After sitting out the past two Suncorp Super Netball League matches, Samantha Wallace-Joseph’s future with New South Wales Swifts seems up in the air, as the club remains evasive about her omission from the match-day squad.

Though speculations were rife that the Trinidad and Tobago stalwart’s cut was due to anti-transgender social media post earlier this year, the club –while distancing itself from the post –confirmed that the current issue was unrelated. Wallace-Joseph did apologise for the post which she said was taken out of context.

NSW Swifts, in a recent statement, confirmed that Wallace-Joseph “would be unavailable for selection,” as they dealt with a matter relating to behaviour within the team environment. The club also stated that it was working with Wallace-Joseph and her management team.

However, indications are that the negotiations could be headed towards Wallace-Joseph’s termination or a mutual parting of ways, which is unprecedented in netball.

Wallace-Joseph's role in the team has been a focal point of discussion given the fact that the now 30-year-old goal shooter has been a beloved member of the team since her signing in 2017. Since joining the club, the Trinidadian assisted the Swifts to two Super Netball titles, and was named club MVP on three occasions.

Wallace-Joseph, who only returned to action this season after recovering from a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined her for the past two seasons, tallied over 138 goals, 289 Nissan Net Points, four deflections, one intercept and seven rebounds in the seven games she played before being dropped.

Louisiana State University (LSU) sophomore Brianna Lyston has decided to shut down her 2024 season meaning she will not compete at the Jamaican National Championships from June 27-30 at the National Stadium in Kingston.

The 20-year-old announced her decision in an Instagram post on Sunday after competing at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

“Thank you 2024, Breezy signing out,” she said.

This marks the end to an excellent second collegiate season for the former St. Jago and Hydel High standout.

Lyston enjoyed a perfect indoor season, going unbeaten in eight 60m races from January 27-March 9.

That included titles at both the SEC Indoor Championships as well as the NCAA Indoor Championships as well, establishing a personal best 7.03 at the latter.

Her season then moved outdoors where, in her first two 100m races of the season on March 30 and April 20, she produced wind-aided times of 10.87 and 10.84 at the Battle on the Bayou and the LSU Alumni Gold, respectively.

A month later at the SEC Championships, Lyston ran a personal best 10.91 to win the 100m title and 22.37 to finish fourth in the 200m.

Lyston secured 100m silver at the recently concluded NCAA Championships with a wind-aided 10.89 but she failed to advance to the final of the 200m after running 22.76 to finish fifth in her semi-final.

She also ran the opening leg on LSU’s silver medal-winning 4x100m quartet.

The St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have confirmed the players they have retained and signed ahead of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft. They have 13 confirmed players for the 2024 season and will have four spots to fill at the draft in July. 

Sri Lankan leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and South African opening batter Rilee Rossouw headline their 2024 signings, with Zimbabwean international Sikandar Raza and hugely exciting Sri Lankan seam bowler Nuwan Thushara also in the squad.

Their final overseas signing is South African batter Tristan Stubbs who had an excellent IPL for the Delhi Capitals.

The local players the Patriots have retained include Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Fletcher. The Patriots have also secured the services of Odean Smith who has been transferred from the Guyana Amazon Warriors. 

The Patriots finished last in the 2023 CPL with one win in ten games.

The 2024 edition of the CPL is set to run from August 30 to October 7. The Patriots will open their campaign against St Lucia Kings on September 1 in Basseterre.

Despite the fact that West Coast Fever suffered a tough round nine loss to Adelaide Thunderbirds, Jamaica’s Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard remains atop the Nissan Net Points tally, with her compatriots Romelda Aiken-George, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson also in pole across other categories.

With 959.5 Net Points to her credit, Fowler-Nembhard is well over 100 points ahead of Sunshine Coast Lightning’s Liz Watson (809.5 points), with Sterling-Humphrey (780 points) in third.

Fowler-Nembhard also has a strangle hold on the goals and attempts leaderboards, with 494 goals and 514 attempts. She has Australian goal shooters Donnell Wallam (378 goals and 440 attempts), Sophie Garbin (363 goals and 413 attempts), and Cara Koenen (340 goals and 376 attempts) keeping close company. Aiken-George is fifth on both standings with 306 goals and 353 attempts.

However, Aiken-George continues to lead the offensive rebounds ladder with 43, ahead of Garbin (37), Koenen (33), Wallam (30), and Fowler-Nembhard (25).

A massive week from Wilson ensured the Sunshine Girl retains pole position on the intercepts ladder, as her tally of 33 now pushed her five ahead of teammate Sterling-Humphrey (28).

Still, Sterling-Humphrey has a firm grip on the deflections leaderboard (62) and defensive rebounds (22), both marginally ahead of Ash Ervin, who has 53 deflections and 18 defensive rebounds. Wilson (49) is third on the deflections ladder.

