World Championship 400m hurdles finalist and Jamaican national record holder Roshawn Clarke produced an upset in heat five of the men’s 400m at Saturday’s Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium in Kingston with a win over reigning World 400m champion Antonio Watson.
Swept Track Club’s Clarke, the current World U-20 record holder in the 400m hurdles, started the race in lane five while Racers Track Club’s Watson was in lane four.
It was a contrast in starts to the race for the two with Clarke going out hard over the first 300m and Watson going out in his usual reserved style.
The final 100m saw Clarke, who is still only 19 and doesn’t turn 20 until July, using his 400m hurdles strength to narrowly hold off a fast-finishing Watson.
In what was the first race of the season for both men, Clarke’s winning time was 46.05 while Watson ran 46.10 in second. Terry Thomas of Titans International was third in 46.97.
Watson is looking to build on a 2023 season that saw him run 44.22 to claim his maiden World 400m title in Budapest last August. Clarke also had a fantastic maiden World Championships. He produced a national record and world U-20 record 47.34 in the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles before finishing fourth in the final with a 48.07 effort.
Heat four saw two-time World Championship 100m finalist Oblique Seville of Racers Track Club produce a personal best 47.44 to open his season with a win. Titans International and Antigua & Barbuda’s Darion Skerritt ran a personal best 48.43 in second while Calabar’s Craig Prendergast, also hailing from Antigua & Barbuda, ran 48.49, also a personal best in third.
Heat three was won by Racers Track Club’s Kuron Griffith in a personal best 48.79 ahead of Swept Track Club’s Jalan Bennett (50.29) and Mico University College’s Quentin McLean (50.59).
Racers Track Club had the top three finishers in heat two. Guyana’s Shamar Horatio won in a personal best 49.02 ahead of Jamaican national U-20 100m record holder Bouwahjgie Nkrumie (49.73) and Adrian Taffe (50.27). Both Nkrumie and Taffe ran personal bests.
Elite Performance Track Club’s Waseem Williams ran a personal best 49.71 to win the first heat. Swept Track Club’s Junior Harris was second with a personal best 50.91 while York Castle’s Jerrain Hunter ran a personal best 51.74 in third.
The women’s invitational 400m final was won by Elite Performance’s Kerrica Hill in a personal best 56.26 ahead of Ferncourt’s Alliea Whitter (59.36) and Serena Richard of Legacy Athletics (59.84).
“The favourite is Thompson”-Boldon highlights Jamaican champion as man to beat in 100m in Paris
Trinidadian four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon has named Jamaican sprinting sensation Kishane Thompson as his favourite to take 100m gold at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Thompson, 23, is currently the world leader in the event after running a personal best 9.77 to win the 100m title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston in June.
The MVP Track Club-trained sprinter also produced times of 9.82 and 9.84 in the heats and semi-finals, respectively, at those national championships and, most recently, ran 9.91 shutting down to win at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary on July 9.
“Thompson is the favourite,” Boldon said in an interview with LetsRundotcom on YouTube on Friday.
“I know Noah (Lyles) is the World champion. I think Noah made it a little bit more interesting by running that 9.81 into a headwind which kind of almost converts to a 9.77 but there’s no way you can look at the way in which Thompson ran that 9.77 and just go ‘Oh Noah will beat him.’ Noah has his hands full with that guy,” Boldon said.
Blazing speed acknowledged, one thing that Thompson lacks that his other competitors don’t is experience competing at the highest level of the sport with this being his first time representing Jamaica at any level.
If there is anything to prevent Thompson from delivering on the form that he’s shown so far this season, Boldon believes that would be this lack of experience on a stage like the Olympic Games compared to his peers.
“There are things which I see people completely ignoring. Kishane Thompson has not been under the microscope of Olympic favourite. Rounds are a great equalizer. Noah has the medals that he does because of how well he runs rounds. Is Noah suddenly a lock for the silver? No but he does have his hands full,” he said.
