Yohan Blake, the 2011 World 100m champion, has insisted that he has a lot left in the tank as he begins his preparation to earn a spot on Jamaica’s team to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris next year.

Blake, who turns 34 in December, missed out on a chance to make his country’s team to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August, but insists he will not be deterred by this most recent setback as he looks forward to suiting up in national colours for his fourth Olympic Games.

“Not everybody can say they have been to four Olympics. I've gone three already and I'm looking forward to this one being my fourth to be honest, I know I have a lot left with me and I know I can spring some surprises. I am just really focusing on just getting this year to start off on a good level,” the 2012 double Olympic silver medallist told Sportsmax.TV on Friday following the launch of his Reviere Purified Water at the AC Hotel in Kingston.

The 2023 season was a challenging one for Blake, who boasts lifetime bests of 9.69 and 19.26 over the 100m and 200m, respectively.

During the season, he failed to break 10 seconds despite coming closest in Poland on July 16 when he ran a time of 10.01. However, he expressed contentment with what has transpired knowing he has a lot to work on for the coming season.

"I've been consistent, running 10-zeros. I never got the 9s, but I am okay with it," Blake reflected. “I've been doing some revision on the last races, the guys have been pulling away from me from the last 40 metres, so I'm doing some work on that.”

That work is being done in a new environment following the break-up of Titans International that sees Blake, Akeem Blake and Briana Williams as well as Frater walking away from the training group that was led by Coach Gregory Little.

With Frater now being totally in charge of his training, Blake expressed confidence that he will make the necessary steps forward in the coming season.

“Michael Frater is an athlete and he's our coach and he really understands me as well. And, you know, I have young Akeem Blake and Briana (Williams) in the camp as well. So we're looking to push each other and now some younger ones as well. We’re looking to push each other and as I said this is my last Olympics,” Blake said.

Frater has made adjustments to Blake’s programme aimed at keeping him sharp and explosive. "He wants to keep me sharp, and he wants me, when I touch the track, to be ready, and be a bit more explosive.”

Blake was once among the most explosive athletes on earth. After defeating Bolt in both the 100m and 200m at the Jamaica national championships in 2012, Blake ran times of 9.75 and 19.44 at the London 2012 Games to win two silver medals to go along with the gold medal in the 4x100m relay in which Jamaica established a world record of 36.84.

He was seemingly poised to challenge Bolt’s world records of 9.58 and 19.19 when a series of injuries derailed him. The worst of those injuries occurred on a cold evening at the Glasgow Grand Prix in July 2014.

“I remember that race clearly in Glasgow when my muscle was frozen. It was really cool and it popped. When I went to the doctor, the doctor said I suffered from muscle spasms,” he said in reflection, adding that some of his injuries were his own doing.

“You know, one of my biggest letdowns in life is I think I worked too hard and I pushed myself too much. I don't know when it’s time to rest and my body is really upset with me sometimes because I do not know when to rest but don't regret any of what happened. It has made me strong as well and I'm here, I'm still running fast,” he said.

“I can get an injury and do surgery and I'm here still running with aluminium in my leg. I'm trying.”

In his continuing drive to build a career after he retires from track and field, Yohan Blake on Friday launched his brand of water, Revierie Purified Water, at the AC Hotel in Kingston.

The brand will officially hit the market on November 1 with plans already in place to target markets overseas, especially in the Diaspora, the Caribbean and China where the 2011 World 100m champion continues to be a popular figure.

The broader plan is to align the Reviere brand with Jamaican/Caribbean sport, culture and life making it the water of choice for “home, healing, training, the gym, rehearsals, events and everyone’s life essential drink of water.”

Blake and his team have already planned an aggressive marketing strategy to break into the market. They have ready ads for television and social media featuring Blake and the brand’s ambassador, dancehall icon Bounty Killer and one for social media.

The world champion’s image appears on each bottle of water, which his team believes will help to connect the brand with consumers.

