Day 8 of Track and Field at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a day of mixed emotions for Caribbean athletes, highlighted by a standout performance from Jamaica's women in the 4x100m relay. As the morning session unfolded, the Jamaican quartet delivered a strong run to secure their place in the finals, a beacon of hope on an otherwise challenging day for the region.

The Jamaican team, comprised of Alana Reid, Kemba Nelson, Shashalee Forbes, and Tia Clayton finished third in their heat with a season-best time of 42.35 seconds, which placed them sixth overall and earned them a coveted spot in the finals.

In stark contrast, Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s relay team faced disappointment. Despite their best efforts, they finished eighth in their heat with a time of 43.99 seconds, which was not enough to advance to the finals. The team, consisting of Akilah Lewis, Sole Frederick, Sanaa Frederick, and Leah Bertrand, gave it their all but ultimately fell short.

The men’s 4x100m relay saw similar heartbreak for Jamaica. The team, made up of Ackeem Blake, Jelani Walker, Jehlani Gordon, and Kishane Thompson, ran a season-best time of 38.45 seconds but finished fourth in their heat and 11th overall, failing to make it to the finals. It was a bitter pill to swallow as they had high hopes for a strong finish.

Elsewhere, the Caribbean faced tough outcomes in other events.

In the women's shot put, Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron, along with Trinidad & Tobago's Portious Warren, did not advance past the qualification round. Thomas-Dodd threw 18.12m, Cameron achieved a season-best of 18.02m, and Warren managed 17.22m. Their efforts were valiant but fell short of the 19.15m qualification standard, ending their Olympic journeys in this event.

The women's 100m hurdles also saw Caribbean athletes falling short. Emelia Chatfield of Haiti and Denisha Cartwright of the Bahamas competed fiercely but did not make it past the repechage round. Chatfield finished sixth in her heat with a time of 13.24 seconds, while Cartwright was seventh, clocking 13.45 seconds. Despite their strong performances, they were unable to advance to the semifinals.

In the men's 800m, St Vincent and the Grenadines' Handal Roban, Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson, and Dominica’s Dennick Luke all faced similar fates in the repechage round. Roban finished fourth with a time of 1:45.80, Anderson fifth in his heat with 1:46.01, and Luke set a national record of 1:46.81 but finished sixth in his heat. None of these times were sufficient to move on to the semifinals, marking the end of their Olympic campaigns in this event.

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).

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).

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.

Jamaica’s Jevaughn Powell and Trinidad & Tobago’s Leah Bertrand were among the Caribbean podium finishers at Friday’s Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Florida.

Powell, who took third in the 400m at both the NCAA Championships and Jamaican National Championships in June, completed his final preparation for Paris with a 20.21 clocking for second in the 200m on Friday.

American Erriyon Knighton ran 19.92 to win while another American, Robert Gregory, ran 20.33 in third.

Bertrand, fresh off her second national 100m title in June, ran 11.18 for third behind American Candice Hill and Nigerian Favour Ofili. Hill and Ofili both ran the same time of 11.07.

The upcoming Olympic Games in Paris will be the first for the 21-year-old Ohio State Junior.

Bertrand's countrywoman, Tyra Gittens, was second in the long jump with a best mark of 6.37m in the sixth and final round. The event was won by American Tionna Tobias with a massive personal best of 6.94m while countrywoman Jasmine Todd was third with 6.17m.

Bahamian Charisma Taylor, who will be competing in the 100m hurdles in Paris, finished third in the triple jump on Friday with 13.63m.

American’s Kenturah Orji and Jasmine Moore finished first and second with 14.08m and 14.06m, respectively.

Jamaica’s Skyler Franklin ran 51.01 for third in the women’s 400m behind Americans Aaliyah Butler (50.14) and Bailey Lear (50.51).

Jamaican quarter-miler Anthony Cox prepared for his stint at the upcoming World Championships in Eugene, Oregon by winning the Men’s 400m gold medal at the Caribbean Games at the Stade du Gosier in Guadeloupe on Saturday.

Cox, who ran 45.65 for third at the Jamaican National Championships in Kingston on June 26, produced 45.48, his second fastest time, to win ahead of Barbados’ Kyle Gayle (46.23) and Cuba’s Lenord Padilla (46.24).

The Women’s equivalent was won by the Dominican Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil Mendez in 51.31 ahead of the Bahamas’ Megan Moss (52.53) and Cuba’s Suan Rodriguez Mauricio (53.70).

Rasheem Brown of the Cayman Islands ran 13.72 to win the Men’s 110m hurdles ahead of the Bahamas’ Oscar Smith (13.96) and Guadeloupe’s Erwann Abenaqu (14.00).

Trinidad and Tobago’s team of Tamia Badel, individual 100m champion Akilah Lewis, Naomi Campbell and Leah Bertrand ran 45.19 for gold in the Women’s 4x100m relay ahead of Cuba (45.47) and the Dominican Republic (46.21).

Their Men’s team of Jayden Moore, Kion Benjamin who won the individual 100m title on Friday, Che Lara and Lorenzo Luces ran 41.64 for second in the Men’s sprint relay behind the Dominican Republic (41.31).

The British Virgin Islands quartet of Mikkel Bassue, Vadley Sylvester, Malik John and Ke’andrae Campbell ran 42.24 for bronze.

In the field, Barbados took silver and bronze in the Men’s triple jump through Jemuel Miller (16.28m) and Nathan Crawford-Wallis (16.11m). The event was won by Cuba’s Andy Salazar with a 16.40m effort.

The BVI’s Dijmon Gumbs threw 17.99m for silver in the Men’s shot put behind Cuba’s Juan Gomez (18.09m). Puerto Rico’s Jorge Nazario threw 17.60m for bronze.

St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred can now call herself the inaugural Caribbean Games Women’s 100m Champion after winning the event at the Stade du Gosier in Guadeloupe on Friday.

Alfred ran 11.34 in the preliminaries before returning to run 11.07 to comfortably win the final ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Akilah Lewis (11.55) and Leah Bertrand (11.57).

Alfred goes into the World Championships in Eugene later this month on the back of some excellent form. The Texas standout ran a personal best and national record 10.81, the fourth fastest time on the world this year, at the Big 12 Championships on May 14.

She then went on run 11.02 to win the 100m at the NCAA Championships on June 11.

Meanwhile, Trinidad & Tobago’s Kion Benjamin ran 10.36 to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of Franquelo Perez Occena of the Dominican Republic (10.55) and Antigua’s Darrion Skerritt (10.72).

Jamaica’s Anthony Cox, who was named in their World Championships squad on Friday as well, ran 46.15 to lead all qualifiers into the Men’s 400m final while the Dominican Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil Fernandez (51.11) led all qualifiers in the Women’s equivalent.

Elsewhere, Puerto Rico’s Paola Fernandez Sola won the Women’s long jump with a 6.15m effort ahead of Cuba’s Yani Carrion Cremdelly (5.81m) and Guyana’s Chantoba Bright (5.85m).

Antigua’s Sheldon Noble jumped 7.31m to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of the Cayman Islands’ Louis Gordon (7.23m) and Grenada’s Nishon Pierre (6.91m).