Retired track and field star Usain Bolt has encouraged up-and-coming athletes to embrace hard work and dedication to achieve their goals and not be tempted by the shortcut of performance-enhancing drugs.
The big Jamaican was easily the standard by which all other sprinters were measured, after putting together a dominant spell that lasted over a decade. During that time Bolt claimed 8 Olympic and 11 World Championship gold medals, and in addition, set two records in the men’s 100m and 200m sprints that have stood untouched since 2009.
Perhaps more importantly, in a sport often riddled with doping controversy, the sprinter never failed a drug test.
"I tried to live a respectful life. I understood what it meant to show the world that it could be done so that younger kids can look up to me and say ‘Usain did all these good things without taking drugs’. It's all about hard work and dedication and a lot of people want to take short routes. I always wanted to be the best version of myself,” Bolt said in at a recent Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
“So young athletes listen, it's all about dedication and hard work, it won't happen overnight,” the Jamaican added.
As part of the solution, the sprinter believes stricter regulations could be considered to deter cheating.
“We have tried everything in sports to eliminate doping. But I think we have to continue putting in more strict regulations to deter people from wanting to cheat."
Munro’s Hendricks, JC’s Penn, Israel secure victories on day two at Penn Relays
Munro College’s Chad Hendricks and JC’s Chavez Penn and Balvin Israel all secured wins on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Hendricks, a silver medallist at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and the Carifta Games, threw an excellent 66.17m to take top spot in the High School Boys’ discus ahead of Bergen Catholic’s Benjamin Shue (61.55m) and Christian Brothers’ Ashton Hearn (58.42m).
Penn, who won the high jump and triple jump double at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and Carifta Games, produced 15.38m to comfortably win the triple jump ahead of Wolmer’s Boys’ Nicardo Grey-Clarke (14.52m) and Cornwall College’s Obrien Bowen (14.49m).
Israel added to his long jump gold medal at Champs with 7.24m to take top spot Friday. KC’s Nathan Wade, who took silver at Champs, was once again second with 7.09m while Calvert Hall College’s Antoine McNair Jr was third with 7.09m.
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.
Elaine Thompson-Herah was never booked for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix, says agent
Speculation surrounding the participation of five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah at the highly anticipated USATF Bermuda Grand Prix has been dispelled by her agent, Marvin Anderson of Andi Sports Management. Despite earlier excitement and anticipation, Thompson-Herah was never officially booked or confirmed for the track meet scheduled for this Sunday at the Flora Duffy Stadium.
The revelation comes after recent reports sparked fervent anticipation among fans, particularly within Bermuda's Jamaican community, who were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to witness the "fastest woman alive" compete alongside other elite Caribbean athletes.
Yackeisha Weir, president of the Jamaican Association of Bermuda (JAB), expressed the community's high expectations and emphasized the honor of hosting Thompson-Herah ahead of the Paris Olympics. However, Anderson's statement to Sportsmax.TV on Friday shattered these hopes, clarifying that Thompson-Herah's presence at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix was never confirmed.
"She was never booked. She was never confirmed," Anderson asserted, addressing the confusion surrounding Thompson-Herah's potential appearance.
“I asked the meet organizers if they had put out something and they said no, so I don’t know where that was leaked from. I know they had an interest way back, but no.”
Despite this setback, Anderson assured fans that Thompson-Herah has been diligently training and is gearing up for a successful upcoming season. While Thompson-Herah's name was notably absent from the start lists for Sunday's meet, other Jamaican athletes, including Alana Reid and Kemba Nelson, are set to showcase their talents in the 100m event. Ashanti Moore is the only Jamaican down to contest the 200m.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
