Paris Olympic Games

The 37-year-old, regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, won the 100m title in 2008 and 2012. Fraser-Pryce also won Tokyo 2020 Olympic relay gold, plus three of her 10 world titles, in a comeback after giving birth to her son in 2017.

"There's not a day I'm getting up to go practise and I'm like, 'I'm over this," she told Essence.com.

"My son needs me. My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me.

"We're a partnership, a team. And it's because of that support that I'm able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years. And I think I now owe it to them to do something else," she added.

On that note, Fraser-Pryce pointed out that this year's Olympics in Paris were about "showing people that you stop when you decide.

"I want to finish on my own terms," she declared.

In total, Fraser-Pryce has won three Olympic golds, four silvers and a bronze.

Gardiner and Charlton are among the 20 athletes that will represent The Bahamas at the global multi-sport showpiece, which is currently under way and is scheduled to end on August 11.

Track and field and swimming are the two disciplines that the Bahamian contingent will contest at the Games.

Quartermiler Shaunae Miller-Uibo, high jumper Donald Thomas, who is making his fifth Olympic appearance, NCAA and national record holder in the javelin Rhema Otabor, decathlete Ken Mullings, and Charisma Taylor, who contests the triple jump and the 100m hurdles, are also on the team.

Rhaniska Gibbs and Lamar Taylor will represent the Bahamas in the pool.

Meanwhile, quartermiler Lacarthea Cooper finished third in the women’s 400m at the BAAA’s Nationals in 53.38 seconds behind second place finisher Quincy Penn in 53.35 seconds, but did not make the team.

However, Shania Adderley finished fifth in 54.50 seconds and was named to the Olympic team for her contributions as a member of the 4x400m mixed relay team at the World Relays.

In her first game of the day, Gauff teamed up with world number six Jessica Pegula to face Czech Republic duo Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova. 

After taking the first set, Gauff and Pegula were unable to continue their momentum, falling to a 6-2 4-6 5-10 defeat. 

The American pairing started strongly and raced into an early lead, taking the opening set in what seemingly looked like a straightforward victory for Team USA. 

However, Muchova and Noskova rallied and in a second set that saw five break points converted by both, the Czech's would prevail to take the game to a decider. 

Gauff and Pegula lost four straight games to put their opponents in the ascendency, with Muchova and Noskova able to see out the win to progress to the quarter-finals. 

Gauff emerged back onto the clay courts in the French capital for her mixed-doubles match soon after, joining Taylor Fritz to face a Canadian pairing of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski. 

The American duo would come from a set down to take the game to a decider, but it would be their opponents who emerge 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 8-10 victors. 

Gauff and Fritz exchanged blows with the Canadians, but were edged out in a first set tie-break after losing four games on the spin. 

But not wanting to let their dreams of a medal die, the American pair would recover from losing an early break point to rally and earn one of their own in the eighth game, seeing out the win to take Gauff to her second third-set decider of the day. 

However, the same result would transpire, with Auger-Aliassime and Dabrowski edging a nail-biting conclusion to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition. 

In a stunning display of speed and determination, Alfred crossed the finish line first, and, much like she did when she copped the World Indoor title earlier this year, etched her name into the annals of Olympic history, bringing immense pride to her island nation.

On a cool, and wet evening at the Stade de France, Alfred, running from lane six, delivered a performance that will be remembered for generations. The 23-year-old’s explosive start and powerful finish left competitors in her wake, as she clocked a National Record of 10.72s in a negative 0.1 metres per second wind reading.

After crossing the line, Alfred raised her arms in triumph but later burst into tears, overwhelmed by the magnitude of her achievement. She is now the third Caribbean sprinter to win the title after Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah, but more importantly, Alfred also ensured that the women's 100m gold goes to a Caribbean representative for a fifth Olympic Games.

The American duo of Sha’Carri Richardson (10.87s) and Melissa Jefferson (10.92s) took silver and bronze. Jamaica’s Tia Clayton (11.04s) had a slight stumble early and was left back in seventh.

The six-member team comprising Kirani James, Lindon Victor, Anderson Peters, Halle Hazzard, Tilly Collymore and Zachary Gresham will be celebrated for their efforts in track and field and in the pool, as they gave Grenada much to be proud of.