Meanwhile, despite another Swifts loss, Helen Housby’s willingness to shoot from range has not stopped. She is still leading the Suncorp Super Shots (53) and attempts (81) categories, while Liz Watson has continued her midcourt dominance, with 232 goal assists to her name to go with her 236 centre pass receives.

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons have confirmed the players they have signed ahead of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League draft.

They have 12 confirmed players for the 2024 season and will have five spots to fill at the draft in July. 

The Falcons, who are replacing the Jamaica Tallawahs in this year’s tournament, will feature Pakistani internationals Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim and Fakhar Zaman, all of whom are currently featuring in the T20 World Cup which is taking place in the Caribbean and USA. 

Their overseas contingent will be rounded out by Australia’s Chris Green and Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. 

Omarzai, currently representing Afghanistan at the T20 World Cup, recently took part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time with the Gujarat Titans.

Brandon King and Fabian Allen will also be part of the Falcons squad for 2024 as well as hugely exciting Antiguan batter Jewel Andrew who starred at the Under 19 World Cup earlier this year. 

King previously represented the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Jamaica Tallawahs, who he captained to the title in 2022, while Allen has previously represented the Patriots and Tallawahs.

The full list of signed players for the Falcons is as follows: Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Brandon King, Jewell Andrew, Chris Green, Shamar Springer, Joshua James, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kelvin Pitman, Hayden Walsh Jr, Fabian Allen

In an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV, University of Arkansas Head Coach Chris Johnson revealed that Jamaican long sprinter Nikisha Pryce, the 2024 NCAA champion, has not yet peaked this season, despite her outstanding performance at the NCAA National Outdoor Championships.

Pryce, 23, clocked a lifetime best of 48.89 seconds on Saturday, setting the fastest time ever run by a Jamaican woman and briefly holding the world lead before Sydney McLaughlin's 48.75 at the New York Grand Prix on Sunday.

Pryce's 2024 season has been nothing short of spectacular. Entering the year with a personal best of 50.21, she managed to run four lifetime bests—50.13, 49.72, 49.32, and finally 48.89—culminating in a historic performance at the NCAA Championships. However, Johnson believes Pryce's best is yet to come.

"Well, obviously she hasn't peaked yet. I mean, she's still training. She's still training hard right now, so she'll be ready to go," Johnson said. "We plan for this. Keep ahead to keep it motivated. She's run fast. We didn't say, 'Oh, we're gonna just try to peak at NCAA.' She ran fast, that's impressive, but no one wants to sneeze on 48, but I just think that she has more in the tank."

Johnson outlined a strategic plan to prepare Pryce for the upcoming Jamaica National Championships later this month and ultimately, the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

"First of all, we're doing some active recovery stuff for the next three or four days, and then we'll start to ease back into training just to be able to let her body recover mentally and physically and emotionally. We've got to make sure that we take good care of her and have her go when the time comes," Johnson explained.

Pryce's immediate focus is on the Jamaican trials, which she must navigate successfully to secure her spot for Paris. Johnson stressed the importance of not taking anything for granted.

"She's going to do the trials, obviously. We don't have any plans for the circuit just yet. I'm sure we'll try to get something before Paris, maybe one race before Paris, but right now, it's really just retooling her, getting her ready, getting her refocused. Obviously, we take the trials very seriously, so we got to take care of that business," he said.

"We don't want to assume anything as pertains to that. And then after that, we'll prepare for the road, maybe one race before the Paris games," he concluded.

As she continues to train and refine her skills, all eyes will be on Pryce to see just how far she can push the boundaries of her potential.

The Trinbago Knight Riders have confirmed the players they have retained and signed ahead of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft.

They have 15 confirmed players for the 2024 season and will have two emerging player spots to fill at the draft in July. 

The Knight Riders have signed Australian batter Tim David for the 2024 season. David has had success in the CPL in the past with the Saint Lucia Kings.

They have also secured the services of experienced and explosive England international Jason Roy who is set for his first taste of the CPL.

Roy is one of the world’s most travelled T20 players boasting stats of 9244 runs in 360 matches including six hundreds and 60 fifties at a strike rate of 141.60. 

USA international Ali Khan and Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil will return to the franchise for the 2024 season. The Knight Riders have also signed Ireland left arm seamer Josh Little who recently became the first Irish man to play in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.

The Knight Riders have retained the core of Caribbean players that took them to the final at the 2023 tournament with Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Nicholas Pooran all back with the Trinidad franchise. 

The full list of retained and signed players for the Knight Riders are as follows: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Keacy Carty, Tim David, Josh Little, Terrence Hinds, Mark Deyal, Jason Roy, Dwayne Bravo, Waqar Salamkheil, Jayden Seales.

Texas junior Ackelia Smith made history at the recently concluded NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships when she became the first Longhorn to ever sweep the horizontal jumps.

