Tradewinds Citrus Marketing Manager (left) with Megan Tapper and the athlete's agent Paula Pinnock of FYI Consultancy Group shortly after Tapper signed a three-year deal to become the brand ambassador for Trushake.
Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper has signed a three-year deal to become the newest brand ambassador for TruShake.
Tapper, the first woman from the Caribbean to win a medal in an Olympic 100m hurdles final, today formalized the agreement which takes effect from October 2021 and will run through to September 2024. Tapper finished third behind Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and the USA's Kendra Harrison in her history-making run in Tokyo in August.
“It means the world to me that I was chosen to represent the brand. It’s a great partnership. TruShake is a fairly new product in Jamaica and I am entering a new phase in my journey as an Olympic athlete. I am looking forward to us growing together,” said an excited Tapper after putting her signature to the deal at Funland Jamaica.
TruSHAKE is Trade Winds Citrus Limited’s locally manufactured milk-based nutrition shake developed for all ages and lifestyles. Tapper admits that TruShake is a great addition to her meal plan.
“Sometimes I do not feel like eating a heavy meal; it feels good to be able to have an affordable option that is healthy and tasty,” she said. “At times, I feel like whenever I eat healthily, I am sacrificing taste but that’s not the case with TruShake. So, it’s a great addition to my meal plan.”
Marketing Manager of Tradewinds Citrus, Lauren Mahfood explained that Tapper is a perfect fit for their brand. “Like most Jamaicans, we witnessed Megan’s outstanding talent at the Olympics this year and we were extremely proud of her performance on the world stage,” she said.
“Her infectious energy and incredible character made it clear that she was an all-around winner – a perfect fit for the TruShake brand.”
Tapper, who is also a motivational speaker, uses her platform to inspire young girls and women to seize the moment and to dream big. She explained that she will use this opportunity as TruShake’s brand ambassador, to continue her work to motivate and encourage Jamaicans to eat and live healthy so they can achieve their optimum physical goals.
“Megan is an incredible ambassador for Jamaica and as a Jamaican brand, we look forward to seeing her compete locally and internationally, representing with passion and focus as always,” said Mahfood.
Tapper will be looking to be on the podium once more at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and Budapest, Hungary, respectively as well as the lucrative Diamond League circuit before she aims for another Olympic medal in Paris in 2024.
“Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”: Thompson-Herah encouraged despite last-place finish at Prefontaine Classic to open season
Two-time Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah had a far from ideal start to her 2024 season at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.
The 31-year-old lined up in the 100m at the fifth meet on this season’s Diamond League calendar and had a race to forget, running 11.30 for a ninth-place finish as hometown hero Sha’Carri Richardson sped away to a season’s best 10.83 for victory.
“Definitely not what I expected today but grateful,” Thompson-Herah said after the race on Instagram.
“Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” she added.
Thompson-Herah, who is now being coached by Reynaldo Walcott at Elite Performance Track Club, is looking to rediscover the form that led her to Olympic glory in 2016 and 2021.
She endured an injury-riddled 2023 season that saw her fail to make the team for any individual event at the World Championships in Budapest. She did leave those championships with a silver medal, however, as part of the 4x100m quartet.
Thompson-Herah had much better returns in the second half of the 2023 season.
She ran times of 10.92 and 10.84 on September 4 and 8 to win at the Gala dei Castelli and the Brussels Diamond League, respectively, before closing out her season with 10.79 for third at the Prefontaine Classic on September 16.
Julien Alfred to focus on improvement in lead up to Olympics following second-place finish at Prefontaine Classic
St Lucia’s sprint sensation, Julien Alfred, has her sights set on refining her technique as she prepares for the upcoming Olympics this summer. Speaking post-race following her second-place finish in the women’s 100m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting on Saturday, Alfred outlined her areas of focus.
Alfred clocked 10.93 seconds in the race, trailing American Sha’Carri Richardson, who won with a world-leading 10.83 seconds. Alfred’s training partner, Dina Asher-Smith, secured third place with a time of 10.98 seconds.
Reflecting on her performance, the World Indoor 60m champion expressed gratitude and acknowledged the need for improvement. “I’ll take it. I have to give God thanks, nevertheless, that I finished healthy. I did want the win, but I’ll take second for now,” she said.
Discussing her race strategy, Alfred noted, “I think I got out well. My finish, I think I sort of panicked a little at the end, panicked a little and fighting. I have to work on my ending.”
Alfred highlighted her progress over time, emphasizing a shift in focus towards better execution. “My strides are wider, I am not as choppy. Right now, I am just focusing on execution. I think before I would go out and just compete, but now it’s just focusing on execution and doing my best to prepare for the Olympics.”
When asked about what she intends to focus on with Coach Eldrick Floreal, Alfred pinpointed the final segment of her race as a key area for improvement. “The last part of my race. It has always been a struggle of mine where I can really stay upright in the last part of my race but it’s about going back to the drawing board and trying to stay upright the last 40/30m.”
Julien Alfred’s focus on refining her race finish and execution signals her commitment to achieving peak performance as she prepares for the Olympics. With her impressive second-place finish at the Prefontaine Classic, Alfred has demonstrated her potential to compete at the highest level and her readiness to take on the world’s best this summer.
Nickisha Pryce breaks 50 seconds again to book spot in NCAA Nationals: Smith, Oakley, Lemonious also through
Nickisha Pryce, the senior sprinter from the University of Arkansas, once again broke the 50-second barrier in the 400m, securing her place at the NCAA Division One Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Pryce clocked 49.93 seconds at the NCAA West Regionals on Saturday, ensuring her spot at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8.
Pryce, who recently ran an impressive 49.32 to become the second fastest Jamaican woman over 400m, continued to showcase her dominance in the event. Pryce was also a member of the Razorback 4x400m relay team that established a new championship record of 3:21.92 that also sees the team advancing to the finals in June.
Among the men, Shaemar Uter of Texas Tech also secured his place at the national championships with a solid time of 45.78 in the 400m.
In the sprints, Dejanea Oakley from the University of Texas at Austin ran 22.32 in the 200m to advance to the nationals. Her Texas teammate, Ackelia Smith, excelled in the triple jump with a 14.31m effort, ensuring her qualification.
Nebraska’s Rhianna Phipps joined the list of qualifiers in the triple jump, reaching 13.67m to secure her spot in the finals. Her performance reflects the depth of talent among Jamaican athletes in the field events.
In the 110m hurdles, Jerome Campbell of Northern Colorado ran an impressive 13.30 to book his place at the national championships. He will be joined by the 2023 NCAA champion, Phillip Lemonious, who qualified with a time of 13.43, adding to the formidable Jamaican contingent in the hurdles.
Texas A&M’s Abigail Martin also secured her place at the nationals in the women’s discus, throwing 56.11m to qualify.
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