Victor’s decathlon bronze, as well as Peters javelin bronze represents the Spice Isle’s highest-ever medal haul at an Olympic Games.

James, the island’s most decorated athlete, just missed out on a medal in the men’s 400m, as he placed fifth.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Government of Grenada announced that ceremonies will take place on Saturday August 17 and Sunday, August 18.

Peters, James and Victor will arrive on Saturday.

“The activities have been put in place to celebrate athletes who have brought glory and honour to our land,” said Acting Minister of Sports Delma Thomas.

“Let’s get together and be part of the grandest welcome ever, as we celebrate Grenadian resilience and excellence,” she added, while encouraging citizens throughout Grenada to organize in their various communities to participate, especially in the events on Sunday.

The athletes will be greeted by government officials, sport associations’ executives and family members, while Grenadians are invited to join the greeting party outside of the airport at 2:00pm. The weekend’s activities will also include a national motorcade on Sunday, August 18, which begins at Morne Rouge and a recognition rally at the Playing field in Victor’s home parish La Sagesse.

Thomas also hinted at some major announcements regarding the development of sports that will be made at the La Sagesse rally. Packages to honour all the Olympians will also be unveiled in a special address by Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.

Anderson, who has displayed superb form from the preliminary round of the event, launched the instrument to a best mark of 88.54m on his fourth attempt to claw his way back onto the podium.

The 26-year-old was at one point in the gold medal position after throwing 87.87m on his second attempt. This was after another Caribbean stalwart, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, launched the javelin to a season’s best 86.16m to set the tone for a humdinger of a finals.

Walcott was later relegated to seventh, as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem opened daylight on competitors with a massive Olympic Record of 92.97m to win the event. Nadeem won ahead of India’s Neeraj Chopra (89.45m), last year’s World Champion and 2020 Olympic Champion.

Anderson’s bronze medal is the Spice Isles second of the global multi-sport showpiece, following Lindon Victor's decathlon bronze.

After the 100m, long jump and shot put, Victor occupies sixth overall with a total of 2724 points, while Mullings is six positions lower in 12th with 2592 points.

Germany’s Leo Neugebauer (2876), Canada’s Damian Warner (2798) and Ayden Owens-Delerme (2786) of Puerto Rico occupy the medal positions so far.

Victor finished sixth in heat three of the 100m in 10.56 seconds, which earned him 961 points, while Mullings seventh-place finish in 10.60 seconds earned him 952 points.

For the long jump event, Victor ended eighth in group B with a leap of 7.48m, adding 930 points to his total, while Mullings cut the sand at 7.36m  and secured 900 points for his 10th place finish.

In the shot-put event, Victor demonstrated his athleticism by throwing 15.71m. He tallied 833 points for his fourth-place finish, while Mullings received 740 points for his 14.19m-throw which was good enough for 11th.

The gruelling two-day 10-discipline event continues in the evening session, scheduled to begin at 11:00am Jamaica time, with the high jump next in the athletes’ sight as they seek to improve up the standings.

The thrilling decathlon competition saw Norway’s Markus Rooth land gold, while Germany’s Leo Neugebauer secured silver.

Victor delivered outstanding achievements in the 10 events. He set a season’s best in the high jump, clearing 2.02 metres to finish third and receive 822 points.

He then clocked 47.84s in heat two of the 400m race, which earned him 917 points, with another 896 points coming by way of a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles. His time was 14.62s.

The 31-year-old Grenadian then produced an excellent performance in the discus throw, setting an Olympic Decathlon Best of 53.91m, which is when he actually ascended into a medal position by virtue of that 952 points. He then added 880 points and 862 points from the pole vault and javelin, where he cleared 4.90m and threw 68.22m, respectively.

Victor then closed with a 4:43.53-clocking in the 1,500m race, adding 658 points to his final score.

Meanwhile, Bahamian Ken Mullings also delivered a commendable performance in the decathlon, finishing 13th with 8226 points.

Mullings tied Victor's high jump mark of 2.02m, gaining 822 points. He established a season best of 49.43s in the 400m for fourth, which earned him 841 points. 

