Jamaican Olympic sprinter, Shericka Jackson, has secured another significant milestone in her career after becoming the first brand ambassador for the Scotia Group.

Jackson cemented her place in the bank’s 132-year history, in Jamaica, when she signed her first local corporate endorsement deal on Thursday.

The sponsorship arrangement with the financial institution comes months ahead of the 2022 World Athletics Championships scheduled for July 15-24 in the United States and will see the bank giving support to the athlete’s career for the next three years.

The partnership will see the two-time Olympian representing Scotiabank as she competes across the globe and continues to excel both on and off the track.

Audrey Tugwell-Henry, President and CEO, Scotia Group Jamaica, lauded Jackson for her career accomplishments and welcomed her to the Scotiabank family.

“We are beyond elated to welcome Shericka to the Scotiabank family and we are very honoured to be part of her journey. This is a proud ‘first’ for us at Scotiabank and we are very excited to be able to partner with such a dynamic athlete, who is loved both locally and internationally,” she said.

Noting that Scotiabank has been a long-time supporter of sports development regionally, Tugwell Henry shared that the Olympian will also be involved in promoting the many financial solutions that the Bank offers and will be involved in the company’s philanthropic efforts that uplift and inspire young people.

“At Scotiabank, we are big on both youth and sports development, which is evidenced through our various youth sports sponsorships and other community-based ventures over the years. This partnership also perfectly aligns with our overarching philanthropic focus. We look forward to involving Shericka in our future initiatives as she continues to inspire young people to strive for excellence,” Tugwell-Henry shared.

Speaking at the celebratory event held in her honour, Jackson expressed gratitude to Scotiabank for supporting her career and registered her readiness to represent the brand.

“I feel very excited and honoured to be welcomed to the Scotiabank family and I am tremendously grateful to the institution for investing in my abilities and dreams,” the Olympian stated.

“Growing up as a young person in Jamaica, I have always known Scotiabank to be a trusted financial force which has a longstanding reputation of being safe, dependable and innovative - much like my own ongoing ambitions in athletics, and so this partnership represents a perfect synergy for both of us,” Jackson added.

Jackson is a dynamic sprinter who has accumulated numerous medals in the 400 metres, 4x400m relay and most recently, 100, 200 and 4x100m events.  Last year, she won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while forming part of the Jamaican sprint queen trio, that dominated the track throughout the season.  She also won gold for Jamaica at the Tokyo Olympics, running the anchor leg on the Jamaican 4x100m relay team.

She is one of few women to simultaneously run sub-11 and sub-22 seconds in the 100 and 200 m respectively, and have a personal best below 50 seconds in the 400-metre event.

Jamaica and Texas A&M high jumper Lamara Distin set the field alight with a new national record and world-leading mark at the Don Kirby Invitational on Friday.

The 21-year-old sophomore recorded a clearance of 1.92m, which bettered her own previous best of 1.88m that had seen her tied on the country’s national best list with two other jumpers, Kimberly Williamson and Sheree Ruff, for second place. 

Her new mark broke the record of 1.90m set in March 2002 by Maresa Cadienhead.  On the way to the record, Distin cleared heights of 1.78m, 1.83m, 1.86m, and 1.89m before soaring to the record and the event title.

The jump also moved Distin ahead of Texas Tech's Sydney Sapp in the NCAA leaders table after both were previously tied at 1.88m.

Jamaica Olympic bronze medallist Shericka Jackson clocked the fastest indoor time of her career over 60m for second place at the Tyson Invitational, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center on Friday.

Making her indoor debut for the season, Jackson clocked a new best of 7.12 but was well behind winner Mary Beth Sant-Price of the United States who clocked 7.04 to win the event. 

Sant-Price’s time is the second-fastest in the world this year behind Eva Swoboda who clocked 7.00 at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Lodz.  Another Jamaican, Natasha Morrison finished third in 7.35, with the Bahamas’ Anthonique Strachan fifth in 7.41.  A third Jamaican in the race Shockoria Wallace finished 6^th in 7.47.

