Jamaica and Trinidad women shine to book 4x100m relay spots in Paris

By May 05, 2024
Remona Burchell, Tia Clayton, Alana Reid and Jodean Williams after qualifying for Paris on Sunday. Remona Burchell, Tia Clayton, Alana Reid and Jodean Williams after qualifying for Paris on Sunday.

Jamaica continued their resurgence from a disappointing first day at the World Relays in the Bahamas when they won their heat in round two of the 4x100m relays to advance to book their tickets to Paris this summer.

Using the same foursome – Jodean Smith, Tia Clayton, Alana Reid and Remona Burchell - that ran on Saturday, changed their running order with Burchell and Reid – switching positions on the third and fourth legs.

The change worked like a charm as they sped to victory in 42.74 seconds to advance to the final and onto Paris.

Jamaica’s Caribbean neighbours, Trinidad and Tobago will also be in Paris this summer. The quartet of Taejha Badal, Reese Webster, Reyare Thomas and Leah Bertrand finished second in 43.54 to advance as automatic qualifiers to the Olympic Games.

Italy, who won the first heat in 42.60 and second-place finishers Côte d'Ivoire (42.63) as well as Nigeria (42.71), winners of heat three and Switzerland (42.75) are also off to the Olympic Games.

Leighton Levy

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.

Related items

  • T&T to host inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games T&T to host inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games

    Trinidad & Tobago is set to create history next month when it plays home to the first-ever Special Olympics Regional Beach Games.

    The Games is scheduled to run from November 8 to 10 and is being facilitated by Special Olympics T&T (SOTT), with the Digicel Foundation as one of the event’s main sponsors.

    This new regional event will bring together 130 athletes, 70 coaches, and delegates from Special Olympics programmes across the Caribbean and North America to compete in a variety of beach sports, including Aquathlon, Beach Bocce, Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball and Open Water Swimming, at venues in both Trinidad and Tobago. 

    Digicel Foundation Chief Executive Officer Penny Gomez said the company was pleased to be associated with such an important event.

    “The dedication and commitment demonstrated by our special athletes and coaches is nothing short of inspiring.

    “It’s a great honour for T&T to have been selected to host the inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games, and this recognition of our very own SOTT is very well-deserved,” Gomez said.

    Special Olympics T&T (SOTT) is the only Special Olympics programme that currently includes the Beach Games as an annual multi-sport event and has done so since 2016.

  • 'A true honour': Long jumper Wayne Pinnock hails CWC Foundation fundraising gala a testament to the power of community support 'A true honour': Long jumper Wayne Pinnock hails CWC Foundation fundraising gala a testament to the power of community support

    Jamaica’s rising long jump star, Wayne Pinnock, expressed deep gratitude and pride at being among the main cast at the Cable and Wireless Charitable Foundation Fundraising Gala held on the Seafair Luxury Yacht in Miami on Friday.

    Pinnock, who recently took the track and field world by storm with his silver medal performances at the 2023 World Championship and 2024 Paris Olympic Games, was among an illustrious group of Caribbean athletes that gathered on the yacht to play their part in empowering communities and creating positive change.

    The 24-year-old Pinnock was joined by Jamaican sprint legends Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson, rising star Charokee Young, and Bahamian sprint hurdler Devynne Charlton. Together, they represented the strength, resilience, and achievements of Caribbean athletes on the global stage.

    Speaking warmly about the event, dubbed an evening of elegance and philanthropy, Pinnock shared how honored he felt to participate in the gala, which raised crucial funds for causes close to his heart.

    “I want to thank everyone who contributed to this amazing event and for using me as an inspiration for the elegance and philanthropy gala. Being able to attend such a stunning event in support of an important cause was a true honour,” Pinnock said in a social media post.

    The Cable and Wireless Charitable Foundation has long been committed to supporting education, healthcare, and community projects across the Caribbean.

    For Pinnock and his fellow athletes, the foundation’s mission resonates deeply, as they fully understand the importance of giving back and the impact that support can have on young people’s lives.

    In fact, he pointed out that the gala was more than an evening of glamour—it was a reminder of his journey, a celebration of the Caribbean spirit, and a powerful opportunity to give back to the region that shaped him. 

    “Warmth, vision, and a common dedication to supporting Caribbean athletes as they strive for their Olympic aspirations characterized the remarkable evening. I’m incredibly appreciative of the chance to be around these driven, committed people. Once again, I want to thank you for letting me be a part of this night that will never be forgotten and for your dedication to changing the world,” Pinnock noted.

  • “Every time he stepped up, I knocked him down”- Bailey dismisses notion of rivalry with Johnson “Every time he stepped up, I knocked him down”- Bailey dismisses notion of rivalry with Johnson

    1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey has dismissed his track ‘rivalry’ with Michael Johnson and explained how the 150m race between him and the American sprint legend came to be.

    Speaking on ‘The Powells’ YouTube Channel hosted by former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and his wife Alyshia, the Jamaican-Canadian explained that there was no rivalry between himself and Michael Johnson since every time they raced together, he was always the one winning.

    Bailey, a former world record holder himself, said the first time they clashed in 1994, he beat Michael Johnson.

    At the event, Michael Johnson would only run in the final but Bailey competed in all the rounds and still beat the former 200m and 400m world record holder in the final.

    “Michael and I ran together for the first time in 1994 in Germany and he was trying to step down and I think he was actually doing a couple of rounds. My coach and agent told me that Michael Johnson would be running the 100m final but not the heats or any other race. The people were there to see the fastest guys run and I was like he’s sitting in the stands watching us run. I ran and won my heat and then the finals came and I murdered them,” Bailey said.

    “I’m sitting in the stands, there’s no rivalry then or now…you know. I’m in the 100m and odd list history of the Olympics, I’ve been the only one to break the world record and to not be the fastest man in the world, and Michael said that…I mean, the NBC said that first but Michael bought into the idea and I think to this day. I know that I represent terrible days at his office, every time he stepped up, I mean, I knocked him down,” Bailey added.

    After the 1996 Summer Olympics, American Sportscaster Bob Costas claimed that 200m Gold medalist Johnson was faster than Bailey because Johnson's 200m time (19.32 Seconds) divided by 2 (9.66 Seconds) was shorter than Bailey's 100m time (9.84). 

    This started a debate on whether Johnson or Bailey was the real "World's Fastest Man", which in turn resulted in a 150m race between the two in 1997, in which Bailey won after Johnson allegedly injured his hamstring.

    He says the 150m race came about after discussions while admitting that from it, he made a lot of money.

    Competing before a sold-out stadium at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Bailey explained that he knew he had to win the race to prove everyone wrong and he certainly showed, winning in 14.99 seconds.

    “There was no rivalry…I appreciate that. Running the 100m, Michael is a 10.1 guy at his greatest thing and then again and he is one of the best endurance athletes to ever walk the face of this earth…world record in the 200m and 400m, no chance can he be in the 100m,” he explained.

    “Bob Kersee had said Michael Johnson was the fastest man and I think it was also America, and they were hosting the Olympics. I had just arrived from Texas and broken a world record. They had to build up Michael,” Bailey added.

     

     

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.