Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Simone Edwards, Jamaica and former Seattle Storm player in the WNBA, has died after a prolonged fight with ovarian cancer. She was 49 years old.
Edwards, who was diagnosed with aggressive ovarian cancer in early 2021, passed away at her home in Florida on Thursday.
Her passing was announced by the Seattle Storm on Thursday night.
“We are saddened by the passing of our very own Simone Forbes,” the franchise posted on Twitter.
“Our Jamaican Hurricane was a warrior on and off the court. With her indefatigable energy and optimism, she brought happiness to so many.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with Simone’s family and loved ones at this time.”
Forbes was the first Jamaican female player to play in the WNBA, playing for the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm, winning the WNBA title in 2004.
She retired from the WNBA in 2006.
On August 5, 2007, she was hired as an assistant coach at Radford University and she was an assistant at George Mason University from 2008-2011.
Edwards coached the Jamaican women's national basketball team and led them to a 2014 Caribbean Championship.
On August 6, 2017, the Government of Jamaica conferred the national award, the Order of Distinction which is bestowed on citizens of Jamaica who have rendered outstanding and important service to Jamaica in their field.
President of Jamaica Basketball Association, Paulton Gordon was shock and saddened by the news.
“We heard this afternoon that she has passed. I spoke with her about three weeks ago and she was upbeat,” he said.
“We are really saddened at her passing. She was the national coordinator for our youth teams and we were looking to working closely with her to prepare the U17 team for the regional competition this year.
“Condolences to her immediate family, her friends and the broader basketball family. I will certainly miss her technical guidance and support for Jamaica Basketball.”
Briana Williams is set to run another 60m this month and two 200m races in March as she continues preparations for the championship year ahead.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in their opening match of the Cup of Nations at Central Coast Stadium in Australia on Thursday.
Four-time Jamaican national champion Traves Smikle attributes off-season changes to his training and becoming a father for the first time as the main factors behind his world-leading throw at the King of the Ring meeting at Excelsior High School in Kingston on Saturday, February 11.
On his fifth throw of the competition, the 30-year-old Smikle blew past his previous best of 67.72m to record a new best mark of 68.14 to claim victory over his former Calabar High teammates Fedrick Dacres (66.32m) and Chad Wright (59.94).
Obviously chuffed at establishing a new mark in the ultra-competitive world of discus, Smike expressed gratitude.
“I feel happy about it. For a good while I have been trying to hit a throw over 68; it’s unreal (laughs) but I am grateful,” said the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, who for the past few years, has battled to overcome injury and other life challenges.
With those issues hopeful behind him, he and Coach Julian Robinson plotted a new path for the coming season, especially with the new qualifying standards set by World Athletics as well as him becoming a father for the first time.
“Preparation, with each year as you get older, as you get more experienced, will vary and my coach and I, we spoke extensively on a few things that we would change to see if we could get better throws this year,” Smikle revealed.
“The qualifying mark is 67m, so immediately the mindset had to change as well because the standard has risen; physical changes, changes in the gym; overall a different approach for this season, I think that is what gave me and I have a little one now so there is motivation all round,” he said. “And it was a good series too; 64, then 66 on the second, foul, 66, third, foul and 68 on the fifth and then a foul again on the sixth.”
Saturday’s result has caused him to have a positive outlook for the season ahead.
“Overall, things are looking good,” said the NACAC champion, who finished a runner-up to Dacres in his opening meet in Manchester in January with a throw of 63.98m, “just to see where I was with the changes.”
The next step, he said, is finding those big marks more consistently.
“I am looking to be more consistent over the big marks because in the world of discus, if you’re not throwing 68/69m it makes no sense, so I am looking to be consistent throwing those marks and throwing them when it counts,” he said.
West Indies Women fell to a second consecutive defeat at the 2023 ICC Women’s World Cup on Wednesday, losing by six wickets to India at Newlands.