The men’s equivalent was captured by another Jamaica, Nigel Ellis, who took top spot in 6.90.  His compatriot long jumper Tajya Gayle, who is expected to do more sprinting this season, was second with 6.95, which was also his personal best.

In other events, Jamaica’s Ronald Levy finished third in the men’s 60m hurdles with a time of 7.98.  The event was won by Australia’s Chris Douglas in 7.64, with Jamal Britt second in 7.83.

USA sprinter Justin Gatlin has announced his retirement from the sport of track and field at the age of 40.

The sprinter enjoyed a long career tinged with success but also with controversy.  Gatlin announced his retirement via social media platform Instagram, via a post entitled ‘Dear Track’.

“I have loved you track. You gave me tears of sadness and of joy, lessons learned that will never be forgotten,” Gatlin wrote.

“The torch is passed but the love will never fade. On your mark, get set … Gone!”

The athlete who won 100m gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was one of few to register wins at the highest level over Jamaica superstar Usain Bolt.  He went to complete a 100m and 200m sprint double at the World Championships in Helsinki, in 2005, he then won 100m gold at the 2017 Worlds in London, handing the big Jamaican sprinter a rare defeat at a major Games.

Gatlin was also, however, plagued by doping suspension, his first coming in 2001 and arising from the use of Adderall, which contains amphetamine. He had been using the drug since childhood to treat attention deficit disorder.

A second positive test in 2006 found excessive levels of testosterone in his system.  He was banned for eight years for that offense, later reduced to four years on appeal.

The issue of whether or not spectators will be allowed to attend the upcoming Carifta Games is yet to be resolved and remains a key area of focus for organisers.

The regional junior track and field event is expected to be staged in Jamaica for the first time since 2011 and more specifically return to the city of Kingston for the first time since 1996, in April of this year.

With the country and globe still in the midst of battling the coronavirus pandemic, however, the situation regarding the possibility of spectators and the number of spectators that can attend a given event, as always, remains a fluid and often tenuous process.

For example, recently it was announced that another upcoming track meet, the Gibson Relays, would be allowed to have spectators in attendance.  Only a few weeks ago, however, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) was denied permission for fans to enter the National Stadium for the country’s World Cup qualifiers.

Chairman of the local organising committee of the 2022 Carifta Games, Mike Fennell, revealed negotiations regarding the situation of fans were ongoing.

“We have a meeting set up with the agencies and ministries in providing the sort of regulations that will exist,” Fennell said.

“We have not finalized anything yet because we know that that is a moving target and the times are not static, but we continue to have meetings and there is goodwill all around,” he added.

“Everyone accepts the importance of having these games.  They're not for the seniors, they’re for the juniors but it is critical in the development of the sport.”

The Jamaican duo of Britany Anderson, Christopher Taylor were crowned winners as many of track and field’s elites from all over the globe converged, at the Armory New Balance Track and Field Centre in New York, to take part in the 114^th edition of the Millrose Games.

In fact, it was a Caribbean 1-2 in the Women’s 60m Hurdles with Anderson running a personal best 7.91 to win ahead of Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas who ran 7.95 for second.  Tonea Marshall of the USA was third in 7.99.

Former Calabar standout and Olympic 400m finalist Taylor ran 46.38 to win the Men’s 400m ahead of the USA’s Vernon Norwood in 46.45 and American 800m record holder Donovan Brazier in 46.55.

2020 Olympic 110m Hurdles bronze medallist Devon Allen won the Men’s 60m Hurdles, adding to his wins in the 2018 and 2019 Millrose Games, in a world-leading 7.53 ahead of Daniel Roberts who ran 7.56 for second while Shane Brathwaite from Barbados was third in 7.67.

Aleia Hobbs of the USA won the Women’s 60m with 7.11 ahead of teammate Mikiah Briscoe who ran 7.15. 16-year-old American Shawnti Jackson ran a US high-school record 7.18 for third while Jamaica’s Briana Williams was fourth in 7.22.

2019 100m World Champion Christian Coleman made a winning return to the track, after a 2-year suspension, with a time of 6.49 to win the Men’s 60m.

Trayvon Bromell finished second in 6.50 while Ronnie Baker was third in 6.54.