Smith first defended her title in the long-jump event on Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon with a mark of 6.79 meters, becoming the first Texas woman to win back-to-back titles in 18 years.

Two days later, the 22-year-old won the triple-jump title with a season’s best mark of 14.52m. 

In an interview with CITIUS MAG after her win in the triple jump, Smith, who is now a three-time NCAA Champion, expressed her joy at winning the double.

“I am so happy that I could come out there and get both of them done for my team and for myself. I was a little mopey about the long jump but I got back to the triple definitely took it out there,” she said.

“When I got to the triple jump I just told myself ‘hey, we’re here to compete.’ I was trying to get a personal best and, even though I did not get that, I was pretty consistent with my jumps,” she added.

In the long jump competition, half of Smith’s six attempts were fouls and her three legal jumps were the winning 6.79m, 5.21m and 6.77m.

She had a much better and more consistent showing in the triple jump, producing four legal jumps that all cleared 14m.

Smith says the key in the triple jump was to embrace the nervousness a bit more.

“I re-evaluated what I did for the long jump and realized that I might’ve been a bit too comfortable so I went out there trying to be more anxious and keep that edge. That’s what pushed me through out there,” she said.

Smith is a part of a golden generation of young Jamaican jumpers and sees a bright future for the island nation in the discipline.

“Growing up I used to hear about Kimberly Williams then after Kimberly came Shanieka (Ricketts). I’ve been looking up to these ladies and it’s been great to see the Jamaican jumps growing, especially the triple because not many people do the triple,” she said.

“It’s good to see actual growth and I’ve seen a lot more Jamaicans competing here at the championships. I think it’s wonderful for the future. Even on the guys side, it definitely looks good for Jamaica in the jumps,” Smith added.

Her next goal is to make it onto Jamaica’s team to the Paris Olympics and, hopefully, find herself on the podium at those Games.

The Jamaican trials are set for June 27-30 at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt recently revealed that he considered coming out of retirement after being offered a lucrative deal by Björn Gulden, the then-CEO of Puma, two years after he hung up his spikes in 2017. The revelation came during an interview on Drive on talkSPORT ahead of the Soccer Aid 2024 charity match.

Soccer Aid 2024 took place at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium on Sunday, June 9, where Bolt once again captain the World XI FC team.

Speaking with talkSPORT ahead of his sixth Soccer Aid match, Bolt expressed his enthusiasm for football and the annual charity event. Despite his undeniable love for football, it was in track and field where Bolt truly made his mark. The conversation shifted to sprinting, where the eight-time Olympic gold medallist disclosed that he considered a return to the sport following his retirement in 2017.

Bolt shared that two years after retiring, he was approached with an enticing offer by Adidas CEO Björn Gulden, who was the Chief Executive of Puma at the time. Although the idea of returning to the track intrigued him, Bolt’s coach was firmly against it.

“My coach told me, he said to me, ‘Listen, if you’re gonna retire, that’s it. I’m not gonna coach you again. This is it; there’s no coming back after this.’ So when I went to him, he was like, ‘No, absolutely not,’” Bolt explained. “I would do it because when you go away from the sport then you start missing it.”

Bolt admitted that he still misses being on the track and believes he could have performed better than some of the current athletes. Regarding his unbeaten 100m record, Bolt remains confident that it will stand for some time. He acknowledged the talent of American sprinter Noah Lyles, noting that while Lyles is improving, he is not yet at the level needed to break Bolt’s record.

World championship long jump silver medallist Wayne Pinnock has officially turned professional, signing a contract with global sportswear giant PUMA. Pinnock, who just completed his junior year at the University of Arkansas, has decided to forego his final year of college eligibility to focus fully on his burgeoning athletic career.

The 23-year-old Jamaican has been making significant waves in the track and field world with his impressive performances on both international and collegiate stages. Pinnock led the world in 2023 with a lifetime best of 8.54m and secured the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. His collegiate accolades include being the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Champion and winning Indoor titles for the Razorbacks in 2022 and 2024.

Previously, Pinnock was signed to PUMA through a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal, allowing him to balance his academic commitments with his professional aspirations. However, his recent decision to turn pro marks a significant shift, as he now fully dedicates himself to his athletic career.

"I'm incredibly grateful and humbled to be signing with PUMA as a professional athlete," Pinnock said. "This is a dream come true for me, and I'm excited to represent the brand at the highest level."

Pinnock's excitement for his new professional chapter is palpable, and he is confident that PUMA's support will be instrumental in his future successes. "I'm looking forward to this new chapter in my career, and I'm confident that with PUMA's support, I'll be able to achieve great things in the world of track and field. I'm ready to put in the work and make Jamaica and my fans proud," he added.

With his signing, Pinnock joins the ranks of elite professional athletes sponsored by PUMA. His presence is expected to be a significant asset in the brand's marketing efforts moving forward, solidifying PUMA's commitment to supporting top-tier athletic talent.