The West Indies were restricted to 118-6 from their 20 overs, a total India overhauled getting to 119-4 from 18.1 overs.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, the West Indies, despite the early loss of Captain Hayley Matthews for two, laid a solid foundation for a competitive score in the Powerplay.
After losing Matthews to the bowling of Pooja Vastrakar with only four runs on the board, Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbell shared in a second wicket partnership of 73 before disaster struck in the 14th over bowled by Deepti Sharma.
With her third ball, Sharma caught and short third-man for 30. Three balls later and one run later, Sharma struck again trapping Taylor lbw for 42.
The West Indies were in further trouble when Chinelle Henry was run out for two in the 15th.
From there the West Indies Women struggled to accelerate the scoring despite the efforts of Chedean Nation who scored an unbeaten 21 from 18 balls and Shabika Gajnabi’s 15 from 13.
Player of the Match Sharma would later bowl Afy Fletcher for a duck to finish the impressive figures of 3-15.
Rashada Williams was not out on two at the other end as the West Indies innings closed on 118-6.
Karishma Ramharck and Matthews tried to make a fight of it claiming the first three Indian wickets with 43 runs on the board in the eighth over.
Ramharack took the wickets of openers Shafali Verma for a 23-ball 28 with the score at 32 and Matthews got Jerimah Rodriquez caught and bowled for one to make it 35-2.
Ramharack then Smriti Mandhana stumped for 10 in the eighth over and India were 43-3.
However, by the 10th over India were scoring at better than six runs an over as Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, helped by some wayward bowling, filled their boots with an stand of 72 that took India within four runs of victory.
Ghosh, unbeaten on 44, struck Shamilia Connell for the winning runs first ball of the 19 over for match to send the West Indies Women to their 15th consecutive defeat in T20 internationals and their eighth straight against India.
Ramharack was the best of the bowlers with 2-14 with Matthews taking 1-12 and Henry 1-21.
Shirley Clarke has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Windward Islands Volcanoes franchise with immediate effect. Clarke will be replaced on an interim basis by South African Russel Sising.
Chairman of the Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB) Dr Kishore Shallow confirmed Clarke’s dismissal to Sportsmax.TV on Monday citing the team’s lack of performance.
“I can confirm that we have separated from Mr Clarke. The board thought that we were not necessarily on the same wavelength,” Dr Shallow said.
The decision was not a knee-jerk reaction but stemmed concerns the board had since last year during the Regional Super 50 tournament in which the Windward Island Volcanoes won only two matches, both against the Combined College and Campuses team.
Dr Shallow said a comprehensive review was done after the tournament and consequently met with Clarke on several occasions to discuss their concerns.
So far in the West Indies Championship, the Volcanoes have not won any of their two games despite playing well but simply, not well enough.
Dr Shallow, who is also the Cricket West Indies vice president, pointed out that the Volcanoes has not won any of their last seven first-class matches, hence the decision was made to move in another direction.
“Given the investments that were made, we were not getting the results,” he said.
Dr Shallow, who described Clarke as a good individual, said the parting was amicable and that he wished Clarke the best going forward.
Jamaica opened their campaign in the CONCACAF U17 tournament with an emphatic 4-2 victory over Cuba at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium in Guatemala City on Sunday.
Playing 4-4-2, Jamaica opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Jahmani Bell buried a volley from inside the box.
The score remained 1-0 until half time.
Orane Watson doubled Jamaica’s lead in the 56th minute before Ashton Gordon put the side up 3-0 in the 70th minute.
Watson put the match beyond the Cubans in the 75th minute to give the Jamaicans a 4-0 lead.
Cuba were never without a fight, however, and got a consolation in the 78th through Didier Reinoso who scored a second in the 89th.
The win means Jamaica temporarily go top of Group G that also has Costa Rica and Guadeloupe.
Costa Rica will take on Guadeloupe later Sunday.
Player of the match Carlos Brathwaite took three wickets and effected a runout while Shimron Hetmyer scored a quick-fire unbeaten 25 to help lead Gulf Giants to a seven-wicket victory over Desert Vipers and the 2023 ILT20 final in Dubai on Sunday.