Speaking with Sportsmax.TV, Blake said launching his own brand of water is a big deal.

“It is really big for me. It is really going to change the market in the way not just how people see water, but see me on the bottle knowing that through my hard work this water is on the market and me looking to go into a different venture,” he said.

The beloved athlete also drew praise from business partner Stephen Steele of iPrint Digital and Outdoor Advertising, who urged everyone to support Blake in this new venture.

Speaking on behalf of Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Advisor Lenford Salmon lauded the second fastest man for his dive into entrepreneurship and described him as an example for others to follow.

“The minister particularly wanted me to highlight the fact that for a young man, a young athlete, and we at the Ministry of Culture regard sports as physical culture. So we regard it as a part of the culture and in the day of bling where artists, too many of them and our athletes make some money, sometimes it’s not even a whole heap, but when they make some income they don’t plow it back, they go for the bling,” Salmon said.

“They go for fast cars, they party every night, they go for top-shelf liquor,  without looking to see how they’re going to secure their future. And we’ve been watching you and we’re seeing your business ventures, we’ve seen all you have been doing to set an example for athletes and for people, generally, in what we call physical culture and culture and we want to use this opportunity of you starting another business venture and hold you up as that kind of example which we want others to follow.”

Global track and field icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce recently opened up to Sportsmax.TV about her trip to Italy for the Bottega Veneta Fashion Show during Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 and reveals that she is mulling a dive into the world of fashion once she hangs up her running spikes for good.

In late September, after a season during which she overcame knee and hamstring injuries to win a bronze medal in the 100m at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, to go along with the 10 gold and five silver medals she has won in eight championship appearances since 2007, Fraser-Pryce, at the invitation of Bottega Veneta Creative Director Matthieu Blazy, took a trip to Milan to lose herself in the world of fashion as she continued to heal from the rigours of a challenging season and enjoyed it immensely.

She revealed it was an eye-opening experience.

“I am going there and I am thinking that this thing is going be like an Olympics where everybody comes with their different fashions and then they showcase it at the event. I didn’t know everybody had like a day to themselves. And people made it like a thing where you had persons that flew to Milan just to dress up, go on the street and take pictures.

“So, it was definitely something different from what I am used to in terms of track but it was a good experience. I saw some fashion that were ‘nice, love it’. Wear it? Maybe, maybe not,” she said with a giggle. “But it was a good experience. I loved the fact that I was invited by Bottega, by Matthieu and his team and I am looking forward to doing more of those events.”

During the course of her illustrious career, Fraser-Pryce has become known for her ever-evolving style. Her wigs and outfits have raised eyebrows and won the approval of her many fans. Few will forget her colourful wigs that have accentuated her outstanding performances at global championships over the past few years as well as her keen sense of style off the track while attending local and international engagements.

So it was not really much a surprise to hear the two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist reveal that fashion is something she could get into when her medal-filled career draws to a close.

“I think for me style is unique. Style is something that is personal and unique to you, some definitely that is something that I would tap into. It is never too late to start something. It may not be a thing when you’re younger but as you get older you like different things. The older I get I like silence or you like plants, so yes, I am looking forward to doing more of those things and I am grateful to Bottega for the outpouring and love and support that they gave me. I was shocked when I got the invitation.

“But when I got there I was in the front row, met some lovely people and I think I actually met a Jamaican model who walked in the show as well so it was awesome.”

Daniel Doram took a career-best 7-29 to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a resounding eight-wicket victory over the Jamaica Scorpions in their opening encounter of the CG Insurance Super50 Competition at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.

The lanky left-arm orthodox spinner from St Maarten proved unplayable to the Scorpions, who were bowled out for 123 in 32.5 overs. Only Odean Smith, who scored 26 and Nkrumah Bonner, 24, offered any real resistance. Alzarri Joseph took 2-24 in support.

