Day 7 of the Track and Field events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games saw a mixed bag of results for Caribbean athletes. While Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford and Yona Knight-Wisdom had commendable performances, the Bahamas’ Rhema Otabor faced disappointment in the women’s javelin throw.

Beckford Advances to Men’s High Jump final

Jamaica's Romaine Beckford emerged as the standout performer in the men's high jump qualification rounds, securing his place in the finals. Beckford cleared 2.24m in Group B, placing third in the group and eighth overall. Despite none of the athletes meeting the automatic qualification standard of 2.29m, Beckford's performance was strong enough to earn him a spot in the final, scheduled for August 10.

Meanwhile, it was a challenging day for the Bahamas' Donald Thomas, who failed to register a mark in Group A and was unable to advance. The qualification round was led by Shelby McEwen of the United States, who cleared 2.27m.

 Knight-Wisdom a reserve in Men’s 3m Springboard final

In the men's three-metre springboard semi-finals, Jamaica's Yona Knight-Wisdom delivered an impressive performance, finishing 13th overall with a total score of 412.40 points. This placed him as a reserve for the final, prepared to step in if any of the top 12 qualifiers are unable to compete.

Knight-Wisdom showcased his diving prowess with a series of six dives, highlighted by his highest-scoring dive, the Forward 3½ Somersaults in Pike position, which earned him 74.40 points. Other notable dives included the Forward 2½ Somersaults 2 Twists in Pike position (73.10 points) and the Forward 2½ Somersaults 1 Twist in Pike position (72.00 points). His overall consistency secured his 13th place finish and a potential spot in the finals set for August 8.

Bahamas’ Otabor does not advance in Women’s Javelin Throw

In the women’s javelin throw, the Bahamas' Rhema Otabor will not advance to the next round. Otabor placed 13th in Group A with a throw of 57.67m, resulting in a 27th place overall finish, which was not sufficient to meet the qualification standard of 62m.

Despite the setback, Otabor’s career achievements at the age of 21 are noteworthy. She has already claimed the 2024 NCAA championship, the 2023 Pan American Games silver medal, and the 2023 NACAC U23 title. Additionally, she earned a bronze medal at the 2022 NACAC Championships and finished fourth in the 2021 World U20 Championships.

Poland's Maria Andrejczyk led the qualification round with a season-best throw of 65.52m, setting the bar high for the competition.

Aquatics Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) president Lance Rochester says the achievements of Yona Knight-Wisdom, Sabrina Lyn and Josh Kirlew in making the cut for this summer’s Paris Olympic Games are not just personal victories, but are pivotal in adding to a legacy for Jamaican aquatics sports.

Rochester’s sentiments came as he highlighted the importance of continued investment in training and youth development programmes, in particular, to sustain and grow all eight disciplines –swimming, open water swimming, master’s swimming, artistic swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, and beach water polo –across the aquatics umbrella.

British-born Knight-Wisdom, 29, the country’s diving flagbearer, continues to inspire with his dedication and remarkable skill, as he secured qualification to a third-straight Olympic Games, following appearances at the 2016 and 2020 Games.

Sabrina Lyn

For 18-year-old Lyn and British-born Kirlew, 24, it will be their first outing at the global multi-sport showpiece, as they were selected as the country’s highest ranked athletes to fill the two universality spots allotted to the ASAJ.

“Visibility is critical in sports and those who compete at the highest level help to inspire the next generation. Ultimately, the ASAJ wants to bring all of the eight disciplines which are currently under the umbrella to the top of the world stage and we are working assiduously towards laying the foundation to achieve that goal over time,” Rochester told SportsMax.TV.

“With regard to diving, the ASAJ is looking forward to the development of this discipline and the support which Yona continues to provide. After Paris, Yona will be in Jamaica hosting another installment of his diving camp, which aims to develop a generation of local divers. So we are committed to nurturing and developing talent so that Jamaica continues to shine in aquatics sports,” he added.

Josh Kirlew

While there were concerns that the retirement of the decorated Alia Atkinson, Keanan Dols, Kelsie Campbell and others, would take away from Jamaica having at least one prominent figure on the world stage, Rochester could not be more thrilled about Knight-Wisdom, Lyn and Kirlew’s upcoming Olympic Games participation.

In fact, the president viewed the trio’s efforts in maintaining a competitive presence as invaluable for Jamaica's growing reputation in aquatics sports.

