Jamaica long jumper Tajay Gayle looks set to add an Olympic medal to the gold he won at the 2019 edition of the World Athletics Championship in Doha.

The Jamaica national champion’s best distance this year is 8.29, well short of the 8.60 recorded by world leader, Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou in May.

However, track and field analyst and SportsMax.tv Tokyo Take host Leighton Levy believes the jumper's improvements in other areas will make him a force to be reckoned with when he faces the field in Tokyo.

“I think Gayle is going to fly in the long jump and be among the medals, gold even,” Levy said on this week’s episode. (See full episode below)

“His improved speed is an asset and once he makes the adjustments on the runway for that additional speed, we are in for a spectacular performance from Gayle.”

The jumper has, in fact, shown off plenty of improved speed after recording new personal bests in both the 60m and 100m sprints this season.  Gayle ran 6.78 in the later in February but was even more impressive in the 100, clocking 10.18 to shave huge chunks off his previous personal best of 10.74.  Gayle’s personal best of 8.69, in the long jump, was set in 2019.

Guadeloupe put up a good fight, but Jamaica’s experience provided a slight edge for the Reggae Boyz in a 2-1 victory.

Guadeloupe started brightly with an early goal. In the fourth minute, The Gwada Boys took advantage of a failed set piece from Jamaica and counterattacked. An awkward deflection off Jamaican defender Amari’i Bell got past his own keeper -- giving Guadeloupe the 1-0 lead.

The opening goal livened up the match as Jamaica kept pressing Guadeloupe in search of an equalizer.  Jamaica would get a response just 10 minutes later via a counterattack that caught the Guadeloupe defense off guard. Jamaican striker Cory Burke was able to line up the ball perfectly to score at the far post. This is Burke’s seventh goal in 17 caps with the team.

 After an exciting opening 15 minutes, both sides played more cautiously to end the first half. In the second half, it was clear neither side wanted to finish the match with a draw.

Jamaica began to pick up momentum and started to push more players up. In the 62nd minute, Jamaica forward Shamar Nicholson came close to giving his team the edge buthe missed an opportunity by sending the ball flying over the net.

Guadeloupe would fight back and generate opportunities of their own, but also struggled to find the goal.

 Finally, in the dying minutes of the contest, the Reggae Boyz wouldn't be denied.  Jamaica striker Junior Flemmings used some nifty footwork to get past the rival defense and drove a left-footed finish through the legs of Guadeloupe goalkeeper Yohann Thuram- straight into the back of the net. It secured a crucial result for Jamaica, who now sits on top of Group C with six points.

Calvert Fitzgerald has decided to part ways with the management of Molynes United with immediate effect.

Following his resignation as head coach last evening, Fitzgerald had initially stayed on as the technical director but has since decided to sever ties with the club permanently.

He revealed that his decision to step aside as the technical director had to do with loyalty to his staff that he had brought in to work with him at the club.

After a two-year stint with the club, and just two games into the league this season, he has asked to be released from his contract. Fitzgerald also revealed that he was not happy with being relieved of his head coach duties and was no longer interested in staying at the club.

“I have asked for a termination letter, and I got it. My contract has now been officially terminated. They were asking me to be the technical director and I decided that I did not want that post, I prefer my contract to be terminated,” Fitzgerald said.

“I brought a staff, and I was contracted to the club for two years to be the head coach [and] technical director. So, if I relinquish the position as the coach then my staff would automatically have to go because the head coach that came in would bring in his people, as is the norm in football. So, even though I would still be there as the person in charge of the football, the people that I brought along would be out,” Fitzgerald continued.

Asked if there was any disagreement culminating in his resignation, Fitzgerald said he was unaware of any problems between himself and the club prior to Tuesday, July 13.

“No, everything started on Tuesday. Well, apparently things [were] happening that I did not know about, but the proposal was put to me on Tuesday.”

Plans are underway to finalize a mutual financial settlement, but the former head coach says that if the club is unwilling to satisfy his demands, he will be taking them to court.

“It depends on how we settle now, so if we can’t settle then it will end up in the court but if we can settle then we can see if it's alright.”

“But I have gotten the termination letter, so I am no longer [attached] to the club, so it is just for the financial aspect of the contract now to be concluded," Fitzgerald explained.