Led by Kieran Powell’s unbeaten 80, the Leewards made quick work of the target racing to 124-2 in just 14 overs. Karima Gore was not out on 19 at the end. Nicholson Gordon dismissed Kofi James for 12 to finish with figures of 1-28. Kaecy Carty lost his wicket to Fabian Allen who conceded 33 runs from just overs in the lopsided affair.

Nicole Aiken-Pinnock, head coach of Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls concedes that without some the team’s best players, campaigning in next month’s Fast5 World Series Netball Tournament in New Zealand next month will be challenge.

However, she believes the coaching staff will get the available players ready for what are expected to be stern tests against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malawi and England in New Zealand.

Jamaica recently named its team for the tournament set for November 11-12 and notably absent were the experienced Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson, key defensive stalwarts for reigning Suncorp Super Netball champions Adelaide Thunderbirds. Also missing is Jhaniele Fowler, arguably the best shooter in the world, who represents the 2022 Super League champions West Coast Fever.

However, the team that will be led by New South Wales Swifts’ star shooter Romelda Aiken-George will include Adean Thomas, Gezelle Allison, Theresa Beckford, stand out U21 player Amanda Pinkney, Kimone Shaw, Crystal Plummer, Abigale Sutherland and former England U21 Rhea Dixon, the Loughborough Lightning attacking player, who recently became eligible to represent Jamaica.

Aiken-Pinnock revealed that the players have been undergoing rigorous training in preparation for the campaign.

"Fast 5 is tough,” she explained. “I have been to so many Fast 5s as a player and it’s really challenging. You’re playing five teams over two days. Even though it is a shortened version of the game, it still requires a lot more thinking. You truly have to understand what is it that you're about. You have to be ready at all times. So there is a lot that is required of you. There's no trying to feel sorry for yourself. So we're trying our best with the resources, with everything that we possibly have with the players.”

Providing some insight into how tough the sessions have been, Aiken-Pinnock drew reference to a shooter Gezelle Allison, who is returning to the national set up since giving birth to her first child mere months ago.

“Saturday morning we had a training session and literally we pushed them. We really, really pushed them a lot,” Aiken Pinnock revealed.

“I remember Gezelle, she was down on her knees and she was like “Coach” because it was really tough. They found this session to be one that was really, really tough for them. And I just had to remind them that this is exactly how you're going to be feeling when you get there. So they we have to bring them through the regime of what will be.”

Turning her attention to the absence of the defensive stars Sterling and Wilson, Aiken-Pinnock explained that after a busy schedule that included the Netball World Cup and the Suncorp Super Netball League, the players requested the time off.

"The senior girls, after the world championship they really needed the time off the rest and recover and we know how well all of them play Down Under and so they're also have to get their recovery in and going back down to their job. So we have to take all of that into consideration,” the coach explained.

"They have requested the time off from the association there's nothing we can do about that. And so for me, I try not to spend too much time thinking about that situation that because we can't fix that. So we just have to ensure that we pay close attention to the ladies who we are going to be working with and trying to get the best out of them so that they can perform and represent Jamaica.”

What this means is that the defensive players in the squad have big shoes to fill but the coach expressed confidence that they will deliver.

"So we definitely don't have any of our experienced defenders who would have gone to World Championship or any of the players who are playing Down Under. In terms of the defensive line up, definitely it's a challenge but we have to have faith in the ladies that we have and so while the time frame for preparation is also very short we are putting in as much work as we can,” she said.

“We have Kimone Shaw, she was at the World Championship in the squad of 15 as a reserve and she too went to the CAC Games. There's Teresa Beckford and Abigail Linton. So we just have to work on the confidence of these ladies and just getting them to be a bit more aware, getting them to be hungrier, getting their netball marks up and ready for what is to come.”

Linton will be playing in her first Fast 5 team but was a member of the Sunshine Girls gold-medal winning team at the CAC Games earlier this year.

Aiken-Pinnock shared her thoughts on what Dixon will bring to the Sunshine Girls line-up. The former England 21 qualifies to represent Jamaica through her grandmother with the move sanctioned by World Netball.