“It's always important to have representation at top tier events, especially the Olympic Games. Our selectees, Sabrina and Josh, went through a rigorous and stressful selection process where they came out ranked at the top. The ASAJ is proud of their efforts and those who were in contention. Yona making a third straight Olympic Games is a remarkable feat and one we are also very proud as he continues to keep Jamaica on the map where diving is concerned,” Rochester said.

“I must also emphasize that, while Alia is no longer in the water representing Jamaica, she provides invaluable support to the development of our aquatics programmes behind the scenes,” he revealed.

Yona Knight-Wisdom

“This year alone, Jamaica had strong performances at key regional events such as the Carifta Games and CCCAN. We had a strong medal haul and some standout performances, so we have to ensure that we provide all of our athletes with first rate support to ensure that they transition to the elite level,” the president noted.

Finally, Rochester pointed out that the upcoming participation of the country’s aquatic athletes has already fostered a sense of pride and optimism. As such, he encouraged the trio to continue striving for excellence as their respective journey to the Olympic Games is a story of hope and inspiration for all Jamaicans.

“For an event like the Olympic Games, the ASAJ is grateful to the Jamaica Olympic Association and Government of Jamaica for the financial, logistic and technical support for our athletes. So, we just want our athletes to prepare well, trust their coaches, do their best and continue to represent Jamaica proudly and inspire others,” Rochester ended.

It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer willpower and determination of Jamaica’s diving flagbearer Yona Knight-Wisdom.

While it is not surprising, as Olympians are often seen as the epitome of human performance given their incredible physical and mental strength, the manner in which Knight-Wisdom conducts himself is so businesslike that his financial challenges pale in comparison to his performances.

Despite having very little financial backing since he rose to prominence as Jamaica’s first-ever male diver to compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Knight-wisdom has never lost hope and continues to establish himself on the global stage.

But while his ambition and immense ability shines through like the noonday sun, Knight-Wisdom is once again left contemplating his future in the sport, as he believes the hard work and sacrifice that goes into a thriving career means very little without the necessary funding.

This, as the task of achieving the Olympic dream requires financial accessibility, which Knight-Wisdom seldom has, as he sometimes struggles to make ends meet where preparation for, and getting into competitions are concerned.

It is for this reason why the talented diver, who recently qualified to represent Jamaica at a third-consecutive Olympic Games, might not push for a fourth, as the sport has been cruel in returning dividends on his spend.

“There are many factors that I will have to take into consideration when looking at the future. I think my body would be able to cope with another four years because I’m very professional and committed to doing things in the right way,” he declared.

“The main question for me is value. Of course, it would be amazing to chase a fourth Olympic Games, but there isn’t much money in diving, it takes a lot of personal and financial sacrifice, and I need to figure out if there is enough value in it,” Knight-Wisdom told SportsMax.TV from his base in the United Kingdom.

Though Knight-Wisdom’s hardship isn’t unique, as many athletes look for ways to make ends meet while training, it is the grace and faith that the English-born diver, whose mother is Barbadian and father Jamaican, exudes as he represents the country with much gusto that stands out.

Like his admirers, Knight-Wisdom continues to bask in the fact that he will again represent the country at a third consecutive Olympic Games, as he recently secured an automatic quota spot to this summer’s Paris Olympics Games.

Unlike Rio in 2016 and Tokyo 2020, this qualification struck an emotional chord for Knight-Wisdom, whose progress was derailed by ruptured rectus femoris tendons in his left knee late in 2022, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation for recovery.

“Yes, the emotion certainly caught me briefly after the preliminary round. Competing against 70 other divers and doing a dive every 50 minutes or so was a major mental battle…when you know you can’t afford to make a big mistake with each dive, 50 minutes is a lot of time for your brain to play tricks on you,” Knight-Wisdom shared.

“The hard work I put in before my injury and the motivation to recover and get ready for 2024 meant that I was feeling good and confident coming into this event, so I’m grateful and relieved it has resulted in a positive outcome,” he added.

That confidence stemmed from the fact that Knight-Wisdom sets appropriate goals, which helps to track his progress and provides feedback about the areas of his dives that need to be strengthened.

Add to that the fact that he holds strict expectations which does not allow for areas of his dives to be weak, thereby ensuring that he gives a capital effort on each occasion.

Still, the results were not always what he expected along the way.

