Beckford Advances to Men’s High Jump final
Jamaica's Romaine Beckford emerged as the standout performer in the men's high jump qualification rounds, securing his place in the finals. Beckford cleared 2.24m in Group B, placing third in the group and eighth overall. Despite none of the athletes meeting the automatic qualification standard of 2.29m, Beckford's performance was strong enough to earn him a spot in the final, scheduled for August 10.
Meanwhile, it was a challenging day for the Bahamas' Donald Thomas, who failed to register a mark in Group A and was unable to advance. The qualification round was led by Shelby McEwen of the United States, who cleared 2.27m.
Knight-Wisdom a reserve in Men’s 3m Springboard final
In the men's three-metre springboard semi-finals, Jamaica's Yona Knight-Wisdom delivered an impressive performance, finishing 13th overall with a total score of 412.40 points. This placed him as a reserve for the final, prepared to step in if any of the top 12 qualifiers are unable to compete.
Knight-Wisdom showcased his diving prowess with a series of six dives, highlighted by his highest-scoring dive, the Forward 3½ Somersaults in Pike position, which earned him 74.40 points. Other notable dives included the Forward 2½ Somersaults 2 Twists in Pike position (73.10 points) and the Forward 2½ Somersaults 1 Twist in Pike position (72.00 points). His overall consistency secured his 13th place finish and a potential spot in the finals set for August 8.
Bahamas’ Otabor does not advance in Women’s Javelin Throw
In the women’s javelin throw, the Bahamas' Rhema Otabor will not advance to the next round. Otabor placed 13th in Group A with a throw of 57.67m, resulting in a 27th place overall finish, which was not sufficient to meet the qualification standard of 62m.
Despite the setback, Otabor’s career achievements at the age of 21 are noteworthy. She has already claimed the 2024 NCAA championship, the 2023 Pan American Games silver medal, and the 2023 NACAC U23 title. Additionally, she earned a bronze medal at the 2022 NACAC Championships and finished fourth in the 2021 World U20 Championships.
Poland's Maria Andrejczyk led the qualification round with a season-best throw of 65.52m, setting the bar high for the competition.
The 26-year-old Knight-Wisdom, having decided to relocate from his family home, said the going got extremely tough, as all of a sudden, he had to be paying bills which seriously hampered his preparation. “It’s has been challenging because there have been times when I have to be borrowing money from friend and family to get through,” Knight-Wisdom revealed.
“I have been receiving the funding from the Institute of Sports and it is tremendously helpful because the last few years have been very challenging for me. I moved from Leeds to Edinburg, so I left home which meant I have to pay rent, bills and food and paid for more things than when I was at home,” he pointed out.
“The scholarship that I have been receiving plus now this Institute of Sports funding has been really, really helpful and I am grateful to Minister Olivia Grange for providing that for athletes and hope that it is something that will continue, not just in the Olympic year, but in the years in between because those are the years that really count.
“But I am super grateful for it. It has been really helpful. I have been using it for some extra massage treatment and just try to look after my body to get me in a good condition for the Games”.
In 2016, Knight-Wisdom became the first Jamaican diver to qualify for the Olympic Games in fact, the first in the Caribbean.
“I am now starting to find my rhythm again. I went through the tough phase of getting back into training full time and so hopefully I can start building on all the good work I did in Tokyo at the World Cup. I can start improving on the small details going forward to the Games,” said Knight-Wisdom.
The tall Knight-Wisdom who won silver at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru, said preparation is going well so far.
“It took a little bit of time because of the qualification to get back, recover physically and recover mentally. It was quite a stressful environment and recover from the jetlag before getting back into training.
“This is my second Olympic Games and it’s so incredible to be saying that. I first watched the Olympics in 2004 at the age of 9 and everything that I am doing now is to make that little boy proud. The fact I am going to my second Olympic Games is really fun and I am happy about it,” said Knight-Wisdom.
“I want to improve on what I did five years ago. I want to improve on my semi-final performance. I know I can dive well enough to get into the final, I have to dive well to make that happen, just like everyone else. So that’s what my aim is to make it to the final then we see what happens,” he noted.
“I just want people to enjoy the sport of diving. Watch me and support me and I am so appreciative of all the love and I definitely feel that when I visit the island.
“I want people to enjoy the beauty of diving and the competitiveness and maybe one day we can see more Jamaican divers competing at this level, that would be awesome and I want to do my part and help that happen in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Knight-Wisdom.