Jamaica’s former Olympic and World champion in the 110m Hurdles, Omar McLeod, was sixth in 6.70.

Jamaica’s Tovea Jenkins and Roniesha McGregor were third and fourth in the Women’s 400m in 54.14 and 54.24, respectively.

The event was won by Wadeline Jonathas of the USA in 52.51.

Jamaica’s Olympic 800m finalist Natoya Goule was second in the Women’s 800m 2:02.14 behind the USA’s Ajee Wilson who ran 2:01.38 for victory.

Reigning World and Olympic champion, Steve Gardiner, registered the fastest time ever recorded indoors over 300m, after clocking a blistering 31.56 at the South Carolina Invitational, in Colombia, on Friday.

The Bahamian looked in splendid form in just his second race of the season, having set a national record of 32.06 over the distance three weeks ago.  The new time obliterated the previous best of 31.87 set by the USA’s Noah Lyles in 2017.

Jamaica’s Nathon Allen finished behind Gardiner in 32.54.  The result was a personal best for Allen who left the Jamaica-based MVP track club late last year to join Gardiner at Empire Athletics in Florida. 

Trinidad and Tobago’s Asa Guevara won heat two in 33.49, ahead of another Bahamian Kinard Rolle who was second in 34.49.  Another Jamaica, Ronald Sayles, was second in heat 3 with a time of 34.31.  The event was won by Chance Arinze (33.42).

Puerto Rican Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the women’s event, in the process clocking 36.52 and breaking her own national record set two weeks ago.

In other events, Guyana’s Aliyah Abraham also recorded a new personal best in the women’s 400m after clocking 52.05 to win the event ahead of Diamond League champion Quanera Hayes who was second in 52.31.

Sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah and sprint hurdler, Hansle Parchment, were named Jamaica’s National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year for 2021, at the RJRGleaner Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards ceremony held on Friday night.

The event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thompson-Herah had a phenomenal 2021 season, which included her winning the 100m at the Diamond League final in Zurich and running 10.54 at the Eugene Diamond League to become the fastest woman alive and second fastest woman of all time.

Her greatest achievement in 2021, however, would have to be when she became the first woman in history to win the sprint double at consecutive Olympic Games.

Backing up her exploits from Rio in 2016, Thompson-Herah produced times of 10.61 and 21.53 to win gold medals in both the 100m and 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, in addition to being a part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team, alongside Briana Williams, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who finished as runner-up for the Sportswoman of the Year award, and Shericka Jackson, that won the gold medal in a national record 41.02.

Parchment shocked the world to win gold in the Men’s 110m Hurdles in Tokyo, nine years after his bronze medal performance at the London Olympics.

He ran 13.04 to win gold in Tokyo ahead of prohibitive favourite Grant Holloway of the USA.

The past student of Morant Bay High and Kingston College was also third at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

His teammate Ronald Levy, who was the runner-up for the Sportsman of the Year Award, took home the bronze medal in Tokyo.

Other major awards given out on the day include the Chairman's Award to veteran journalist Lance Whittaker; the People's Choice "Performance of the Year Award" to Fraser McConnell; the VM Group Y.O.U.T.H Award to sprinter Tina Clayton and the Gleaner Newspaper Iconic Award to Michael Holding.

Jamaica and Oregon sprinter, Kemba Nelson, picked up where she left off last season with a narrow win in the women’s 60m at the Cougar Classic Invitational in Spokane.

The reigning NCAA champion only narrowly got the better of Double Pillar Athletics sprinter Destiny Smith-Barnett.  In fact, both athletes were given the same time of 7.19 after crossing the line but it was Nelson who had the better time when the photo finish was used.  Oregon’s Jadyn Mays was third in 7.27. 

Elsewhere jumper Lamara Distin, a sophomore at Texas A&M, cleared an indoor personal-best 1.88m to win the women’s high jump at the two-day Ted Nelson Invitational.  Nissi Kabongo of Stephen Austin recorded the second-best mark with 1.85m, while Texas’ Allyson Andress was third with 1.73.

Jamaican sprinter, Briana Williams, equalled her indoor 60m personal best of 7.18 seconds to finish third at the 2022 LSU Purple Tiger Invitational on Friday.