The heroic Barbadian, whose four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes won the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup for the West Indies, took 3-19 and ran out opener Rohan Mustafa for just six to restrict Desert Vipers to 146-8 from their 20 overs.
He removed the dangerous Alex Hales for one, took the catch to dismiss Adam Lyth for 13, dismissed Sam Billings for 31, breaking the 72-run fifth wicket partnership with Wanindu Hasaranga, whose 55 from 27 balls propped up Desert Vipers, before returning to take the wicket of Tom Curran in the 19th over.
Qias Ahmad supported Brathwaite with the wickets of Hasaranga and Luke Wood for three to finish with figures of 2-29. Chris Jordan caught and bowled the dangerous Colin Munro for just six.
Chasing 147 for victory, Gulf Giants’s Chris Lyn scored an unbeaten 72 from 50 balls and 30 from Gerhard Erasmus before Hetmyer arrived with the final dagger, smashing 25 not out from 13 balls with five fours to propel Gulf Giants to the title with eight balls to spare.
Jereem Richards and Devynne Charlton won their respective events in some style at the 2023 Millrose Games at the Nike Track and Field Centre at the Armory in New York on Saturday.
Richards, Trinidad and Tobago’s reigning world indoor champion, rebounded from his narrow loss at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last week when he ran 45.88, to win in a season-best 45.84.
The Trinidadian was in command from the gun and created daylight between himself and the USA’s Noah Williams, who was second in 46.20.
It was the American who edged Richards over 400m in Boston last week.
Third was the USA’s Bryce Deadmon who ran 46.34.
The Bahamian champion Charlton’s good form this season, continued Saturday in New York where she ran 7.91 to win a close race with the USA duo of Tonea Marshall, who clocked a season best 7.94 and veteran Sharika Nelvis, who finished third in 7.96.
Following his mediocre season last year after his two-year suspension for whereabouts rules violations, 60 world-record holder Christian Coleman signaled a return to form winning the 60m dash in 6.47.
It was supposed to be a clash between him and Noah Lyles who ran a personal best 6.51 in Boston last week. However, the latter was disqualified for a false start and that opened the door for Jamaica’s Traves Williams of the University at Albany, who ran a lifetime best of 6.59 for second.
Josephus Lyles was given the same time but awarded third.
Aleia Hobbs, meanwhile, notched another win on her belt with a 7.04 run to win the women’s race ahead of Tamari Davis (7.08) and Mary Beth Sant-Price (7.11).
Titans International stars Briana Williams and Ackeem Blake opened their accounts in impressive style over 60m at the Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday night.
Williams, the Tokyo Olympics 4x100m gold medallist, clocked a fast 7.22 to win the dash ahead of Legacy Athletics’ Jura Levy, who ran 7.34.
Rohanna Wright of Swept Track Club ran 7.71 for third.
Blake was just as impressive, winning his short dash in 6.63 running into a negative wind, just holding off his more accomplished club-mate Yohan Blake, who clocked 6.64.
Emmanuel Archibald finished third in 6.70.
Williams, who has been training with the group since September, was chuffed about the performance.
“It felt very quick. I am just happy to be here to start the season,” she said, adding that her training has been going well, working on things that will make her better for the coming season.
“We have been working on endurance and the last part of races and this is just the start getting to the 100 and 200.”
The work, she said, is helping her get to her goals of running consistent 10.7s and 10.8s for the season ahead.
After just five months training in Jamaica, Williams said she feels at home and appreciates the support from the fans and her teammates at Titans.
“I am enjoying my coaches, my teammates and I am enjoying training,” said Williams, who races next in another 60m dash at the Gibson Relays o February 25.
“My teammates push me every day and they encourage me and I am so happy to have them.”
Like Williams, young Blake was pleased with pleased with the outcome.