It is expected that both parties will meet next week to finalize the agreement, Sportsmax.TV has confirmed.

“Somebody will be doing that on my behalf, so we wouldn’t know until early next week when both parties meet or you know to see what is going to happen from then on,” Fitzgerald said.

However, chairman of Molynes United FC, Eurado Cornwall, says that the club’s executive members are currently discussing the matter and are expecting a decision to be made by today.

“Presently we are in an executive meeting right now discussing it, so as soon as we come to a conclusion, we will take it from there, hopefully, today (Thursday),” said Cornwall.

  Former champions Arnett Gardens came from behind to beat Humble Lion 2-1 in an exciting encounter in the final game of round three of the Jamaica Premier League at the Stadium East field on Monday.

Former Arnett Gardens star, Vishinul Harris opened the scoring for his new club Humble Lion in the 8th minute.  But goals by Jonoy Cunningham (14th) and Renaldo Cephas (75th) turned it around for the Junglists.

Harris latched on to a Levaughn Williams defense-splitting pass and slotted home, but Cunningham pulled Arnett Gardens level with a thumping header from an Oshane Roberts corner kick.

Then the lively and skilful Cephas, who missed a sitter in the 72nd minute, returned three minutes later and found the clincher in clinical fashion, side-footing home from close range in the 75th minute.

It was a very good win for Arnett as they moved into eighth spot with three points from two games. The Alex Thomas-coached outfit has a game in hand and sits just three points adrift of the leaders Portmore United.

Clarendon-based outfit Humble Lion remained at the bottom of the 11-team league. without a point from three games and with a lot of work to do.

Losing coach Andrew Price of Humble Lion said his team is getting fitter but they didn’t close down the opponents and paid the price.

“We didn’t press the Arnett Gardens team enough. They are a young team, full of energy, and if you don’t pressure then you won’t be able to gain the ascendancy,” Price said.

“I think we played in patches and weren’t very consistent throughout the game and we will just have to continue to work,” he added.

 “We didn’t play well enough today to win the game and we will have to accept that. We have to look in the mirror and see we weren’t good enough today.”

He remained optimistic that things will turn around for the better, but it will take time.

Dunbeholden assistant coach Ricardo Smith hailed the performance of standout midfielder Nickoy Christian for a man-of-the-match performance that inspired the team to its first win of the truncated Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season at the Stadium East Complex.

Throughout the game, it was Christian who controlled the tempo, marshalled the midfield, and was the key talisman behind all Dunbeholden’s set pieces.

In truth, from the opening whistle, Dunbeholden seemed to be the team that wanted it more. The blue and red-clad team were on the attack almost immediately and it paid dividends in the 5th minute of the game.

Off the end of Christian’s corner, veteran defender Andre Dyce latched on at the back post with a side-footed effort that nestled into the net for the opener and the only goal of the game.

A delighted Smith commended Christian’s performance and lauded his leadership in driving the team to a win.

“He took the team and was leading from the front, all the training sessions leading up to today. He was the leader from the warm-up to the game, he encouraged them, he did everything hence the performance today from him,” Smith explained.

However, Smith also commended his players for sticking to the game plan and stepping up to the challenge.

“We know that we had to come here today and soak up a lot of pressure because this team [Cavalier FC] is a ball possession team. And they are youthful, they run a lot, so we expected this from them. We talked about it we watched them before and we just gave it that strategy, we sit back and catch them on the counter,” he added.

This win came on the back of the new appointment of head coach Harold Thomas after losing their first two fixtures to Portmore United and Waterhouse FC, respectively.

Having won their first game and drawing their last, Cavalier FC suffered their first defeat of the season. Though it’s still early days, Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid acknowledges that they did not play well and that it was a tough defeat.

“I can’t put my finger on any one thing, but I think the early goal kind of stunned us. We were not able to be our usual standards and then the conditions were really breezy, very difficult to control the ball.”

On the day, Cavalier lacked the creativity that JPL is accustomed to seeing from them.

The Kingston-based team playing at home for the first time this season was, however, missing their main danger man Shaniel Thomas, Speid believes it hampered their way of playing.

Dunbeholden FC now moves from the bottom of the table to eighth position, on three points, while Cavalier FC remains in fourth on four points.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has been signed to represent HUMBL, the company announced today.