After running 7.20 in her heat to advance, Williams finished third in the final behind the American pair of Aleia Hobbs who ran 7.10 for the win, and Mikiah Briscoe who ran 7.17 for second.

Williams had previously run 7.18 in New York in February 2020.

A double sprint world junior champion in 2018, Williams represented Jamaica as a senior for the first time last year at the Tokyo Olympics, running the opening leg on Jamaica's gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team.

The 19-year-old currently has personal bests of 10.97 in the 100m and 22.50 in the 200m.

Jamaica track and field icon, Usain Bolt, has hailed American sprinter Justin Gatlin for keeping him sharp throughout his career.

Bolt, who remains the world record holder over both the 100 and 200 metres, retired from the sport in 2017.  His rivalry with the American, though statistically, a tad one-sided at times, was one of the most abiding and, at times, fiercest in the sport of track and field, particularly when the two-faced the starter at major games.

On the biggest stage, it was Gatlin who triumphed in the first two encounters.  Bolt failed to advance past the first round at the 2004 Olympics and it was Gatlin who went on to claim the 200m title, adding to 100m crown, which was won prior.

One year later, Gatlin left the Jamaican far behind in the 200m final to take the sprint double at the 2005 World Championship in Helsinki.  The two did not face off at the 2007 World Championship as Gatlin was banned from the sport for four years after testing positive for a banned substance in 2006.  On that occasion, Bolt finished second to another American Tyson Gay.

From 2008, however, it was Bolt who became the premier force in world sprinting and outside of the rare blip in Osaka 2011, where he false-started in the 100m, when undefeated at major games for almost 9 years.  Gatlin returned to the sport in 2010 but found it impossible to get the better of the Jamaican.  He was eliminated at the semi-final stage of the 2011 World Championships, placed third at 2012 Olympics, was second at the 2013 World Championships.  Gatlin again finished runner-up to Bolt in both the 100m and 200m at the 2015 World Championships and again took silver at Rio Olympics in 2016. 

The American did, however, manage to turn the tables on Bolt at the 2017 World Championships where he claimed gold, with the Jamaican finishing in third place in the final race before he retired. 

  “Justin Gatlin played a very important role in keeping me motivated because he kept me on my toes, he kept me working out,” Bolt explained during Puma's Only See Great campaign.

“He kept me knowing that every season he’s going to be there, if I want to be the best I have to be ready and be prepared to beat him," he added.

Overall, the Jamaican leads the head-to-head match-up between the athletes with a 9-2 advantage, but he admits with Gatlin and others around he always had to look over his shoulder.

"The rivalries were strong and for me Tyson and Justin and Asafa and Blake, they really pushed me through my career to stay on top of my game at all times to be the best me."

Promising young USA sprinter, Trayvon Bromell, has hailed the positive impact of Jamaican track icon Usain Bolt and compatriot Yohan Blake, particularly during the low point of his career.

The 25-year-old Bromell, who showed prodigious talent as a junior, suffered several injury setbacks early in his senior career.  The sprinter announced himself as one for the future after finishing third in the 100m at the 2015 Beijing World Championships.  Just a few years later, however, Bromell had gone through two ankle surgeries, the second putting him out of track and field for up to two years.  He then tore an adductor soon after his return in 2019.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which was held in 2021, was supposed to be a comeback year for the American sprinter.  After qualifying for the Olympics, however, he subsequently failed to make the final and was left despondent.  According to the American, Blake, who himself suffered career-threatening injuries during his time, was the first to reach out.

 “It’s been humbling and an honour for them to even support me and they’ve helped me through hard times. After the Games, Yohan came and sat down with me in Tokyo and told me how proud he was of my comeback,” Bromell told Essentially Sports.

The young runner has also received encouragement from Bolt and spoke glowingly of his strong connection to the duo.

“I’ve got a real strong connection with both Usain and Yohan,” said the US Sprinter. “I’ve talked to both of them during this process when I’ve been coming back.”

Jamaica's treble Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah has been named the AIPS Best Female Athlete of 2021.