“My training has been going good so far because I am healthy and I am ready," Blake said. "I have been putting in work and so I was expected to go out there, deliver, and that is what I did tonight.”
Gudakesh Motie took career-best Test figures on Sunday to help the West Indies dismiss Zimbabwe for 115 after lunch on the first day of the second Test at Bulawayo.
Amoi Brown uncorked a lifetime best time to win the 60m hurdles at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday when Natasha Morrison and Tina Clayton were second and third, respectively, in the 60m Open.
Sada Williams was also third in the 300m Open at the meet where rising star Briana Lyston, a freshman at LSU, ran a personal best over 60m.
Brown, who trains with MVP Track Club, won her preliminary round heat in a personal best 8.13 but had more in store for the final where she blazed to victory in a new lifetime best time of 8.04.
She was comfortably clear of Great Britain’s Cindy Sember, who produced a season best 8.11 for second place just ahead of Florida’s Imani Carothers who ran a lifetime best of 8.15.
Meantime, in the 60m dash, Morrison clocked 7.30 to finish behind Jayda Baylark, who replicated her time of 7.23 from the preliminary round.
Clayton, the World U20 100m champion, in her indoor debut, ran 7.24 in the preliminary round but was unable to replicate or go faster, finishing third in 7.38.
Sada Williams, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist ran 37.13 while finishing third in the 300m. She trailed Great Britain’s Nicole Yeargin, who produced a personal best 36.80 for second place behind the USA’s Alexis Holmes, who also ran a personal best 36.71.
Four-hundred-metre hurdlers Janieve Russell and Andranette Knight ran 37.30 and 37.37 for fourth and fifth, respectively.
Lyston, meanwhile, ran a personal best 7.29 to win her heat and qualify for the preliminary round of the 60m dash. However, she took no further part in the competition.
Britany Anderson followed up her third place finish in Poland earlier this week with a victory in the 60m hurdles at the ISTAF Indoor Meeting in Berlin on Friday.
Anderson, the 2022 World Championships 100m hurdles silver medalist, was a model of consistency this week as after running 7.83 in Torun, she clocked 7.87 to win her preliminary round heat before winning the final in 7.85 ahead of Australia’s Michelle Jenneke, who ran a personal best 7.89 for second place.
Natalia Christophi of Cyprus was third in 8.01.
In the men’s equivalent, Olympian Damion Thomas ran a season-best 7.65 to finish second in a close battle with Great Britain’s David King, who ran 7.63 for the win.
Paolo Dal Molin of Italy was a close third in 7.69.
Reece Prescod of Great Britain won the 60m dash in a meet record 6.49, which was also a personal best. He held off the challenge of German duo of Joshua Hartmann, who clocked a personal best 6.53 and Julian Wagner (6.56) for second and third, respectively.
Great Britain’s Daryll Neita continued her good form this season with a lifetime best 7.05 to win the Women’s 60m dash.
Tristan Evelyn of Barbados ran a national record and personal best 7.14 to claim the runner-up spot ahead of Germany’s Gina Luckenkemper, who finished third in 7.16.
Kieron Pollard’s half-century was not sufficient to prevent the MI Emirates from going down to a four-wicket loss to Gulf Giants in Qualifier 2 in Sharjah on Friday.
With the win Gulf Giants booked a place in Sunday’s 2023 ILT20 final where they will face Desert Vipers.
Coming off their emphatic eight-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals on Thursday MI Emirates looked a jaded team, scoring 167-5 from their 20 overs.
Pollard scored an unbeaten 57 from 35 balls while Nicholas Pooran contributed with 29 and opener Mohammad Waseem, 31.
Chris Jordan took 2-25 and David Wiese 2-31.
In reply, James Vince played a gem of an innings, scoring unbeaten 83 including the winning runs, a four off Fazalhaq Farooqi as Gulf Giants scored 168-6 from 18.1 overs.
Farooqi took 2-27 and Rashid Khan, 2-40 in the losing cause. Dwayne Bravo took 1-27.
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