But given his unwavering commitment and determination to reap success for the black, green and gold, Knight-Wisdom kept plugging away at training knowing very well that it takes flawless routines to turn his fortunes around.

The 28-year-old has shown in the past that he possesses enough ability to rise to the occasion when it matters most, and that he did at the World Aquatics Championships, where he ended with a semi-final score of 368.95.

“My performances were actually a little lower than I was hoping for, though that is because I anticipated the qualification standard would be a little higher than it was in the end. My dives were good and solid throughout, with only one major mistake in the semi-final, but they all need to be refined and improved to attract even higher scores from the judges when I do them well. But overall, my performances were similar to how my training has been, so I have no complaints,” Knight-Wisdom said.

“This time round I think I was more expectant that I would qualify, even considering the injury. It definitely wasn’t a certainty, but I wasn’t relying on hope and belief as much as I was for Rio or Tokyo. I feel like I’ve done what most people, including myself, thought I would do. I don’t think many people will be shocked or surprised that I have qualified this time so it did sink in very quickly and I was straight to thinking how I can get better,” he reasoned.

That said, the lanky six-foot tall diver declared his intentions to possibly spring a surprise in Paris, provided he maintains a clean bill of health to improve on his current vein of form.

“I’d love to put myself in a position to produce a shocking result in the summer. I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” he stated.

“This (qualification) was another stepping stone on my journey back to peak performance, a potential obstacle successfully negotiated, so I will just continue working on improving the finer details of my dives and on more consistent execution. My confidence will continue to build going forward which will be displayed in my dives,” Knight-Wisdom ended.

Things may not have gone how Yona Knight-Wisdom would have liked during his recent outing at the Pan American (PanAm) Games in Chile, but the flag-bearing diver has no intentions reeling in the disappointment for too long.

Instead, Knight-Wisdom views the sub-par performances as an indication that he has some amount of work to do, if he is to achieve the feat of competing at a third-consecutive Olympic Games.

The British-born diver, whose father is Jamaican and mother Barbadian, placed 11th in both the individual 1-metre and 3-metre springboard events with scores of 318.60 and 372.10 respectively.

He also placed fifth in the 3-metre springboard synchronized dive with Canada-born compatriot Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson. Together, they scored 345.51, behind their Mexican (425.46), Colombian (398.67) and United States (368.64) counterparts.

“There is definitely a hint of disappointment from PanAm Games because I struggled with inconsistency throughout the week. But at the same time, I am also a bit excited for the months ahead because I managed to reach a decent level at such an early point in the season and there’s much room for improvement, both individually and in synchro,” Knight-Wisdom told SportsMax.TV.

“The PanAm Games really exposed my natural strengths and weaknesses, so I know exactly what I need to work on between now and the World Championships in February, and hopefully my confidence will grow over the next few months. Synchro was probably the highlight for me because it was a really solid performance in a high quality field. We’re definitely in the mix for Olympic qualification,” he added.

While he reflected with a mixed bag of emotions, Knight-Wisdom, pointed out that the lessons from his recent performances and, by extension, the challenges he overcame along the way, are used as motivation to go even harder in his next training session or competition.

Simply put, Knight-Wisdom’s passion and desire to achieve greatness burns fiercely much like a hellish fire, as he is not merely satisfied with his 1-m springboard silver at the 2019 PanAm Games, nor his 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games appearance.

“So many lessons have come from PanAm. It was one of the most challenging periods of my career, having only six weeks to prepare, and still only 10 months or so since my knee surgery. It showed me that I’m absolutely still capable, but I really need to streamline my focus on competition preparation in the lead up to the last qualifier in February,” Knight-Wisdom shared.

Though the physical and mental challenges are not unique to Knight-Wisdom as many athletes often struggle to find their way back from injury, it is the grace and faith that towering diver exudes as he represents the country with much gusto that stands out.

“I was also getting lots of compliments from other divers and coaches, which gives me confidence even though I wasn’t feeling particularly good within myself on this occasion,” Knight-Wisdom said.

“I honestly believe I’m on the right track and don’t need to make any drastic changes, I just need to trust the process and I believe I will have a great chance of qualifying for the Olympics in two events. So though disappointing, the PanAm experience was definitely extremely valuable for me,” he noted.

For now, Knight-Wisdom said the focus is now rest and recovery to not only improve his mental toughness, but more importantly, to ensure he returns, better and stronger for his next assignment in December, followed by the big Olympic qualifiers in February.

