Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines secured their spots in the women’s 800m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games after both ran well-paced races to advance from their respective heats at the Stade de France on Friday.

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.

Jamaica's Shanieka Ricketts and Dominica's Thea LaFond, along with another Jamaican, Ackelia Smith, have secured their spots in the Women's Triple Jump finals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Jumpers who met the qualification standard of 14.35m or ranked among the top 12 performers in the preliminary round advance to the finals.

Ricketts, a two-time World Championship silver medalist, qualified on her first jump with a distance of 14.47m in Group B of the preliminary round. Her impressive leap not only ensured her place in the finals but also placed her among the top qualifiers.

Joining her from Group B are Spain’s Ana Peleteiro-Compaore, who jumped 14.36m and Italy’s Dariya Derkach, who achieved a season-best of 14.35m. While Ricketts' 14.47m was a commendable effort, the best mark of the qualifying rounds came from Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez, who delivered a stunning leap of 14.68m to lead all qualifiers.

Meanwhile, in Group A, World Indoor Champion Thea LaFond of Dominica (14.35m) also demonstrated her elite skills, advancing to the finals alongside Ackelia Smith, the 2024 NCAA champion from Jamaica, who recorded a jump of 14.09m.

Perez- Hernandez’s compatriot Liadamis Povea also advanced with a jump of 14.39m. Other notable qualifiers include Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (14.30m) and Romania's Elena Andreea Talos (14.23m).

The USA will have strong representation in the finals with Jasmine Moore, who qualified with a mark of 14.43m, and Kenturah Orji, who advanced with a jump of 14.09m. Ilionis Guillaume of France also made it to the finals with a leap of 14.05m.

Jamaica was the only Caribbean team to secure a lane in the final of the 4x400m Mixed Relay as they were dragged in qualifying by United States, which registered the first World Record of the Paris Olympic Games at the Stade de France on Friday.

Running from lane six in heat one, the Americans—Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, and Kaylyn Brown—left the field in their wake to stop the clock in 3:07.41, bettering their own previous mark of 3:08.80 set at last year’s World Championships in Budapest. Poland’s Olympic Record of 3:09.87 set in Tokyo, was also erased.

France (3:10.60) and Belgium (3:10.74) were second and third with national record times, while Jamaica’s quartet of Raheem Hayles, Junelle Bromfield, Zandrion Barnes, and Stephanie-Ann McPherson also clocked a national record of 3:11.66 for fourth. They progressed as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers, along with Poland (3:11.43).

Bahamas struggled throughout and ended at the back of the pack in 3:14.58. The same is true about Dominican Republic (3:18.89) in heat two.

That heat was won by Great Britain in a national record 3:10.61, ahead of Netherlands (3:10.81) and Italy (3:11.59).

The semifinals of the women’s 100m at the Paris Olympics will provide some of the most anticipated battles of the athletics programme.

With all the projected medal contenders successfully making it through the heats on Friday, the fields for Saturday’s semifinals have been set with a monumental clash set to take place in the second semifinal between three of the fastest women on earth.

The second semifinal will see Jamaica’s three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lining up against American reigning World champion and current world leader Sha’Carri Richardson as well as St. Lucian reigning World Indoor 60m champion and 2023 Bowerman Award winner Julien Alfred.

Fraser-Pryce was the fastest of the three in Friday’s heats with her 10.92 to finish second behind Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith in the eighth and final heat.

Richardson ran 10.94 to win the first heat while Alfred won the second heat in 10.95.

The rest of the field for semifinal two includes Gina Bass-Bittaye, Rosemary Chukwuma, Bree Masters, Patrizia Van de Weken, Imani Lansiquot and Gladymar Torres.

Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes will contest the first semifinal against the likes of Ta Lou-Smith, who was fastest in the heats with her 10.87, 2019 World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and World Indoor Championships 60m silver medallist Ewa Swoboda. Zaynab Dosso, Rani Rosius, Melissa Jeffferson, Mujinga Kambundji and Boglarka Takacs complete the field in that semifinal.

Jamaica’s Tia Clayton and Trinidad & Tobago’s Leah Bertrand will contest the third semifinal. That field is completed by Daryll Neita, Audrey Leduc, TeeTee Terry, Karolina Manasova, Zoe Hobbs, Gina Lueckenkemper and Delphine Nkansa.

The top two from each semifinal will advance to the final along with the next two fastest times.

