Kristen McGregor was quite pleased with her performance at last weekend’s Puerto Rico Pro in the Bahamas where she finished in the top-six even though she was a bit perplexed as to the reason given why she didn’t place higher.
In the competition that is a Tier-3 qualifier for Olympia qualification, McGregor, who won the Miss Olympia Amateur in the Women’s Fitness Category in 2020, placed fourth behind Puerto Rico’s Jessica Reyes Padilla, Mexico’s Mayra Hernandez and Heather Dees of the USA.
“The competition was just like any other competition for me. I always go in with no expectations. I trained hard, I put in the work, I am ready, this is always my mindset going into any competition,” McGregor told Sportsmax.TV this week.
“I am quite pleased with my placement. Going up against 20 plus veteran females, who have either competed in Ms Olympia before, multiple times, placing fourth on my pro debut, amongst such calibre athletes, I am very pleased.”
She admitted, however, that she was caught off guard by the comments of one of the judges with whom she spoke afterwards about why she did not place higher.
“To be honest, I am not sure if surprised is the right word. I was more speechless, lost, confused when the head judge approached me backstage and complimented me on my “amazing physique, X-factor and shape but then said the only thing was I was a little too small, which lead me to ask, “What do you mean?”
“He explained, ‘You just need to get more muscle maturity and density because you are right on the money which will come with time, dieting and training’”.
She said she took very important lessons from the judge’s critique but is now more than ever before assured that she is on the right track in terms of dieting and training and that her structure and build are spot on.
“The areas I need to improve on are muscle maturity and size which will come through continued training and dieting,” she said. “But to get bigger for the next show now is all about increasing portion sizes and stepping up that training which my coaches are already over.”
As she continues on her journey to qualify for Ms Olympia, McGregor and her team have set their sights on the next Olympia Qualifying show, the IFBB Professional League Yamamoto Nutrition Cup Tampa-Pro-XIV National Qualifier at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Tampa, Florida on August 5th-7th, 2021.
She thanked Jamaica’s Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and Proven Wealth as well as Victoria Mutual for the sponsorship support they provided that enabled her to compete in the Bahamas last weekend as she continues on her quest to Ms Olympia.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Excelsior headlines finalists for Boys Championships of America 4x100m final at Penn Relays
A host of Jamaican schools will line up in the final of the High School Boys Championships of America 4x100m final, as they successfully navigated the qualifiers on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Leading the qualifiers was the Excelsior quartet of Ryeem Walker, Damor Miller, Malike Nugent and Lennon Green, which clocked a brisk 40.62 seconds to top their heat.
They will be joined by local rivals Kingston College (41.30s), St Jago (41.35s), St George’s College (41.42s), Calabar High (41.70s) and Jamaica College (41.73s), and Wolmer’s Boys (41.84s). The other two lanes in the medal event will be occupied by Washington DC-based Archbishop John Carroll (41.49s) and Virginia-based West Springfield (41.77s).
Meanwhile, the High School Boys International final, also scheduled for Saturday, will see six Jamaican schools going up against those from Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and The Bahamas, respectively.
St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) headlines that field, after they posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.26s, followed by Cornwall College (42.53s) and the Bahamian school Queens College (42.61s). St Benedict’s, of out the twin island republic, and Munro College, both clocked 42.83s, while St Vincent Grammar (43.11s), Petersfield (43.14s), St Catherine (43.26s) and Vere Technical (43.55s), are the other qualifiers.
Miller-Uibo excited to grace World Relays on Bahamian soil; eyes Olympic berth in 4X400m Mixed Relay
Two-time Olympic Games 400-metre champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo declared her readiness to compete at next month’s World Athletics World Relays in The Bahamas.
While expressing excitement about competing on home soil, the United States-based Miller-Uibo, who won back-to-back Olympic 400m titles at the 2016 and 2020 Games in Rio and Tokyo, pointed out that her main goal is to represent the country well.
She is hoping to assist the Bahamian mixed relay team to Paris Olympic qualification, at the May 4-5 World Relays to be held at the renovated Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau.
“I think we have an amazing team for the mixed relay and I’m hoping we can qualify The Bahamas for the Olympic Games,” Miller-Uibo said.
“It’s wonderful competing here because there’s no other feeling like hearing your home crowd cheer you on. It makes you want to bring your best," she added.
In fact, Miller-Uibo went further to describe The Bahamas as "Paradise", almost as if extending an invitation for sports enthusiasts to come down and enjoy a piece of the island outside of the World Relays action.
"Our people are good-natured, always ready to share a good laugh, and that we are, in my eyes, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It’s literally paradise," she declared.
Ever the trailblazer, the 29-year-old star is ultra-competitive, determined, and hard to slow down, and these traits are exactly why Bahamians are so proud to have her.
In short, Miller-Uibo is a fierce athlete who won’t be overlooked. Even welcoming her son Maicel last April didn’t halt her charge, as she competed at the Bahamas nationals just 10 weeks after giving birth.
Along with her two Olympic titles, Miller-Uibo also won gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and is the Bahamian national record-holder in the 200m and 400m. She also holds the world 300m best.
But her path to gold was not without setbacks.
“Those watching us never get the full scope of what athletes go through,” Miller-Uibo opined.
“Injuries are one of those things. I’m not only referring to the physical pain but also the mental toughness you need to recover," she noted.
On that note, the vivacious athlete offered a word of advice to up-and-coming Bahamian athletes chasing their own path.
“Always keep God first, choose a sport and event that you love, and always have fun doing it," Miller-Uibo shared.
CJ Ujah named in Great Britain relay squad for first time since drugs ban
CJ Ujah has been named in Great Britain’s 4x100m relay squad for next month’s World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas for the first time since returning from a 22-month drugs ban.
Ujah, now 30, tested positive for two banned substances in a test taken at the Tokyo Olympics, which led to his team being stripped of their silver medal.
Team-mate Richard Kilty, who has also been named in the eight-strong men’s squad, said at the time he would “never forgive” Ujah for forcing him to hand back his medal.
Another member of the Tokyo squad, Reece Prescod, is also named despite quitting the relay team shortly before last year’s World Championships in Budapest, and subsequently accusing UK Athletics of “emotional blackmail” in their attempts to convince him otherwise.
Seemingly alluding to the issues relating to Ujah and Prescod, British Athletics head of sprints and relays Darren Campbell said: “They (the men’s 4x100m squad) have had their fair share of challenges in recent years.
“But I have have had my own discussions with each and every member of the squad and know they are motivated, committed and focused on working together to reach Paris.”
Ujah was cleared of deliberately taking a banned substance, but was criticised for not following established protocols when he unknowingly bought a contaminated supplement for £10 off Amazon during lockdown.
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