This follows a poll by the International Sports Press Association, where a panel of 529 journalists from 114 countries voted for the champions of 2021. Joining Thompson-Herah in receiving the top honour is Polish footballer Robert Lewandowski, who has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2021.

The former Manchester High School student, who was named the World Female Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2021 earlier this month, retained her Olympic 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and added a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay. She also ran world-leading times of 10.54 and 21.53 over 100m and 200m respectively, moving to second on the world all-time lists for each discipline.

She topped the AIPS poll with 605 points, ahead of Spanish footballer Alexia Putellas (490 points) and Venezuela's world triple jump record-holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (346 points).

Other athletics stars joining Thompson-Herah and Rojas in the top 10 are Kenya's Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who claimed 5000m and 10,000m titles in Tokyo as well as 1500m bronze.

Joining Lewandowski in the top 10 for the men's award are Norway's Karsten Warholm, who was named the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year, plus his fellow world record-holders and Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.

Thompson-Herah has also been named Athletics Weekly’s Female Athlete of the Year, NACAC Female Athlete of the Year and Diamond League Athletics’ Most Consistent Athlete in women’s sprints for 2021.

Cyclist Nicholas Paul and track and field athlete Michelle Lee Ahye walked away with the top male and female honours at the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee 27^th Annual Awards Ceremony held on Wednesday evening.

In the event, which was broadcast over video-conferencing platform Zoom, Paul and Ahye were named TTOC’s senior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively for 2021.

TTOC President Brian Lewis addressed the virtual audience before the distribution of awards.

“In 2021, our athletes showed that they faced their fears. They went to Tokyo and gave their best. They did not make excuses and of course, they showed emotional, physical, and mental stamina by facing their disappointments, their failures, their mistakes, and the criticism of those who weren’t in the arena; who didn’t have to overcome economic issues, lack of training issues, doubt issues, death in their families and close circles,” said Lewis.

“As we look forward to 2022, we are encouraged by the example and the discipline and resolve shown by team TTO at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Junior Pan Am Games,” he added.

It was Ahye’s fourth time holding the title after winning from 2016-2018 while Paul received the award for the second time, his first coming back in 2019.

Paul, the current world-record holder in the Men’s flying 200m, earned the top male award based on his silver medal performance in the Men’s one-kilometre time-trial at the UCI Tissot World Track Cycling Championship in Roubaix, France, back in October.

He was also sixth in the Men’s Sprint at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Ahye was deemed the top female based on her ninth-place finish in the Women’s 100m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she narrowly missed out on the final.

Swimmer Nikoli Blackman, a member of T&T’s teams at both the Pan Am Junior Games and Swimming World Championships (SC) this year, was named Junior Sportsman of the Year for the second consecutive year, and track and field athlete Rae-Anne Serville, now representing USC, was Junior Sportswoman of the Year.

Olympic long jump finalist and 2021 NCAA Heptathlon Champion at Texas A&M, Tyra Gittens, was named the Sports Personality of the Year and reacted to it on her Instagram page on Wednesday.

“Blessed to receive the Sports Personality award during the TTOC 27^th Annual Award Ceremony this evening. I can’t wait to represent TTO again next year,” she said.

West Indies senior women’s vice-captain Anissa Mohammed won the Future is Female award.

Jamaican double-double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was named by Diamond League Most Consistent Athlete in the women’s sprints for the 2021 season on Monday.

Thompson-Herah won four races on the Diamond League circuit for the year, in addition to her three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in July.

She ran times of 10.54 and 10.72 to win the 100m at the Eugene and Paris Diamond League meets on August 21^st and August 28^th, respectively, before winning the event at the Diamond League Final in Zurich in 10.65 on September 9^th.

The former Manchester High School student also finished second in the 100m, at the Lausanne Diamond League, in 10.64 on August 26^th.

Her only 200m win on the Diamond League circuit this year came in Gateshead where she ran 22.43 on July 13^th.

The honour follows the trend of a trophy-filled festive period for the sprinter as she has already been named World Female Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, Athletics Weekly’s Female Athlete of the Year, and the NACAC Female Athlete of the Year in the month of December.

She is also widely favored to be named the RJR Sportswoman of the Year for 2021.