“There are others who are going to be in the 100m that are used to the pressure and pressure is a big thing. If he’s able to pull this off, you write books about stuff like that,” he added.
Thompson's quest for Olympic glory will begin in the heats of the men's 100m beginning on Saturday' August 3.
Jamaica and France sign landmark MOU for bilateral sports cooperation
As the world eagerly anticipates the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Jamaica and France have marked the occasion with a significant step towards enhancing their bilateral relations in the field of sport. On July 24, the Honourable Olivia Grange, Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and His Excellency Olivier Guyonvarch, the Ambassador of France in Jamaica, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Bilateral Cooperation in Sport.
Minister Grange highlighted the symbolic timing of the agreement, stating, “It is certainly significant that it is happening at the time of the 2024 Olympics in the French capital, Paris. It embodies the importance of sport in establishing cooperation and friendship between the two countries."
The agreement outlines several areas of cooperation aimed at enhancing both nations' sports capabilities. One key aspect of the MOU is the sharing of experiences and the development of joint initiatives in sports. This includes promoting common standards for organizing major sporting events and developing high sports performance through the exchange of best practices, coaching training, and research.
Additionally, the agreement focuses on boosting the sports economy and sports tourism in both countries by sharing valuable information and insights. A significant emphasis is also placed on promoting sports ethics, with both nations committing to collaborate in the fight against doping.
Minister Grange commended the diligent efforts of Ambassador Guyonvarch and the teams from both the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in finalizing the MOU. She also referenced the ongoing friendship between Jamaica and France, demonstrated by events like the "2024 Road to Paris Olympics," which featured a symbolic relay baton passed globally and included French students from schools across Jamaica.
The MOU also aims to facilitate exchanges in seminars, conferences, and symposia involving experts in various sports disciplines such as fencing, rugby, handball, athletics, canoe-kayak/sprint, sailing, and skateboarding, among others.
Ambassador Guyonvarch expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating, “On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the signing of this MOU on sports cooperation is a milestone in our bilateral relations, being the most ambitious and comprehensive agreement between our two countries in a strategic field of excellence. The implementation of this agreement, initiated by the Centre for Research on Sports Performance of Guadeloupe and the Faculty of Sports of UWI, will allow us to develop sports science, new practices, and more intense human exchanges between our two countries.”
The follow-up on the cooperation outlined in the MOU will be ensured by a Bilateral Steering Committee, which will meet annually in either of the two countries, ensuring that the goals and initiatives set forth are actively pursued and achieved.
This agreement not only strengthens the bond between Jamaica and France but also paves the way for enhanced sports performance, education, and ethical standards in both nations, promising a bright future for sports collaboration and excellence.
Gardiner, Charlton named flag bearers for The Bahamas ahead of Paris opening ceremony
Reigning 400m Olympic champion Steven Gardiner and World Indoor 60m hurdles champion Devynne Charlton will be flag bearers for The Bahamas at the much-anticipated Paris Olympic Games opening ceremonies on Friday.
Gardiner and Charlton are among the 20 athletes that will represent The Bahamas at the global multi-sport showpiece, which is currently under way and is scheduled to end on August 11.
Track and field and swimming are the two disciplines that the Bahamian contingent will contest at the Games.
Quartermiler Shaunae Miller-Uibo, high jumper Donald Thomas, who is making his fifth Olympic appearance, NCAA and national record holder in the javelin Rhema Otabor, decathlete Ken Mullings, and Charisma Taylor, who contests the triple jump and the 100m hurdles, are also on the team.
Rhaniska Gibbs and Lamar Taylor will represent the Bahamas in the pool.
Meanwhile, quartermiler Lacarthea Cooper finished third in the women’s 400m at the BAAA’s Nationals in 53.38 seconds behind second place finisher Quincy Penn in 53.35 seconds, but did not make the team.
However, Shania Adderley finished fifth in 54.50 seconds and was named to the Olympic team for her contributions as a member of the 4x400m mixed relay team at the World Relays.
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