From left: Devynne Charlton, Denisha Cartwright and Charisma Taylor after the Women's 100m hurdles final at the BAAA Senior National Championships.
Nassau Guardian
World Indoor 60m champion and record holder Devynne Charlton officially booked her spot at this summer’s Paris Olympics by claiming her sixth Bahamian 100m hurdles title on day two at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Senior National Championships at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau on Thursday.
The highlight of day two was the women’s 100 meters hurdles final where Charlton was expected to be challenged by the versatile Charisma Taylor and 30-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II All-American Denisha Cartwright.
In the end, Charlton comfortably took the win in 12.62 seconds while Taylor was a distant second in 12.94 seconds. Cartwright rounded out the top three with 13.01 seconds.
All three are headed to the Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France.
Texas Tech sophomore and former World U-20 Champion Antoine Andrews took the men’s 110m hurdles crown with a new personal best 13.34, eclipsing the previous national record 13.35 he shared with Jahmaal Wilson.
Rasheem Brown of the Cayman Islands was second in 13.50 while Otto Laing finished third in 14.03 seconds.
Due to a scheduling conflict, former world and current Olympic Champion Steven Gardiner missed the men’s 400m final last night. It was up to Wendell Miller and Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell to carry the mantle.
However, they would fall short of the qualifying standard for the Olympics of 45 seconds flat.
Miller won the national title in 45.65 seconds. Russell finished second in 46.06 seconds and Gregory Seymour was third in 47.54 seconds.
The women’s 400m final, featuring former world and current Olympic Champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and the lady who beat her in the heats Javonya Valcourt, will be ran on Friday.
Over to the field events, Shyrone Kemp pulled off an upset in the men’s long jump, winning that event with a leap of 7.66m. LaQuan Nairn, an 8m-plus jumper, had to settle for second with a jump of 7.58m while Jalen Cadet finished third with a jump of 7.16m.
Nairn has a personal best leap of 8.22m and the qualifying distance for the Olympics is 8.27m.
Anthaya Charlton won the women’s long jump event with a leap of 5.99m. Apryl Adderley was a distant second with a leap of 5.16m. The qualifying distance for the Olympics is 6.86m.
Olympic bronze medallist Campbell wants more appreciation for athletes in Jamaica
When an athlete makes history for their country in the world’s biggest sporting spectacle, the Olympic Games, the typical reaction from that country is some sort of acknowledgement or celebration of that historic performance.
Unfortunately, this has yet to be the case for Jamaican shot putter Rajindra Campbell.
Campbell became the first Jamaican man to ever medal in a throwing event at an Olympic Games when he threw 22.15m to win bronze in Paris on August 3.
Four days after Campbell’s performance, Roje Stona also made history, throwing a personal best 70.00m for gold in the discus, becoming Jamaica’s first ever Olympic champion in a throwing event.
In the latest episode of SportsMax TV’s Out D Blocks hosted by Leighton Levy and D Major, the 28-year-old national record holder spoke candidly about the lack of acknowledgment and appreciation back home for these historic achievements.
“We have talked about it. The only problem is, as what Omar McLeod mentioned at trials about the 2016 Olympics, we don’t feel the appreciation from Jamaica,” Campbell said, referencing Omar McLeod’s comments after the Olympic trials where he spoke about not feeling appreciated by Jamaica after his Olympic gold medal performance eight years ago.
“You see the kind of celebration Julien Alfred got? I’m not expecting the same here but Jamaica has such a rich history in track and field, I don’t think the athletes are really appreciated for what they do,” he added.
Campbell, born in Ocho Rios, moved to Joplin, Missouri in 2018 to attend Missouri Southern State University where he attended for three years.
He noted that he’s received more of a celebration for his achievement in Joplin than back home in Jamaica.
“I met with the school President on Wednesday of last week and he explained certain things they have in store for me and there is a big sign on campus that people come in and see. It’s a different celebration taking place here compared to Jamaica,” he said.
As Campbell noted, whenever a Jamaican is in an event, Jamaicans expect them to do well. He wonders whether more appreciation would be given to the athletes when they do well if people understood the sacrifices they make on a daily basis.
“The love for Jamaica will never die. We will always continue to represent but, at the same time, the amount of sacrifice it takes to get to the level we are, something that I’ve found is once there is a Jamaican in an event, you’re expected to do well. How do we get there?”
“When you actually get there it’s like ‘Oh! I expected it or I knew you could do it.’ At the same time, there’s a journey that nobody really understands,” he continued.
He added that there has been no communication to him or Stona regarding any sort of celebration or acknowledgement in Jamaica.
Out D Blocks can be seen live every Thursday on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel.
Kim Collins named first-ever track & field ambassador for St. Kitts Athletics to boost global sponsorship
St. Kitts Athletics has proudly named Kim Collins, the 2003 100m world champion, as its first-ever Track and Field Ambassador. This historic appointment celebrates Collins' enduring impact on the sport, as well as his record-breaking career spanning over two decades. Collins, who holds the national record of 9.93 seconds for the 100m, is still the only man over 40 to break the 10-second barrier and also holds the world record for athletes over 35 in the 60m with 6.47 seconds.
Delwayne Delaney, President of St. Kitts Athletics, emphasized the importance of this appointment for the organization and the sport as a whole. “We felt that it was important for us as a body and as an executive, and track and field on a whole, to honour him in such a way, first and foremost, as well as to leverage what he has done for track and field in St. Kitts and Nevis and globally so that we can attain recognition in hopes of attaining sponsorships. We are living in a competitive environment as it relates to sponsorships, and we have to be strategic in our approach," Delaney said.
Collins, who won the bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships and continued to compete at a high level through 2011, is recognized as a household name by major players in the sport.
Delaney added, "We know Kim Collins has made a name for himself time and time again dating back to 2003, even before that in 2001 when he won the bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships, up until 2011 when he was still winning medals at the world championships level. He is known by the major players in the sport, and we want to ensure that we are able to collaborate with Mr. Collins so that it can be beneficial to the sport and the youth who are coming up.”
In his new role, Collins will focus on raising the profile of St. Kitts Athletics through global sponsorship efforts, helping to foster a vibrant track and field community for the next generation.
St. Lucia Olympic Committee President Alfred Emmanuel elected to Panam Sports Executive Board
President of the St. Lucia Olympic Committee, Alfred Emmanuel, was among persons elected to the Panam Sports Executive Board at the body’s elections held on October 2 in Paraguay.
The continental body of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) elected Nevin Ilic as President.
He got 37 votes from a total of 53 votes. His challenger, Keith Joseph of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, received 16 votes.
There were also elections for individual members from the three different groupings. In Group 2, of which Saint Lucia is a part, the two representatives elected alongside Emmanuel were Roberto Richards of Cuba and Dennis Knight of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The representatives of Group 1 elected were: Mario Garcia de la Torre of México, Tricia Smith of Canada and Damaris Young of Panama.
The representatives of Group 3 elected were: Nicole Hoevertsz of Aruba, Mario Moccia of Argentina and Jorge Delgado of Ecuador.
The three Vice Presidents are: Veda Bruno Victor of Grenada - 1st Vice President, Camilo Perez of Paraguay - 2nd Vice President and Sarah Hirshland of USA - 3rd Vice President.
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