAA’s official list submitted to World Athletics.

“Following the Jamaican Olympic Trials, I was elated to receive notification of my official selection to Team Jamaica. Unfortunately, I have since found myself in a difficult position. Due to an omission made by the Jamaican Athletics Administration Association, my name was not officially submitted to World Athletics. As such, I do not have a position in the Olympic Games,” Clunis shared in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

CAS’s Ad Hoc Division deals with the arbitration of disputes that arise regarding major sporting events and usually decides within 48 hours.

Jamaica’s quartet of Alana Reid, Kemba Nelson, Shashalee Forbes and Tia Clayton produced a season’s best 42.29 fifth in the final at the Paris Olympics at the Stade de France on Friday.

The American quartet of Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry, Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson combined to run 41.78 for gold ahead of Great Britain (Dina Asher-Smith, Imani Lansiquot, Amy Hunt) who ran 41.85.

Germany ran 41.97 in third while France were fourth in 42.23.

Broadbell recovered from a shaky start to power through the field on the way to be shoulder-to-shoulder with American Daniel Roberts heading into the final hurdle.

Roberts, who miraculously stayed on his feet after clipping a series of hurdles in the middle of his race, held his nerve to produce a dive across the line to just hold off Broadbell and take the silver medal.

Both Roberts and Broadbell were credited with the same time (13.09) with Roberts finishing three thousandths of a second ahead (13.085 to 13.088).

American reigning two-time World champion Grant Holloway ran 12.99 to claim his first Olympic title and continue his dominance on the event.

Spain’s Enrique Llopis ran 13.20 in fourth while Japan’s Rachid Muratake ran 13.21 in fifth. American Freddie Crittenden ran 13.32 in sixth while Jamaica Orlando Bennett and defending Olympic champion Hansle Parchment were seventh and eighth with 13.34 and 13.39, respectively.

The 24-year-old, who was one of Jamaica’s flag bearers at the Olympics opening ceremony on July 26, produced 54.66 for fifth in the first of five heats.

With the 16 fastest swimmers advancing to the semifinals, Kirlew’s time was only good enough for 36^th overall.

Campbell, competing in the first qualifying group, produced only one legal throw measuring 21.05m which was good enough 10^th overall in qualifying among the two groups.

The 28-year-old has a season’s best 22.16m done at the Madrid World Continental Indoor tour meet in February.

Campbell is also currently Jamaica’s national record holder with his 22.22m done in Madrid in 2023.

Italian Leonardo Fabri led all qualifiers to the final in Paris with 21.76 with Czechia's Tomas Stanek (21.61m), Americans Payton Otterdahl (21.52m), World record holder Ryan Crouser (21.49m) and New Zealand's Tom Walsh (21.48m) and Jacko Gill (21.35m) rounding out the top six.

Also joining Campbell in the final will be USA's Joe Kovacs (21.24m), Mexico's Uziel Munoz (21.22m), Nigeria's Cornnell Enekwechi (21.13m), Italy's Zane Weir (21.00m) and Norway's Marcus Thomsen (20.81m).

The 22-year-old had a first-time clearance at 2.17m before clearing 2.22m on his second attempt.

He then exited the competition after three failures at his season’s and personal best height of 2.27m.

New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr took gold over the USA’s Shelby McEwen after a jump-off.

Both men had identical cards after successful first-time clearances at 2.36m, an Oceania record for Kerr and personal best for McEwen, and three failures at 2.38m.

In the subsequent jump-off, both men failed at 2.38m and 2.36m before Kerr successfully cleared 2.34m after a failure from McEwen.

Bahrain’s Mutaz Essa Barshim secured his fourth Olympic high jump medal with a season’s best 2.34m in third.

BVI’s McMaster, who finished fourth at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, will have an opportunity to win his first Olympic medal after running 48.15 to win the second semifinal ahead of Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.16), now a finalist for the third successive Olympics.

Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba also made it through to the final out of that semi with 48.20 in third.

Jamaica’s Malik James-King looked set to finish in the top two in that semifinal before clipping the last hurdle and stumbling to seventh in 48.85.

Clarke ran comfortably on his way to 48.34 for second in the third semifinal behind American Rai Benjamin who won in 47.85.

Reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm (47.67), France’s Clement Ducos (47.85) and 2023 World champion Alison Dos Santos (47.95) qualified from the first semifinal.

Jaheel Hyde ran 50.03 to finish seventh in that first semifinal.

The final is set for Friday at 2:45pm Jamaica Time (3:45pm ECT).

Clayton, who won bronze at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, ran a brilliant 52.68 for fifth while Salmon ran 53.29 in fifth.

American superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set the Stade de France track ablaze with a phenomenal world record 50.37 to successfully defend her Olympic title, breaking the previous mark of 50.65 she set in winning at the US Olympic Trials in June.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s countrywoman, Anna Cockrell, produced a massive personal best 51.87 in second while 2023 World Champion Femke Bol took bronze in 52.15.

The USA's Jasmine Jones ran a personal best 52.29 in fourth. Canada's Savannah Sutherland and France's Louise Maraval were seventh and eighth with 53.88 and 54.53, respectively.

The 28-year-old began Saturday’s final at the Stade de France with a 20.00m in the first round before producing a brilliant 22.15m in the second round to move into second behind American World record holder and back-to-back Olympic champion Ryan Crouser who was leading with 22.69m.

In rainy conditions, Campbell was in the silver medal position before the sixth round when American Joe Kovacs produced 22.15m to move into second by virtue of his second-best throw, 21.71m, being better than Campbell’s.

The Jamaican had a throw in the sixth round that would’ve seen him reclaim silver had it not been a fourth foul in a row.

In the end, Campbell settled for bronze behind the two Americans. Crouser’s final winning distance was a season’s best 22.90m.