“So it is a few days of rest, then back into training to prepare for the British nationals in December, which will be my last warm up event before the World Championships in Doha in February.

“My chances are definitely good, but anything can happen on the day, so I really need to leave no stone unturned over the next few months and put myself in the best position possible to compete close to my best level in February. I don’t need to be right at my best, but my best is what I’ll be aiming for,” he ended.

He may not quite be back to optimum health just yet, but Jamaica's diving flag-bearer Yona Knight-Wisdom believes he is well enough to produce something special, in not one, but possibly three events, at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games later this month.

Though it won't be his first outing since recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured rectus femoris tendons in his left knee late last year, the 24th staging of the June 23 to July 8 Games in El Salvador, will be Knight-Wisdom's first major event of the season, and he is overly excited about the prospects.

"My recovery has been incredible. I’ve put in some serious hard work trying to ensure I’m as close to my best as possible in time for the summer, and I’d say I’m almost there. I’m excited for this CAC Games because I feel I have a point to prove to myself as I was disappointed with my last CAC performance in 2018," Knight-Wisdom told SportsMax.tv from his base in the United Kingdom.

Despite missing the mark at a World Aquatics event earlier this year, the British-born diver, whose mother is Barbadian and father Jamaican, was upbeat about that performance in his comeback, after a careful build up, which he said serves as added motivation, particularly from a mental perspective.

It would have been easy for Knight-Wisdom to throw in the towel on his dream of making a third-consecutive Olympic Games appearance when he initially picked up the injury, but his stubborn determination and unwavering desire to represent Jamaica as long as possible, wouldn't allow him to give in.

"It was a World Cup in Montreal, and I finished 13th, just missing out on the final by four points, but that was enough to qualify me for the super final. I was super surprised by that outcome because I beat some really good divers, granted they didn’t perform as well as they could’ve done," Knight-Wisdom, who is the first diver to represent Jamaica at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, shared.

"But it was a really good motivational boost for me to keep on pushing through the challenges of rehab. It showed me my mental strength is immense and my approach to injury was that of a truly professional athlete, and I’m really proud of myself for that.... could’ve been easy to just give up, but I didn't," he noted.

With a number of events still to come this season, the 27-year-old, who represented Jamaica at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo, respectively, considers this CAC Games outing an opportunity to really gauge himself, as remains resolute in his pursuit to rewrite the history books. 

In fact, it is clear for all to see that Knight-Wisdom, standing just over six feet tall, is well aware that the challenge of overcoming seemingly insurmountable hardships or failure is the foundation from which true victory begins.

"The last couple of months were beneficial, and I’ve even come a long way since those (World Aquatics) events. My quality is definitely still there, the only question mark is consistency as I’ve been progressing so rapidly every week, it feels a little different to the one before. So, I don’t know what to expect, but my knee is holding up and I still have a lot of confidence in myself," he declared.

After the CAC Games, Knight-Wisdom will look to the World Diving Championships in Japan as his first avenue to secure qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Should he fail to make the top 12 there, he would have another shot at qualify at the World Cup Super-Final in August, after which he will have the Pan American (PanAm) Games in October where he will seek to replicate or even surpass his historic 1-metre springboard silver medal-winning performance from Lima in 2019.

Having contested only the 1m and 3m springboard dives for most of his career, Knight-Wisdom welcomes the addition of Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson to Jamaica's diving programme, which now allows him to compete in synchro competitions.

"I’m hoping my synchro partner will also qualify so I can get to do three events there too. So, I’ve got three opportunities to fight for medals and I’d love to come away with three medals," Knight-Wisdom said.

"I’ve learned over the years that readiness in diving doesn’t really matter, I’ve had some great performances from subpar preparation and vice versa. I’ve put in the work so I can give my best with confidence, but I’m just happy that I can compete as my recovery could’ve been way more problematic," he ended.

Two-time Jamaican Olympian Yona Knight-Wisdom walked away with three medals and a possible diving partner from the Scottish National and Open Diving Championships. The Championships ran from December 2-5 at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh.

Jamaica’s Olympic diver Yona Knight-Wisdom has qualified for his second Olympic Games but things could have gone terribly wrong as he struggled financially to make ends meet.

Yona Knight-Wisdom became the latest Jamaican athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan this summer.