Nikisha Pryce etched her name in history on Saturday by running an astounding 48.89 seconds in the 400m on the final day of the 2024 NCAA National Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. In doing so, Pryce not only shattered the two-decade-old Jamaican national record held by Lorraine Fenton but also set a new collegiate record and the world-leading time for the year.

Pryce's performance was the highlight of an incredible day for the University of Arkansas, as she led a Razorback 'super sweep', with their athletes finishing in the top four positions to secure 29 critical points, propelling the team to the national women's title.

Fenton, the now former Jamaica national record holder whose 49.30 mark stood for over 20 years, expressed her joy at Pryce's achievement. "I’m happy for Nikisha. Twenty plus years is a long time for a record to stand. I wish her and other Jamaican 400m runners the very best,” Fenton said, acknowledging the monumental nature of Pryce's accomplishment.

Shericka Williams, who recently shared the second-fastest Jamaican 400m time with Pryce, was equally impressed. "Her performance was exceptional. She ran a well-distributed race; she was just floating down the track effortlessly. While watching the race I was watching the clock at 350m and she was still going strong, very impressive!" Williams noted.

Williams also offered advice to Pryce, emphasizing the importance of focus and hard work. "She just needs to focus on trials and then after just continue to train hard and get ready for the Olympics and remain focused on her goals," she advised.

Pryce attributed her record-breaking run to the meticulous guidance of her coach, Chris Johnson. "I did what my coach told me to do, execute the race properly and that's what I did," she said.

Coach Johnson, in his first year as Head Coach of the University of Arkansas Track Programme, has led the team to both NCAA Indoor and Outdoor national titles. He praised Pryce's exceptional talent and the collective effort of his team. "That's the goal. That's the Arkansas tradition so we're just trying to uphold the tradition. I was blessed with a great team and we have great coaches, great staff and everybody is invested so we just want to be able to represent the Hogs really well. Go out and compete to the best of our ability. Winning is the goal and we were able to get it done and obviously we have some special ladies and this young lady broke the Jamaican national record, the collegiate national record and is the fastest time in the world and we are just elated by it," Johnson said.

Pryce and her teammates capped off a phenomenal championship by obliterating the NCAA record in the 4x400m relay. The quartet of Pryce, Kaylyn Brown, Amber Anning, and Rosey Effiong ran an incredible 3:17.96, smashing their own record by almost four seconds and winning by a significant margin ahead of Tennessee (3:23.32) and Texas (3:23.68).

Nikisha Pryce's historic run marks a new era for Jamaican 400m runners, with her performance setting a new benchmark and inspiring the next generation of athletes to reach even greater heights.

Defending champions Nicholas Benjamin and Aliana McMaster are set to defend their Jackson Bay Hunting & Fishing Club Sporting Clays titles on Sunday which they won last year.

Well over one hundred gunners are expected to trek to Jackson Bay in Clarendon for the 9:30 am shot-gun start of a challenging day on the course. 

If last year's conditions are repeated then the competitors can expect extreme heat, wind and some rain before the end of the tournament. Notwithstanding those conditions, the shooters will get a chance to display their skills by the sea as at least one station will be positioned with the sea in the background. 

In 2023 Benjamin shot 90 to be the only shooter to post a score in the 90's while McMaster was engaged in a shoot-off which she won convincingly over Kashka Jones. 

The top contenders for this year include former national shotgun champions Ian Banks, Shaun Barnes, Christian Sasso and Chad Ziadie plus other top gunners such as Bruce DeQuesnay and Ray McMaster.

On the female side, Aliana will have to contend with her mother and many-time national female shotgun champion Wendy McMaster as well as several other ladies who have been shooting well. 

Club president Sean Clacken looks forward to the tournament for the development of the club as well as to gain funds to assist the people of the Portland Cottage Community where the club is based.

President Clacken credits the support of many sponsors who have come on board for the shoot this year. They include First Rock, Century 21, Ultra Financiers and Optimum Distributors as well as many others.

Lorraine Fenton’s 22-year-old Jamaican 400m record is no more as Arkansas senior Nickisha Pryce produced an excellent display to establish a new mark in a winning effort at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.

Pryce produced a time of 48.89 to win gold and smash Fenton’s previous mark of 49.30 set back in 2002.

The 23-year-old’s time is also a collegiate record, erasing Britton Wilson’s 49.13 done in 2023.

Arkansas occupied the first four spots in Saturday’s final through Kaylyn Brown (49.13), Amber Anning (49.59) and Rosey Effiong (49.72).

In the Women’s 100m, LSU’s Brianna Lyston produced 10.89 (2.2 m/s) for second behind Ole Miss senior McKenzie Long who won in 10.82. Texas Tech senior Rosemary Chukwuma was third in 10.90.