Aiken-Pinnock said she brings significant skills to the set up and has been working hard to achieve the required fitness standards.

"She put her hand up about expressing an interest in representing Jamaica. She has gone through interviews and that sort of thing. We have met with her, we have discussed with her. She's actually in training too at the moment. She has been in training for a little while too,” the former player turned coach revealed.

"It's an opportunity that I'm sure she's grateful for and she and she's very much excited about it. We just have to give her that platform for her to showcase her skills and wanting to represent Jamaica."

Aiken-Pinnock revealed that the Loughborough Lightning player, who is likely to be a starter, has been spent the past few weeks in the United Kingdom preparing for the competition.

“She's been training for a little while, weeks, because one of the things that we have done with her is that there's a test, a fitness test that she basically has to do on a weekly basis, just like our girls. She recorded herself doing the tests. She's in commission mode, not at the elite level in England, but I know that she's representing her university at the moment.

" She did pretty well on the fitness tests. So it's just about maintaining that consistency until she gets here to be with us, which is in a couple of days’ time. She has some experience with regards to high level competition and I'm sure that she's going to bring that same energy and effort to the Jamaica squad.”

Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) and Olympian Dr. Una Morris are among four sports personalities conferred with the Order of Distinction during Jamaica’s annual National Honours and Awards held on the lawns of Kings House in Kingston on Monday when the country celebrated National Heroes' Day.

Long-time sports administrator David Mais and many-time national table tennis champion turned coach Sandra Reittie also received awards.

Gayle, a long-serving member of the JAAA, was elected president in November 2020 but has had a long and distinguished career as a sports administrator. The principal of Charlie Mount High School since 2016, Gayle has served as chairman of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics, was a member of World Athletics Technical Committee between 2016 and 2019 and a member of the Organizing Committee of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association.

He was conferred with the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen for his contribution to sports locally and internationally.

Dr Una Morris, was conferred with the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) for her contribution to the field of sports, especially track and field.

Dr Morris is a retired sprinter, physician, restaurateur, and food caterer.

She represented Jamaica at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics. As a teenager she finished fourth in the 200m at the Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. She also won a bronze medal in the 4×100 metres relay at the 1967 Pan American Games and was Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year in 1963 and 1964.

David Mais, a former chairman of the board of the GC Foster College of Sports and Education is a long-time golf administrator and tournament director, was conferred with the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) for his contribution to sports, education and community development.

Reittie, an 11-time national table tennis champion, who now coaches young athletes was conferred with the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) for her contribution to sports, in particular, table tennis and the development of young athletes.

Reittie is a former table tennis coach at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus and has coached at Ardenne High School and Campion College.

One-hundred-and-twenty-six Jamaicans were conferred with national honours during the ceremonies on Monday.

England-born player Rhea Dixon is one of two newcomers selected in Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls squad for the 2023 Fast5 Netball World Series set for Christchurch, New Zealand from November 11-12, 2023.

The recalled Abbeygail Linton is the other 'newcomer' in the team that will led by Romelda Aiken-George with Adean Thomas as her vice-captain. Notably, the team will be without veterans Jhaniele Fowler, Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling.

Dixon, who represented England at the U21 level will be making her Sunshine Girls debut after expressing an interested in representing Jamaica for some time, Netball Jamaica Vice President Simone Forbes explained to Sportsmax.TV. She qualifies to represent Jamaica via her grandmother, who is Jamaican.

She has played for the Leeds Rhinos and Super Netball League outfit Loughborough Lightning in the United Kingdom. Standing at 1.80m (5’ 11”), the soon-to-be 26-year-old Dixon can play as goal-shooter, goal-attack and wing-attack.

Linton was selected in the Sunshine Girls squad that played against New Zealand in 2016.

The remainder of the team is comprised of Gezelle Allison, who returns to the set up after giving birth to her first child earlier this year, Theresa Beckford, Amanda Pinkney, Crystal Plummer, Kimone Shaw and Abigale Sutherland.