In the 110m hurdles, Mullings clocked 13.70s for another 1014 points, with a discus personal best of 46.07m adding a further 789 points.

Mullings continued his impressive performance in the pole vault, clearing 4.80m for 849 points, and he had another 735 points from the javelin, where he threw 59.83m.

The 27-year-old then ended with a 4:55.84-clocking in the 1500m to add 584 points to his final tally.

While Peters registered a season’s best 88.63m on his first attempt in a one-and-done performance to qualify second from Group B, Walcott, who launched the instrument to 83.02m for sixth in Group A, was made to sweat before he was eventually confirmed as the 11^th overall best thrower in the final 12 to contest the medal event.

The fact that Peters effortlessly exceeded the qualification standards to qualify second overall places him in line for a possible podium finish, provided he can replicate or better his qualifying performance. Only India's Neeraj Chopra, who threw a season’s best 89.34m, topped Peters.

Walcott, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, would have welcomed his qualification based on his distance despite not meeting the automatic qualification standard of 84.00m and will no doubt be looking to improve significantly in the final.

The men's javelin throw final is scheduled for August 8.

Edghill, who is relishing her second Olympic Games appearance, is the only English-speaking Caribbean representative set to compete in table tennis at the global multi-sport showpiece, which got underway with football action on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old, who was eliminated in the first round at the 2020 Tokyo Games, pointed out that she has so far engaged in some solid practice sessions since her arrival in Mulhouse, France, as she hopes to go at least one better on this occasion.

“It was just Guyana in the camp, so we took the time to train with some of the local players and practice with the world master’s bronze medalist and the practice session was good,” Edghill told Chronicle Sport.

“We go back to Paris to settle in for the games but so far we have to train and getting used to the environment. It (table tennis) takes so much skill and practice, I have been doing it for 18 years and it is still very difficult…misconception is that it is easy,” she added.

While her preparation aimed at fine-tuning her skills and focus leading up to the multi-sport event, Edghill has always been self-motivated.

“I am really working on grounding myself and looking inward. If the plan doesn’t work, we just scrap the plan and then start over,” Edghill said in an Instagram post, as she hopes to break barriers and possibly create opportunities for other Guyanese players.

She is joined in Paris by National Coach Idi Lewis, the country’s top swimmer, Aleka Persaud and coach Sean Baksh, as well as track and field star Emanuel Archibald.

Hayes, who took charge of the USWNT in May, has won six of her seven games at the helm, conceding just twice in that time. 

The USA, along with Spain, are the only two sides to win all of their games at the Paris Olympics so far and will have great confidence heading into the knockout stages. 

Trinity Rodman's second goal of the tournament two minutes from half-time sent them on their way, as Korbin Albert's 77th-minute strike saw her become the the youngest substitute scorer for the USA at the Olympics since Mallory Swanson against Colombia in 2016. 

Alanna Kennedy's late strike would take some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display, but the United States dominated from the first whistle. 

Hayes' side accumulated an expected goals (xG) of 2.82 from the 21 shots they had compared to Australia's 0.46, ending the match with 71.7% possession. 

The United States will face Japan in the quarter-finals of the tournament, while Australia face a nervous wait to see if they qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. 

In the other Group B encounter, Germany confirmed their place in the knockout stages alongside the United States following a comfortable 4-1 win over Zambia. 

Lea Schuller opened the scoring in the 10th minute, with Klara Buhl adding the Germans second of the afternoon shortly after the restart. 

Zambia captain Barbra Banda threatened to make the encounter a more difficult affair with her fourth goal of the tournament two minutes later. 

But Schuller and Elisa Senß would add further gloss to the performance soon after to secure second place in the group. 

Germany's triumph sets up a meeting with the runners-up of Group A, which could be either one of Colombia, France, Canada or New Zealand. 

Maloney garnered significant attention during her recent appearance on the SportsMax Zone, where she revealed that she experienced homelessness for several months in the past year and has been unable to compensate her coaches for an extended period of time. She also shared that her departure from the United States would result in her being barred from reentry until her application for an O-1 visa is approved. This visa application carries a price tag of $8,500.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Friday stated that despite Maloney’s qualification, her journey to the Paris Olympics will be challenging. He also expressed his government’s dedication to providing assistance.