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

Grenada's Lindon Victor and Ken Mullings of the Bahamas both had credible starts to their Paris Olympic Games campaign, as they are well positioned after three events in the men’s decathlon at the Stade de France.

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.

Jamaica’s Lamara Distin failed to progress beyond the first round of the women’s high jump on Friday’s morning session of the Paris Olympics Games inside Stade de France.

Distin failed to clear the bar at 1.92m, with her best jump coming at 1.88m. The qualification mark was set at 1.97m, and Distin, who was ranked third in the world with a national record 2.00m, ended 11th in her qualification group.

It was heartbreak for the 24-year-old, an experienced athlete who has contested the World Championships high jump final twice, finishing fifth in 2023 and ninth in 2022. She has also won the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2021 North, Central American, and Caribbean U23 Championships.

Distin also has the distinction of being a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion (indoors 2022, 2023, outdoors 2022).

Despite her impressive track record, Distin found the going tough and failed to replicate her early season performances on the Olympic stage.

As expected, all the main protagonists from the Caribbean booked spots in the women’s 100m semi-finals as the athletics portion of the Paris Olympic Games got under way at Stade de France on Friday.

The Caribbean women, led by the legendary Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, all safely navigated their respective heats with contrasting performances.

Though she placed second in the eighth and final heat in 10.92s, Fraser-Pryce, in her final appearance at the global multi-sport event, was the fastest of the Caribbean representatives. The 37-year-old was only bettered by Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, who clocked a season-best 10.87s to win that heat.

Germany’s Gina Lueckenkemper (11.08s) was third. The quality of Fraser-Pryce and Ta Lou-Smith was highlighted by the fact that the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers—Rani Rosius (11.12s) of Belgium and Puerto Rico’s Gladymar Torres, with a national record of 11.12s—came from that final heat.

Earlier, St. Lucia’s standout Julien Alfred comfortably topped heat two in 10.95s, ahead of New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs (11.08s) and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso (11.30s). The other Caribbean ladies, Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.33s) of Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba’s Yunisleidy Garcia Abreu (11.37s), placed fourth and fifth in the same heat and missed out on semi-final spots.

Prior to that, Tristan Evelyn (11.55s) of Barbados failed to progress, as she placed sixth in heat one. The heat was won by American World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson in 10.94s, ahead of Patrizia van der Weken (11.14s) of Luxembourg and Australia’s Bree Masters (11.26s).

Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, with a season’s best 10.92s, led qualifiers from heat three. American Melissa Jefferson (10.96s) and Hungary’s Boglarka Takacs, who clocked a national record of 11.10s, also progressed.

Jamaica’s debutant Tia Clayton did what was required to advance, as she placed second in heat four in 11.00s. Canada’s Audrey Leduc won in a national record of 10.95s, while Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (11.10s) also advanced.

Heat five was won by Poland’s Ewa Swoboda in a season’s best 10.99s, ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (11.01s) and Rosemary Chukwuma (11.26s).

The Caribbean duo of Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes (11.19s), who replaced Shericka Jackson, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Leah Bertrand (11.27s) safely progressed to the semi-finals after placing second and third in heat six. American Twanisha Terry (11.15s) won the event, while Zahria Allers-Liburd (11.89s) of St. Kitts and Nevis, who ran the preliminary round earlier in the day, finished out of contention in eighth.

Grenada’s Halle Hazzard (11.70s), who progressed from the preliminary round an hour early, failed to repeat the feat as she placed eighth in heat seven. Gambia’s Miriam Bass Bittaye (11.01s) won that heat ahead of Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) and Delphine Nkansa (11.20s).

As the world gears up for the track and field segment of the Paris Olympic Games, set to commence on Friday, athletes from various Caribbean islands are brimming with excitement and high expectations. These athletes, contesting a diverse range of events such as the 100m, 400m, 800m, and decathlon, are ready to execute with pride and passion, but more importantly, with hopes that the hard work done over the past four years will bear fruit on the global stage.

Having completed the final phase of their preparations at Complexe Sportif de l’ile des Vannes, ahead of competition, the athletes—Aliyah Abrams, Shakeem McKay, Shafiqua Maloney, Cejhae Green, and Lindon Victor—took time to share their eagerness with Sportsmax’s Alex Jordan.