Great Britain sprint star Dina Asher-Smith is breaking up with her long-time coach John Blackie and is moving to the USA to train under the guidance of Eldrick Floreal.

Coach Blackie has been Asher-Smith’s coach for the past 19 years guiding her to tremendous success through her junior years and into a senior career that peaked at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar where she won gold in the 200m and a silver medal in the 100m.

However, since then, the five-time British 100m champion whose parents are Jamaican, has had a hard time of it since then.

She was eighth in the 100m final at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and seventh in the 200m final. At the 2022 championships in Eugene, Oregon, Asher-Smith finished fourth in the 100m final and third in the 200m finals.

Given the recent disappointments and ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, while thankful for the success she enjoyed with Coach Blackie, the 27-year-old has decided it was time to shake things up in order fulfilling her ambitions of winning gold medals at global championships.

“After 19 years, John Blackie and I have ended our coach-athlete relationship,” Asher-Smith posted on her Instagram account Friday.

“My life changed by meeting him and I will be forever grateful to him. His intellect, patience and dedication has taken me from an energetic eight-year-old to a World Champion with over 20 international medals and many Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European finals.

“John and I will, or course, remain close friends.”

She expressed gratitude for her now former coach.

“Thank you to John and thank you to all my team in London whose talents and hard work have helped me realize so many dreams to date,” she said while revealing her new destination.

“My next chapter will be led by Eldrick Floreal based out of Austin, Texas, I am very excited to join his talented training group as we head to Paris 2024.”

With the Floreal training group, Asher-Smith will be training alongside St Lucian sprint queen Julien Alfred and Irish quarter-mile queen Rhasidat Adeleke.

A national collective effort is currently ongoing to locate the whereabouts of Bahamian basketball player Zane Knowles, who has been stranded in Israel as the conflict between that country’s military and Palestinian group Hamas rages.

There have been thousand of casualties from both sides since the conflict erupted on Saturday after Hamas reportedly fired more than 3000 rockets into Israel killing hundreds of civilians.

The 31-year-old Knowles, who plays for Bulgarian professional team CSKA Sofia, was reportedly in Israel with the team with the conflict began. Since then, flights in and out of Israel have been grounded. According Eugene Horton, President of the Bahamas Basketball Federation, after the player declared himself safe early on in the conflict they have been unable to locate him in order to determine if his status has changed.

“One of the players had made contact on Instagram a few days ago and I think he had said he was safe at that time. Foreign affairs, government and the basketball community had been trying to touch base to make sure he’s good but have been unsuccessful so far,” Horton told Sportsmax.TV.

“We are not sure what’s going on. We’re following the news with the happenings over there but the main thing right now is to locate him, find out his circumstances and see how best we can assist in getting him to safety.”

Horton indicated that all the stakeholders in the Bahamas have been working together to try and locate the player and ensure his safety.

“Once we locate him, we will put an action plan together to get him home or to another country,” the BBF president said.

“We continue reaching out to national team coaches, players to see if anybody is getting any news of his whereabouts.”

After a three-year hiatus due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s Pocket Rocket Foundation is set to resume an inter-community six-a-side football tournament in Waterhouse.

The tournament dubbed the Fesco Six-A-Side Football Competition, will see 16 teams from Waterhouse and adjoining communities vying for cash and other prizes and even more importantly, harmony between communities that are occasionally in violent conflict with each other. Matches will be played on Saturdays beginning on October 14 until the grand finale on November 19.

For the opening weekend, matches will also be played on Monday, October 16, National Heroes Day in Jamaica.

The multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medallist told Sportsmax.TV that she is glad that she is able to resume the competition that for almost a decade engaged young men in the under-served communities.