HUMBL provides merchant services software that is being developed to accommodate the migration by governments to digital forms of their national currency. It also serves to facilitate key functions like cross-border remittance, foreign exchange, bill payment, and lending products from smartphones.

“HUMBL has signed Jamaican track and field athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to represent the brand for the coming year,” it said on Twitter this morning.

“Excited to have you onboard, Shelly-Ann.

Fraser-Pryce, 34, is a GraceKennedy Global Brand Ambassador and a brand ambassador for digital company Digicel.

She is one of the most successful track and field athletes in history having won Olympic 100m titles in Beijing in 2008 and again in London in 2012. She was third in the 100m in 2016 in Rio. She goes for an unprecedented third Olympic title later this month in Tokyo.

In addition to her Olympic 100m titles, Fraser-Pryce is also a four-time World 100m champion. No other athlete - male or female - has ever won four 100m titles. She also has a 200m title from the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.

She won silver in the 200m at the 2012 London Games.

She won the World Indoor 60m title in 2014 and has won four Diamond League titles.

The Jamaica Football Federation has conveyed a message of congratulations to Christopher Samuda who was overwhelmingly returned as president of the Jamaica Olympic Association during an Extraordinary Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

The noted attorney will serve another four-year term after handsomely defeating challenger Alan Beckford 40-10 in the voting.

The significance of the vote of confidence was not lost on the JFF.

“The Jamaica Football Federation heartily congratulates Mr Christopher Samuda on his re-election as President of the Jamaica Olympic Association,” it said in a statement.

“The overwhelming support given to his re-election is an indication of the quality of leadership he has given, especially as he has extended the support of the JOA to many non-traditional sporting entities even whilst maintaining guidance to the traditional sports.

“The JFF has benefitted in many ways from his stewardship in particular in the recharging of professional football and overall guidance on other initiatives. We extend congratulations to the entire executive including our own Vice President Raymond Anderson and the first female 1st Vice- President of the JOA, Jacqueline Cowan. We look forward to forging an even stronger working relationship with the JOA going forward.”

Cowan of the Jamaica Volleyball Association defeated incumbent first Vice-President Nelson Stokes 29-11.

Robert Scott is the second vice-president after defeating Ian Forbes, 33-17.

Nichole Case was unopposed as treasurer.

2011 World Champion Yohan Blake clocked his fastest time this year after winning the men’s 100m at Friday’s American Track League in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 31-year-old got a solid start before putting away the field to finish in a time of 9.95.  The Jamaican was the only athlete in the field to dip below 10 seconds.

American Elijah Hall was second in 10.08 and his compatriot Kyree King third in 10.12.  Another Caribbean athlete in the race, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Jason Rodgers was fifth in 10.26.  Another Jamaican, Javoy Tucker finished eighth in 10.35.

Blake finished in second position at his country’s national trials two weeks ago but has vowed to leave the Olympic Games later this month with a medal.  The sprinter, who has the second-fastest time recorded over both the 100m and 200m was excited by his performance with the Olympics just a few weeks away.

“I am very excited about the time; give God thanks,” said Blake.

“This is going to be my last Olympic, and I am looking forward to it. Definitely, I am not leaving that stadium (Tokyo 2020) without a medal.”

Following her victory in the triple jump at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco today, Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts said she feels like she is on track for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics that gets underway later this month.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce admits she was not happy to lose to Elaine Thompson-Herah at the 2021 Gyulai István Memorial in Hungary on Tuesday but says she has time to fix what went wrong in the race.

Thompson-Herah, the 2016 Olympic champion, stormed to victory in 10.71 to turn the tables on her compatriot and fierce rival, who had beaten her at the Jamaica Olympic trials on the night of Friday, June 25.

“If I am being honest, nobody is happy when they lose. It is what it is,” said Fraser-Pryce, who ran 10.82 for second place in Hungary.

“You know what you need to do, you know what happened in the race and you know what needs to be fixed and I think you have that time to fix it.

“You can always go back, you can watch the race and where your downfall was and how you work to make sure that it doesn’t happen in the Olympics. It’s a moment for learning and you use it to fuel you for the next one.”

However, the four-time world 100m champion said she is excited about the depth of talent among the Jamaican women that currently has several of the best female sprinters in the world including Shericka Jackson, Briana Williams, Kemba Nelson and Thompson-Herah.