Guyana’s Abrams, 27, who will contest the women’s 400m, is especially enthusiastic, as she seeks to create history by securing her country’s first ever track and field medal at the Olympic Games. The country’s lone medal to date was earned by boxer Michael Parris at the 1980 Olympic Games in Russia.

“It (the atmosphere) has been great, the weather has been good, and training has been great. This is my third day out and everything is coming together well, so I am excited. It is going great for me; I just want to really hammer throw the rounds and make sure I don’t leave anything off the track essentially. So I just intend on giving it my all and just doing my very best so I can make the final,” said Abrams, who will be making her third-consecutive Olympic Games appearance.

Another quartermiler, Shakeem McKay of Trinidad and Tobago, echoed similar sentiments as he hopes to make a memorable debut at the global multi-sport event. The 21-year-old, along with Jereem Richards, will carry the Twin Island Republic’s flag in the men’s 400m.

“It (being at the Olympic Games) is a dream come true,” he declared.

“I am just taking it day-by-day as it comes; I am not letting it get to my head or anything; I am just here to get the job done. Today (Thursday) was a fairly easy day; we had a couple sprints, accelerations, block starts and so on. So today was really just to prepare for tomorrow when we get on track,” McKay added.

The 100m dash, often regarded as the marquee event of track and field, will see several Caribbean sprinters vying for gold. Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Green is among those that will line up in the men’s event.

Green, 28, is also making his third Olympic Games appearance.

“I am as ready as I can get. If you’re not ready by the time you get to the Olympic Village, then you’re in big trouble. I am feeling really good; actually, today was a really good day. Sometimes training doesn’t go as planned, but today was a good day…coach was happy, and once the coach is happy, I can’t complain,” Green shared.

Maloney, of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is one of the Caribbean’s middle distance hopefuls in the women’s 800m. The 25-year-old, who holds her country’s indoor and outdoor national records, is now eager to make her mark, as opposed to her debut outing at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“Honestly, in Tokyo, I was not in a good place mentally, I was lacking experience and just wasn’t aware of what it takes to compete at the top level. Now I have more experience, I have been running for a couple years now, I am now on the professional circuit; and I am a lot more prepared mentally and physically,” Maloney explained.

“I am out here chasing a medal like everybody else; just take it one round at a time and get to the final, but I can’t think about the final until I get past each round. So one round at a time, and when I get to the final, I can think about the medal. It doesn’t matter what you ran before you came here; it is about what you do here, so you have to show up and compete,” she noted.

Meanwhile, Grenada’s Victor, will contest the decathlon, a grueling two-day event that tests an athlete’s versatility and endurance across ten disciplines.

Conferred with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) earlier this year, Lindon, 31, is hoping to make his country proud on this his third Olympic Games appearance.

“I have to compete and be a good ambassador for my country first and foremost. Once I compete hard, compete well, and do what I need to, I think Grenada will be proud, and a medal would be a cherry on top of that,” Victor stated.

With the stage set and the athletes ready, the world will be watching as these talented individuals strive for Olympic glory.

Citing recent injury concerns and a strategic focus on the 200m, two-time World Athletics 200m champion Shericka Jackson has withdrawn from the 100m event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Jackson, who has been chasing the 36-year-old world record in the 200m, emphasized the need to protect her body and concentrate on excelling in one event as the Games approach.

"It's a combination of things," Jackson explained at a media event on Wednesday at Puma House. "I got hurt in Hungary and it's a good decision to run one event. I think this is just to protect my body. For the last three years, I've been competing in both events, and I think this decision is a combination of both, just focusing on one event and what happened in Hungary."

Jackson's pursuit of the world record saw her come agonizingly close at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023, where she clocked 21.41 seconds, breaking her own championship record of 21.45 seconds set in Oregon the previous year. Her 21.41 is the second-fastest time ever run by a woman over 200m.

Despite her impressive form, Jackson has decided to focus solely on the 200m at Paris 2024. "That decision was based on coach and I," she told Olympics.com at a press meet-up on Tuesday in Paris. "It's a combination of a lot of stuff. And I made that decision not to contest the 100m and focus only on the 200, and I think we're pretty happy with that. I just [want] to compete at my best, as everybody is here to win.”

Jackson is also uncertain about her participation in the 4x100m relay, an event in which she helped Jamaica secure an Olympic title at Tokyo 2020. "The focus is on the individual event first and then we speak about the relay after," she stated.