“This is going to be our eighth staging and we were away for three years. For me, it’s about being able to engage young men coming together from different communities on the football field. Everybody knows what football does to the world and we want to offer young men an opportunity to relate to each other, to understand that we’re vying for something, that we can be competitive but we can have sportsmanship. We can understand that we are all fighting for the same thing, just to co-exist and having the football come back is a huge opportunity to see what the community has been doing, how we can engage them,” said Fraser-Pryce, whose Pocket Rocket Foundation is celebrating its 10^th anniversary.

The foundation has brought gasoline marketers and distributors, Fesco, on board as a title sponsor and Fraser-Pryce expressed her gratitude at having them on board, stating, “We are fortunate to have Fesco as one of our title sponsors. They have been such a pillar in the community because they are in the process of opening a gas station in my community so we are looking forward to the partnership and just to engage the young men.”

Teams will be outfitted by Nike and the iconic athlete promised that the tournament will be so much more than just about football. She expects it to be a fulfilling experience for the communities involved.

“We will have an ambulance on site. We will have entertainment and giveaways and a whole host of things. One of the things we want to do this year is to make sure that each Saturday we have an outreach, whether its inviting the cancer society or having blood pressure checks, different things that can engage the community as a whole.”

The football competition is among several initiatives that the Pocket Rocket Foundation is undertaking this year. There is a fundraising gala on November 4 at the AC Hotel in Kingston and its Christmas treat for the Waterhouse community later this year.

 Reggae Girlz captain Khadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw opened her account for Manchester City Women on Wednesday during a 2-1 victory over Everton in the opening round of the Women’s League Cup.

Shaw also had an assist as she fed teammate Jess Park, who scored the opener in the 21^st minute to see Manchester City take a 1-0 lead into the half-time break.

Shortly after the resumption, Shaw got her goal smashing in from 10 yard to give the Cityzens a 2-0 lead in the 47^th minute.

“Got the job done. On to the next,” a proud Shaw posted on Instagram afterwards.

Toni Duggan headed in in stoppage time for Everton’s consolation. The former Manchester City player was scoring her first goal since she returned from maternity leave after giving birth to a daughter in March.

Global track and field icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and her Pocket Rocket Foundation are celebrating 10 years of existence this year and in celebration, and to raise funds to offer even more scholarships to student-athletes in need of financial support, will be staging a fundraising banquet on November 4 that will be streamed on Sportsmax.

The two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist promises that the occasion will be one to remember.

Since its inception in 2013, the foundation has awarded scholarships to 73 student athletes across various sports from 26 schools across Jamaica. They are able to do so through generous backing from companies like GraceKennedy, Digicel and now National Baking Company Foundation, who donated JMD$1,000,000.00 to the foundation at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday when 11 more student-athletes were awarded scholarships.

Each scholarship recipient, in addition to the JMD$100,000 academic scholarship, will also receive, JMD$7500 NIKE book bag, official Pocket Rocket Foundation notebooks and Promise Pin, a JMD$15,000 Book voucher, a $10,000 GraceKennedy Food Basket and a JMD$25,000 DIGICEL Tablet with JMD$3,000 worth of credit.

Fraser-Pryce explained afterwards that the work is just beginning hence the fundraiser planned for next month.

“For the Pocket Rocket Foundation, we have a lot of visions that we are implementing currently from the Rocket Start Breakfast Programme that we rolled out last year, donating deep freezes and refrigerators to different schools, just to enhance school life,” she remarked.

“What we have coming up is the Pocket Rocket Foundation’s 10^th anniversary fundraising gala at the AC Hotel on November 4 when we are looking forward to all that we have been able to accomplish throughout the years as well as implementing a (public-relations) etiquette seminar for students.”

Among the foundation’s future plans is a strategy to prepare high school student-athletes for college by providing them with the tools they need to successfully make the transition thus enhancing the chances of success.

“I think one of the things that is also important for the foundation is college readiness,” said Fraser-Pryce, who has a degree in Child and Adolescent Development from the University of Technology.