"I spoke to Shafiq to congratulate her and more importantly, for her own perseverance, and to commit to her the support of the Government of St Vincent for the Olympics in the first place, which is in August in Paris. She told me many things, which is not my place to talk about. I am not going through the many emails she sent to specific people because I do not want any controversy to surround this talented young lady," the Gonsalves shared.

"All I want now is that, going forward, between now and the Olympics, we help to take care of this young lady and see that she gets what is reasonably required. She told me a number that I wouldn’t reveal. Between now and August, I told her to send me details, and in relation to the visa, which I know about, she said some people were trying, but you know, the US visa authorities are problematic. I told her to send me all that has happened to see if, at a particular level, we get it sorted out," he added.

The prime minister also revealed that there could be possible sponsorship for Maloney through East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC) which has not been confirmed.  

"Camilo told me last evening that ECGC wants to be engaged, possibly in a sponsorship with Shafiqua. So, I called Jomo Cato and asked him to send me what they had in mind. I asked him what number they had, and I told him the number Shafiqua had told me. She said, Prime Minister, this is the Olympics. I want to be at the Olympics. But we are hoping that this matter can be sorted out before then," Gonsalves said.

The 24-year-old Maloney, who was the sole flag-bearer for St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, recently established a new national 800 metres record of 1:58.69, at the 2024 Tyson Invitational in Arkansas. She surpassed her previous mark of 1:59.94.

Maloney followed up that performance with another national record of 4:33.68 in her debut run at a mile.

"I've never raced a mile before, so I found someone to hang on to and when I knew it was time to go, I just went. It (my late kick) kind of felt the same surprisingly, so whether it is a mile or 800m, the last 200m felt good, it probably wasn't as fast, but it felt the same and I just went out there and had fun. That is the most important part of what you do, especially when it is something your'e not used to, you always need to have fun and of course, execute," she told Arkansas Track and Field after the race.

"It is a long season, so I am just trying to stay healthy, remain injury free, but also get the work in so when it comes to Paris and the rounds, I am able to get the work in to be consistent and advance to the final. So, I am just trusting the process and trusting the Lord more than anything, He has been carrying me through. I know trusting in the Lord, myself and my coach, is definitely going to get me where I need to be," the talented athlete reasoned.

Pearne-Webb won gold with Team GB in Rio in 2016 and captained them to bronze in Tokyo five years later, on both occasions against the odds.

Now the 33-year-old defender is targeting a third assault on the medals firm in the knowledge that they may have to do something unexpected once again.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hollie Pearne-Webb (@holliewebb11)

Pearne-Webb told the PA news agency: “Obviously I’ve been to the past two and been in a similar situation. It’s very similar to going into both Rio and Tokyo in terms of where we’re ranked, outsiders looking in.

“You probably wouldn’t expect us to be on the top of the podium when we get there, but I fully believe that we have the opportunity to be on top of the podium, just like I did going into Rio and just like I did going into Tokyo – and look what we did at both those Games.

“I’m really excited about the next few months.”

Britain, who will play in Pool B alongside Australia, Argentina, Spain, the United States and South Africa, open their campaign against Spain on July 28 having claimed the 12th and final qualification spot with a 2-1 victory over Ireland in January.

Pearne-Webb, who famously scored the winning goal in a final shoot-out victory over the Netherlands in Rio, is confident the nerve they displayed to edge their way to Paris will serve them well in the French capital.

“I always find Olympic qualification is more stressful than the Games themselves,” she said. “It’s been great preparation for us to be in those hugely pressurised moments of ‘It’s all or nothing’ in a game.

“We’ve experienced that now, we came through on the right side of it, thankfully, and that just puts a huge amount of confidence in the bank when we get to the Olympics this summer.”

Pearne-Webb’s comments came as she was unveiled as the chair of a new body which will give elite athletes a voice in the formation of sporting policies.

The Athlete Advisory Forum, a branch of the British Elite Athletes Association, will review proposals relating to matters such as coaching, culture, equality, diversity and inclusion, finances, representation, safeguarding, selection, social impact, support and welfare from organisations including UK Sport – which has made athlete input into policy development part of its response to the Whyte Review into allegations of abuse in gymnastics – and the BEAA itself.