With regard to the men, she believes patience is required.

“The men always have trouble. There are always some issues with the men,” she joked.

“On the female side, I think females are a lot more competitive so it’s almost as if its innate for them to always want to compete and do what’s necessary while for the men, I don’t know what’s the issue, but I definitely think that eventually, it will work itself out.

“It always happens. Before we had Usain, we had a lull, so I think we just have to give it time and I think they have to want it more for themselves than anything else and I think they don’t need to think about filling Usain’s shoes because those are huge shoes to fill. They just have to focus on them and what they’re able to do to show what they have to offer to the sport.”

Fraser-Pryce competes over 200m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco today. She will go up against Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Marie Josee Ta Lou in what is expected to be a competitive race.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz have established themselves as genuine title contenders in the flagship Concacaf Gold Cup.

Over the three consecutive editions, the Jamaicans were beaten finalists in 2015 (3-1 to Mexico) and 2017 (2-1 to the United States), and were losing semi-finalists in 2019 (3-1 to the U.S.), performances that underline their pedigree in the biennial tournament.

Having come so close to being crowned champions, the only thing left for the Reggae Boyz at this stage it seems is to lift the trophy.

Still, veteran Damion Lowe says while the team will be targeting the title, it’s a goal they aim to pursue with an air of cautious optimism, and with as little pressure as possible.

“There is no pressure because people always write us off, and even now people don’t give us the recognition that we deserve and how good we are as a team, especially in tournaments,” he said.

“Nobody expected us to become a powerhouse in Concacaf as we started from scratch and built the programme,” Lowe added.

When Jamaica kick-starts its Group C campaign against Suriname at Exploria Stadium in Orlando on July 12, Lowe notes that the plan is to let the country’s football do the talking.

“So for us, the job is the same and that’s to prove people wrong. We will do our best and let the football speak for itself,” said the Al-Ittihad defender, who will be participating in his third Gold Cup tournament.

Lowe, 28, says he has grown to love playing in the Gold Cup.

“Playing in the Gold Cup tournament is always a joy. We are grateful for the experience and how far we have come as a nation and we just want to move on to higher heights,” he said.

The Jamaicans, who are currently hosting a pre-tournament training camp in Orlando, have quality within their ranks with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon and Bailey and former Manchester United wonder kid Ravel Morrison.

With the pair, plus a host of English-born players and local-bred talent, the Boyz are quite capable of ruffling more than just a few feathers in the 2021 edition of the confederation’s marquee competition.

The Boyz also have group stage matches against Costa Rica and Guadeloupe.

Meanwhile, Lowe says he is still getting used to life playing in the Egyptian topflight.

The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), sports’ parent body locally, will be investing $15 million into its Equipment Grant to benefit its member bodies.

Financing for the program was secured through a three-year partnership worth $45 million with Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL). At the time when the agreement was signed in April, the JOA had made known its plans to make funds available to sporting associations for equipment, noting that it is critical to building capacity for sport and the performance of athletes.

This is the second activation of the Supreme Ventures partnership with the JOA after they invested $7.5 million in the Jamaica National Trials last month.

Also, for some associations, the acquisition of equipment has been expensive and beyond their grasp, which has consequences for athletes whose daily regimen of exercise constitutes training with equipment, which is vital to their preparation and overall development.

The Equipment Grant is another facet of the JOA’s Olympic Invest initiative that was launched in 2020, which has, among its primary objectives, the sustainability and viability of Olympic and non-Olympic sports. Some of the members that will be benefitting from this grant are Jamaica Triathlon Association, Jamaica Wrestling Federation, Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, Jamaica Cricket Association and Jamaica Lawn Bowling Association.

With an oft-expressed view to equip and empower its member associations by providing the means to opportunity and success, the JOA further maintains the provision of the equipment is enabling sport with the required tools of the trade.

This program follows upon the recently announced partnership with select members of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council to raise $200 million through a ‘Dollar Plan’ campaign that will be done later this year. These funds raised will be used to expand the JOA funding portfolio to support a wider diversity in sports over the next quadrennial.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is hopeful she will improve on her 200m lifetime best when she competes at the Diamond League’s Herculis meet in Monaco where she goes up against Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Marie Josee Ta Lou on Friday.