“We have a lot of athletes that are here from different sports and a lot of them will need help in transitioning because it is not as easy as it seems. It definitely takes a while to transition and some of the things we want also want to be able to offer them is mental health support because for a lot of persons there are different ways that they cope and I want to assist as best as possible, helping them to cope. It’s not just about giving them cash and kind but it is to be readily available to cater to different needs that we don’t know of or money can’t buy.”

These are among the reasons why the five-time World 100m champion will be asking patrons of the gala to make the sacrifice and turn out for the occasion because every dollar raised will go towards building these student-athletes into productive citizens of Jamaica.

“How it works is that you just empty your bank account, give it us and we can continue to invest in student-athletes,” she said breaking out into laughter.

“The ticket costs USD$350 and also, as a company, you can be a sponsor of the gala and you can have a table for your company to have up to 10 persons to attend. We’ll have items for auction and raffle items,” she said.

“Sportsmax will also be there to live-stream the event so wherever you are in the world you will be able to participate. It will be a night of excellence.”

The MICO University College, with a rich history of nurturing both academic and athletic talents, has embarked on an inspiring five-year plan to revitalize its sports program, with the vision of becoming the premier collegiate sports program in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

This exciting development was unveiled last week during a special ceremony where MICO announced a significant milestone in this journey: the offering of a four-year scholarship to World U20 100m hurdles silver medalist, Alexis James, generously funded by Island Grill. James will pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education and Sports at the institution.

Speaking at the event, Karren Foster, Dean in the Faculty of Education, elaborated on the strategic plan they have initiated to reinvigorate the sports program at MICO. She highlighted the first four hurdles of this ambitious nine-hurdle plan four of which were already being executed.

MICO has already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jamaica Football Federation under which 30 MICO students will become elite football referees. “These referees will officiate in local football and potentially on regional and international stages, significantly contributing to the growth of football in the region,” Foster revealed.

The plans also include the recruitment of world-class athletic talent.

“MICO's commitment to training and certifying outstanding athletes is exemplified by the inclusion of Alexis James, the world-renowned 100m hurdles silver medalist, into this institution,” she stated with confidence. She added that this can only be achieved through the engagement of the best coaches.

 “MICO is proud to have hired some of the best coaches in Jamaica for their sports program,” Dean Foster revealed. To date, MICO has hired national volleyball coach Gatasheu Bonner, former national netball coach Connie Francis, who recently guided Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls to the bronze medal at the Netball World Cup in South Africa.

MICO has also brought on board Shane Brooks, the national women’s cricket coach and Mr. O’Neil Brown, Jamaica’s national basketball coach.

“These coaches bring a wealth of experience and expertise to nurture the next generation of sports stars,” Dean Foster said.

The next phase, she said, is only just beginning but is a critical part of the over-arching plan.

“We face the challenge of securing nutritional sponsors to enhance their athletes' performance. Many of these dedicated athletes, who excel both academically and athletically, rely on work-study programs to meet their financial obligations. Corporate support in the form of financial assistance, technological resources, and apparel sponsorship is essential to empower these talented individuals,” the dean explained.

The other phases will include engaging partners to provide nutritional support, financial support, technological support and apparel support.

“By doing so, MICO aims to foster not only successful athletes but also individuals committed to serving their communities and contributing to the nation's growth and development,” Dean Foster said.

This plan became a reality, Dean Foster explained, by bringing in the necessary personnel that would help establish a platform from which they would launch this ambitious initiative.

“What happened is that we have changed our personnel. We brought in a sports manager. That personnel have been tasked to develop a strategic plan for the sports program.  So there's a structure in place and there is an operational plan in place to facilitate the movements in that department. We can see what the budget should be, what is it we need to do from month one to month two, if you will, to be successful,” she explained.

“They are developing a five-year plan. They have identified what the goals are. We need the assistance of the outside support groups to make this a reality. So we are at three and we have since today (last Wednesday) crossed over into four, somewhat.

“We at the MICO, we offer some scholarships which are very costly to the institution because, remember now, we are a government-funded institution. Government doesn't give us money for these things, not a cent for these things.