Pearne-Webb is joined by fellow BEAA athlete board member and Olympic sprinter Asha Philip, former GB rower Alice Davies, para discus thrower Dan Greaves, bobsleigh Olympian Brad Hall, Scottish diver Grace Reid, men’s hockey keeper James Mazarelo, shooter Seonaid McIntosh, fencer Marcus Mepstead and retired sailor Kirstie Urwin.

“It’s a really good opportunity for something that’s across all sports, an opportunity for our voice to be heard,” Pearne-Webb said.

“We’re at a good place now, where there are many opportunities for us to have a say and give our opinions on various different things, so I think it’s a really good step in the right direction for what we need.”

Of the three Caribbean men in the 200m, only Jamaica’s national champion, Brian Levell, advanced to the semi-final after placing second in heat two in 20.47s, which was good enough for a non-automatic qualifying spot.

Another Jamaican, Andrew Hudson (20.55s), and Bahamian, Ian Kerr (20.60s), placed second and third, respectively, in heat four, but were not quick enough to progress as only the winner from that heat advanced.

In the women’s 400m, Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott won heat two with a National Record of 50.52s to advance to the semi-finals, while Shaunae Miller-Uibo (53.50s) of the Bahamas was eighth in the same heat.

Earlier, Guyana’s Aliyah Abrams (51.84s) was fifth in heat one and failed to progress.

Meanwhile, Dominican Republic’s Yeral Nunez (53.68s), the lone Caribbean representative in the 400m hurdles, was fifth in his heat and missed out on a spot in the semi-finals.

In what is her final Olympic Games, Fraser-Pryce, who boasts a rich legacy as one of, if not the greatest female sprinter of all time, was expected to end this chapter of her career on a high. However, after arriving in the call room, the 37-year-old, who has had her struggles with injuries this season, was later seen heading back to the warm-up area, and news of her withdrawal sent ripples through the track and field community.

While Fraser-Pryce’s competitors' respect and admiration for her is evident, they had to focus on their own task at hand in the hunt for Olympic glory.

In her absence, St Lucia’s stalwart Alfred finished tops in semi-final two, as she got away well from lane six and was not for catching. She won in 10.84s, ahead of American World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson (10.89s), who closed late.

Jamaica’s rising sensation Tia Clayton, now viewed by many as a proverbial ‘dark horse’ in the event, won semi-final three in 10.89s, pulling Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.97s) with her. American Twanisha Terry (11.07s) was third and progressed as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. Trinidad and Tobago's Leah Bertrand (11.37s) was ninth.

Earlier, American Melissa Jefferson topped semi-final one in 10.99s, with Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (11.01s) closing fast to take the second automatic qualifying spot. Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) got the other non-automatic qualifying spot.

Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes (11.20s) was sixth.

The final is scheduled for 2:20pm Jamaica time.

Goule-Toppin comfortably won the sixth and final heat in 1:58.66 in a gate-to-wire performance. She was followed by Australia’s Claudia Hollingsworth (1:58.77) and Kenya’s Lilian Odira (1:58.83).

Prior to that, Maloney clocked a new national record of 1:58.23 for third place in heat five, behind Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.90) and Kenya’s Mary Moraa (1:57.95).

Earlier, Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie comfortably topped heat one in a flat 2:00.00, ahead of fast-finishing Slovakian Gabriela Gajanova (2:00.29) and American Juliette Whittaker (2:00.45).

Cuba’s Daily Cooper Gaspar proved better than the rest in heat two, as she won in 1:58.88. South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso (1:59.84) and Switzerland’s Rachel Pellaud (2:00.07) took the other qualifying spots.

In heat three, Ethiopia’s Worknesh Mesele finished tops in a personal best of 1:58.07, ahead of Frenchwoman Renelle Lamote (1:58.59) and Great Britain’s 17-year-old prodigy Phoebe Gill (1:58.83). Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza placed sixth in 2:00.36 and will contest the Repechage round.

Another Great Britain stalwart, Keely Hodkinson (1:59.31), outclassed rivals in heat four, with American Nia Akins (1:59.67) and Benin’s Noelie Yarigo (1:59.68) also progressing. Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey was eighth in that heat in a season’s best 2:03.47 and will have to contest the Repechage round for another shot at the semi-final.