In her last race on July 9 at the Gyulai István Memorial in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Jackson pulled up on the home stretch of the 200m. Despite this setback, she assured fans that she is in good shape to challenge for her first individual Olympic title. "Honestly, I was only supposed to compete in that event, and as coach stated, we only run a few races in Europe, and I think that was the only race all of us were supposed to run… I'm in pretty good shape," said the five-time Olympic medallist.

Jackson's primary target remains the 200m title rather than the world record of 21.34 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. "Given how I have been progressing this season, I don't think the world record is on my mind right now," she said.

For many athletes, the Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of their careers. Trinidad and Tobago’s rising sprint sensation, Leah Bertrand, is no different, but her approach is refreshingly composed.

Though it will be her first outing at the global multi-sport showpiece, Bertrand is managing the excitement and weight of expectations with remarkable calmness and confidence as she prepares to grace the track in the women’s 100m in Paris on Friday.

“Not really (feeling any pressure). I try not to let the pressure get to me. I just trust my training and the process and go out with the best mentality as possible. I feel like if I was supposed to focus on the pressure, I wouldn’t be able to go out and perform as well as I need to, but with that said, I feel the responsibility to do well, so I use that as motivation,” Bertrand told SportsMax.Tv.

With the pressure off, Bertrand, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on the day of the Games’ opening ceremony, pointed out that she is focused on possibly breaking the elusive 11-second barrier and potentially clinching a medal.

The Ohio State University senior, who won the women’s 100m at Trinidad and Tobago’s National Championships, has been flirting with the feat so far this season. She clocked a wind-aided 11.05s in June and, prior to that, stopped the clock at 11.09s in May, just outside her personal best of 11.08s.

“I feel good, so I believe I can break the 11-second barrier. I think it is time. I have been on the verge of it at 11.0 for a while now, so I want to get it done now,” she declared.

“I think I had a good season this year. I am healthy, thank God, so going into these Olympic Games, I feel very confident. The mentality is to compete, and once I do that, I feel like I can get through the rounds, get to the finals, medal, and represent Trinidad and Tobago well,” Bertrand added.

While she knows that the competition will be fierce, with the world's fastest women vying for glory, Bertrand, a two-time NACAC Under-23 medallist remains undaunted.

“Every time I run, the aim is to do better than the last time to get a PB, but I am not stressing on the time. I am going in to compete, and the time will come as long as I am running up with everybody else. I will be good,” she noted.

“I think it (getting the personal best and medal) is a mental thing; physically, I am ready, so I just have to believe I can do it. I think that is the only thing blocking me now. This is the Olympics, so the standard is high, but, with that being said, I can’t let the pressure get to me. If it was any other meet, at the end of the day, even though it’s a high level, I can’t put it higher than it needs to be because then the pressure would get to me,” Bertrand explained.

By all indications, Bertrand's preparation for the Olympics has been nothing short of rigorous. Like the plethora of stars that will be on show in Paris, she has been fine-tuning her technique, working on her explosive starts, and building the mental toughness required to compete at the highest level.

Leah Bertrand (second left) with teammates during the World Relays in the Bahamas.

“In practice, I tend to be more serious and focused on how I can improve because practice is the one time I really need to focus on what I need to do. Now my practice is more quality than quantity, so I am really focused on what I have to do,” she shared.

Much of Bertrand's drive comes from the support of her family and, by extension, the entire nation of Trinidad and Tobago.

No doubt the Twin Island Republic, a small nation with a proud sporting history, will be watching closely as Bertrand and her 16 other compatriots parade their athletic prowess across various disciplines, pushing for performances that will be a source of immense pride and inspiration.

 “It has been great and overwhelming, actually, because everybody has been wishing me good luck and on my side, so I know I have the support I need to go and do well. I want the public to hold us accountable as we continue working towards being the best representation for our country,” Bertrand ended.

World Under-20 Triple Jump record holder is looking to make up for his bad luck at last year’s World Championships in Budapest with a good performance in the Paris Olympics.

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.

Trinidadian four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon has named Jamaican sprinting sensation Kishane Thompson as his favourite to take 100m gold at the Olympic Games in Paris.

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.

As the world eagerly anticipates the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Jamaica and France have marked the occasion with a significant step towards enhancing their bilateral relations in the field of sport. On July 24, the Honourable Olivia Grange, Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and His Excellency Olivier Guyonvarch, the Ambassador of France in Jamaica, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Bilateral Cooperation in Sport.