“And so we have to creatively source funds to help these students who come from some very challenging backgrounds, who want to make good of themselves and their God-given talents.”

Former West Indies Women’s player Eugena Gregg was inducted into the Hartford Connecticut Cricket Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 7.

At the ceremony held at the Marriott Hotel in Hartford, the 57-year-old Gregg was inducted in acknowledgment of her outstanding contributions to cricket including her input towards growth and development, her service to the community and the many lives she impacted both as a player and administrator.

Gregg, a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batter, was the first St Lucian to represent the West Indies Women and appeared in 10 One Day Internationals between 1993 and 1997. She was captain of the St Lucia Women’s team.

She made her ODI debut for the West Indies at the 1993 World Cup in England. At the World Cup, Gregg played in six of her team's seven matches, taking three wickets.

 She was retained in the squad for the 1997 World Cup in India, and appeared in every match at the tournament and took a career best 3-35 from seven overs against Denmark.

She and Patricia Felicien were the only Saint Lucians in the squad, and the first Saint Lucians to be selected in any West Indies squad.

Gregg was named St Lucia’s Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993 and in 1997 when she was named St Lucia’s Sportswoman of the Year.

In 2006, she was elected President of the South Castries Cricket Association. Two years later she won the Ministry of Youth Development Award for outstanding administrative roles and contributions to the development of cricket in St Lucia.

She was named manager of St Lucia’s  Women’s Junior and Senior Cricket teams and between 2017 and 2019 was the manager of the West Indies Women’s team.

In what was a magnificent display of gymnastic excellence, a team of young gymnasts from Jamaica shone brightly at the COPA IGA tournament that concluded in Panama on Sunday. The team of 11 emerging talents wowed judges and spectators alike with several members of the team topping several disciplines.

Among the standouts was Selah Price, who while competing in the Beginners Group 2 category, was first in the All Around after topping the Floor Exercise (9.350), Beam (9.550) while finishing second in the Vault (9.375).

Also in that category, Marisol Hogarth finished third in the All Around having claimed second place in the Floor Exercise (9.350) and third in the Vault (9.300). She also did well on the Beam exercise. Joelle Williams placed fourth in the All Around. She was third on the Beam (9.400), fourth in the Vault (9.175) and sixth in her Floor exercise (8.550).

Harmony Burton finished in a commendable seventh place in the All Around. She was third in the Floor exercise (9.100) and sixth in the Vault (9.000). She scored an 8.75 on the Beam.

Not to be outdone, Dojanae Garwood, competing in the Beginners Group 3 category, was first in the All Around having topped the Vault with an impressive score of 9.8000 while finishing third in the Beam and Floor exercises with scores of 9.375 and 9.275, respectively.

Adriannah Bailey was second in the All Around in Group 3. She scored an impressive 9.550 to win the Beam and generated a score of 9.300 to finish in second place on the Floor. She was fifth in the Vault with a score of 9.500.

Not far behind was Leah Cowan, who finished in fourth place in the All Around. She impressed the judges while winning the Floor with a score of 9.350 and fourth in the Vault, scoring 9.525. She had a score of 8.900 on the Beam.

Emma-Marie Donaldson finished in sixth place in the All Around and had scores of 9.275 for fourth on the Beam, 9.250 for fifth place on the Floor and 9.175 in the Vault.

Lashay Chutcan shone brightly in the 12-plus category. She was first in the All Around and had excellent scores of 9.575 to finish first on the Beam, 9.450 to emerge victorious on the Floor and 9.700 for second place in the Vault.

Among the Beginners in Group 1, Harmonie-Jade Johnson was sixth in the All Around. She was fourth on the Floor (8.550), sixth in the Vault (8.675) and scored 9.110m on the Beam.

Meanwhile, Roshanique Ricketts was seventh in the All Around while finishing third in the Vault (9.350), fourth on the Beam (9.220) and seventh on the Floor (7.750).

The successful gymnasts are expected to return to Jamaica early Monday afternoon.