With his impressive run of form coming into the global multi-sport showpiece, Hibbert was one of the favourites to earn a medal, but the 19-year-old, who looked a shadow of his usual bubbly self, fell short of the top three with a best leap of 17.61m.

The event was topped by Spain’s Jordan Alejandro Diaz (17.86m) ahead of Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo (17.84m) and Andy Diaz (17.64m). Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez (17.34m) was eighth.

No doubt Hibbert’s performance left him with a mix of pride and disappointment, as he entered his Olympic Games debut with high expectations after he consistently delivered strong performances throughout the season.

However, the fiercely competitive field in Paris proved to be a challenging environment, and Hibbert was unable to improve on his second attempt. His sequence also includes 17.31m and 17.53m, with his last three attempts having two failures, while he passed on the final attempt, which could be a signal that the jovial athlete might not have been in the best of health.

"It was a good championship, so firstly, I want to thank God for what He has done. To think that I almost boycotted the Olympics and now I am here today (Friday) standing on a fourth-place finish. I don't think many 19-year-olds can say they came fourth at the Olympics so I am grateful," Hibbert said shortly after competition.

"I got a hard fall on one of the jumps and I felt something so I kind of stopped the competition. Me and coach talked about it, and he was trying to influence me to go back, but I told him that coach, 'I have more years to come' so for now I am grateful for the fourth place, and so it is just the road to recovery from here," he added.

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.

JAAA’s president Garth Gayle said the agreement valued at $25 million will go a far way in assisting his administration to offset expenses for the National Championships, which gets underway on Thursday, among other things, as they strive to ensure the best output for those under their charge.

Supreme Ventures began sponsoring the annual national track and field championships in 2004, and only took a break once in 2017, before returning a year later with a $10 million deal, and has never left since then.

“Supreme Ventures has laid the foundation for a fruitful and continuous relationship. We are very proud of what took place in the past and what will take place going forward. We are very grateful for their gesture and commitment of five years. As the governing body for athletics we cannot do it alone and while we operate within the guidelines and construct of rules and guidelines, at times we had to make adjustments but in consultation with our stakeholders,” Gayle said during a press conference at the JAAA’s offices on Wednesday.

“So this will go a very far way because I don't think the public understands how costly it is to put on a track and field, and an event such as our National Championships. It is a considerable amount of money and so the contribution by Supreme Ventures will go a far way in assisting us to make the event successful. 

“What you are witnessing is the continued cooperation between the JAAA and an excellent philanthropic company Supreme Ventures. We want to work for the betterment of track and field in Jamaica. The JAAA is a caring organisation, and so we work with our partners to achieve the best for all concerned,” he added.

Kamal Powell, head of marketing at SVL explained that the betting company’s longstanding support for sports in Jamaica, particularly track and field, facilitates the consistency required, offering the resources needed to excel on the global stage. 

“We understand that the journey of an athlete is one of dedication, perseverance and the relentless pursuit of excellence. From grassroots initiatives to supporting major national teams, our commitment to Jamaican sports has been unwavering. We have seen firsthand the incredible talent and potential of our athletes and we are dedicated to providing them with the resources and support they need to excel on the global stage,” Powell said.

“Our contribution is not just an investment in sports, it's an investment in the country and the country's future. By supporting our athletes, we're fostering the culture of excellence, discipline and perseverance. We believe that this commitment will help our athletes to achieve their dreams and allow them to continue to bring glory to the Jamaica and the world stage,” he added.

With the Jamaican team of Raheem Hayles, Junelle Bromfield, Zandrion Barnes, and Stephanie Ann McPherson never really in it from the start, Bol, who got the baton in fourth position, bided her time before exploding in the stretch to sweep past American anchor Kaylyn Brown.

The Dutch team, which also included Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver, and Isaya Klein, won in an Area Record of 3:07.43, just outside the American’s World Record of 3:07.41. The Americans were second in 3:07.74, with Great Britain third in a National Record 3:08.01.

Jamaica initially crossed the line sixth in 3:11.67, but were later upgraded to fifth after the disqualification of the French team.