Minister Grange highlighted the symbolic timing of the agreement, stating, “It is certainly significant that it is happening at the time of the 2024 Olympics in the French capital, Paris. It embodies the importance of sport in establishing cooperation and friendship between the two countries."

The agreement outlines several areas of cooperation aimed at enhancing both nations' sports capabilities. One key aspect of the MOU is the sharing of experiences and the development of joint initiatives in sports. This includes promoting common standards for organizing major sporting events and developing high sports performance through the exchange of best practices, coaching training, and research.

Additionally, the agreement focuses on boosting the sports economy and sports tourism in both countries by sharing valuable information and insights. A significant emphasis is also placed on promoting sports ethics, with both nations committing to collaborate in the fight against doping.

Minister Grange commended the diligent efforts of Ambassador Guyonvarch and the teams from both the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in finalizing the MOU. She also referenced the ongoing friendship between Jamaica and France, demonstrated by events like the "2024 Road to Paris Olympics," which featured a symbolic relay baton passed globally and included French students from schools across Jamaica.

The MOU also aims to facilitate exchanges in seminars, conferences, and symposia involving experts in various sports disciplines such as fencing, rugby, handball, athletics, canoe-kayak/sprint, sailing, and skateboarding, among others.

Ambassador Guyonvarch expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating, “On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the signing of this MOU on sports cooperation is a milestone in our bilateral relations, being the most ambitious and comprehensive agreement between our two countries in a strategic field of excellence. The implementation of this agreement, initiated by the Centre for Research on Sports Performance of Guadeloupe and the Faculty of Sports of UWI, will allow us to develop sports science, new practices, and more intense human exchanges between our two countries.”

The follow-up on the cooperation outlined in the MOU will be ensured by a Bilateral Steering Committee, which will meet annually in either of the two countries, ensuring that the goals and initiatives set forth are actively pursued and achieved.

This agreement not only strengthens the bond between Jamaica and France but also paves the way for enhanced sports performance, education, and ethical standards in both nations, promising a bright future for sports collaboration and excellence.

Reigning 400m Olympic champion Steven Gardiner and World Indoor 60m hurdles champion Devynne Charlton will be flag bearers for The Bahamas at the much-anticipated Paris Olympic Games opening ceremonies on Friday.

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.

Laura Muir hopes breaking the British 1,500m record in Paris earlier this month is a sign of things to come as she guns for gold at the Olympic Games.

Having finished seventh in the final at Rio 2016, Muir took silver at the last edition of the games in Tokyo, finishing behind Kenya's Faith Kipyegon with a time of 3:54.50.

The 31-year-old Scot has been tipped to go one better this year after running a British record of 3:53:79 at the Diamond League meeting in the French capital on July 7.

Speaking exclusively to Stat Perform, Muir outlined her hope that the 2024 Games will mark the culmination of her progress over the last few years. 

"The record I broke was the record that I ran in the Tokyo Olympics, winning silver," she said, reflecting on her record time. 

"So to break my British record that I ran winning silver, and to do it in the city that the next Olympics is going to be held in… it was just a 'this is meant to be' moment. 

"It was really special, and to run the fastest I've ever ran just ahead of the Olympics was perfect and such a big confidence boost.

"I'm just going to go into the Games in the best shape I've ever been in."

Muir's silver medal in Tokyo came in front of no public spectators, with crowds in the Japanese capital limited to fellow athletes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is excited about the chance to share her experience with others this time around, saying: "It was such a shame that nobody could watch the biggest events in Tokyo. 

"It's just so nice that people can come and spectate now, not just athletics but lots of different sports. 

"With it being so close to home it'll be really easy for people to travel out there, it's not a big time difference, so it'll be so much easier for people to watch. I'm just really excited that they can soak up that atmosphere."

Team GB managed five athletics medals in Tokyo (two silver, three bronze), having taken seven in 2016 and six on home soil at London 2016.

With the likes of Matt Hudson-Smith and Keeley Hodgkinson also tipped to be in medal contention, Muir has high hopes regarding Team GB's overall prospects.

"I think it's a fantastic team we've got out in Paris, so I'm just really excited to see how everybody gets on," she added.

"To see Matt get his European record, Keeley get her British record, I got my British record a couple of weeks before that… it's a really, really exciting place to be. 

"I think we're so strong across so many different events as well, which is so exciting, and the depth of that within some events, especially in endurance running, it's really exciting to see."