Sami Depass
In a remarkable display of strength and determination, Sami DePass, the pride of Jamaica, is embarking on a monumental journey to represent the National Powerlifting Association of Jamaica Limited (NPAJ) at the highly anticipated International Powerlifting World (IPF) Classic Open Powerlifting Championships. Set in the scenic city of St. Julians, Malta, the event will be held from June 11th to June 18th, 2023, and promises to be a showcase of powerlifting excellence.
Since joining the NPAJ on August 24th, 2021, Sami DePass has dominated the sport, leaving a trail of success in her wake. With each outing, she has consistently showcased her phenomenal talent and indomitable spirit. The upcoming championship in Malta presents another golden opportunity for Sami to further cement her status as an unstoppable force in powerlifting.
Competing in the 76kg weight class, Sami will face off against twenty-six elite athletes from around the world. Standing at the precipice of greatness, she aims to continue her triumphant streak, having already clinched four gold medals in all her previous outings. Her impressive statistics and outstanding performances have solidified her reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the powerlifting community.
A closer look at Sami DePass'' career reveals her extraordinary achievements and remarkable statistics that have propelled her to the forefront of powerlifting.
In 2021, she won the gold medal and the title of NPAJ National Champion for the female 76kg category. Her incredible statistics included a squat of 181.4kg, a bench press of 90.7kg, and a deadlift of 213.1kg, totaling a staggering 485.3kg. With an outstanding 96.62 GPL score, Sami claimed the second overall position among 19 remarkable athletes.
Continuing her ascent in the sport, she journeyed to Texas the following year, where she struck gold as a guest lifter at the 2022 Powerlifting America Classic Open Nationals in the 76kg category. Displaying unparalleled strength, she achieved a squat of 190kg, a bench press of 97.5kg, and a deadlift of 217.5kg, culminating in an impressive total of 505kg. Her remarkable 99.86 GPL score would have secured her a second-place finish out of three phenomenal athletes.
Returning to her homeland, Sami reaffirmed her dominance by claiming her third gold medal and the title of NPAJ National Champion for the female 76kg category in 2022. Her outstanding performance included a squat of 190.5kg, a bench press of 102kg, and a deadlift of 219.9kg, resulting in a remarkable total of 512.5kg. With a resounding 101.37 GPL score, Sami secured the third overall position among twenty-two formidable athletes.
Furthermore, Sami etched her name in the annals of powerlifting history by triumphing at the 19th edition of the NAPF Champion in Panama for the female 76kg category in 2022, claiming yet another gold medal. She demonstrated her incredible strength by achieving a squat of 185.5kg, a bench press of 92.5kg, and a deadlift of 220.5kg, resulting in an impressive total of 503.5kg. Her remarkable 99.4 GPL score placed her fifth overall out of an astonishing one hundred and seventy-six athletes.
As Sami embarks on her journey to Malta, she carries with her the hopes and dreams of the NPAJ and the entire nation of Jamaica. She embodies the spirit of Jamaica's famous saying, "we little but we tallawah," with her unwavering determination and indomitable spirit. Sami aims to conquer the international powerlifting world and make her mark on the global stage.
With the motto "One Team, One Dream, One Goal," the NPAJ stands firmly behind Sami DePass as she competes at the International Powerlifting World Championships in Malta. The entire nation is united in its support for this extraordinary athlete, wishing her strength, focus, and unparalleled success as she proudly represents Jamaica on the global stage.
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.
Frazsiers Whip to represent Jamaica in inaugural Concacaf Women's Champions Cup
As expected, Frazsiers Whip will be Jamaica’s representative in the inaugural Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup, a new annual tournament that includes the best clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean and crowns the region’s women’s club champion.
The tournament is also the sole path through which clubs in Concacaf can qualify for the new FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which FIFA has committed to launching in the near future.
By virtue of winning the 2022/23 Jamaica Women’s Premier League, Frazsiers Whip booked their spot for the first edition of the competition, which will feature 11 clubs from seven Member Associations.
The other confirmed participants are Canada’s 2023 League One Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship winners Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Costa Rica’s LD Alajuelense, Mexico’s Tigres UANL Femenil, as well as the United States trio of Gotham FC, San Diego Wave FC and Portland Thorns FC.
El Salvador and Panama are yet to confirm their representatives for their solitary spots, while Mexico’s two other representatives will be known at the conclusion of the Liga MX Clausura.
Interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert, who guided Frazsiers Whip to league honours, welcomed the move by Concacaf, which he believes will offer some exposure for local players, despite the gulf in class between other leagues around the region and Jamaica's Women's League.
"It's important for local football, however, I don't think any of our local teams will be able to match up with the teams from Mexico or United States. Those clubs are professional clubs playing in a fully professional leagues, while ours is nowhere close to their standard," Gilbert told SportsMax.TV in a recent interview.
"But it is good, it is more football and more exposure for our local players. At the same time, I think it sends a signal of how important it is for us to look at what we are doing in terms of resources and surfaces for our local teams. So, it is good move by Concacaf, and I think it's for us now here in Jamaica to look at what we are doing and try to improve the quality of our league," he added.
The official draw for the tournament is scheduled for June 6.
Action in the Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup is expected to get underway in August, with a Preliminary Round, followed by Group and Knockout Stage play. The Preliminary Round Play-in will be a single-leg match between two clubs, with the winner advancing to the Group Stage.
The Group Stage will feature 10 clubs divided into two groups of five clubs each. Each club will play every club in its group once, for a total of four matches per club (two at home and two away). At the conclusion of Group Stage play, the group winners and runners-up (four clubs) will progress to the competition’s final four.
The semifinals, third-place encounter, and final, where the first-ever Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup winners will be crowned, will be centralized in a venue to be announced.
Hughes targets Olympic glory; expects Racers Grand Prix to offer taste of potential Paris test
Winning a first global individual medal at last year’s World Championships whetted Zharnel Hughes’s appetite for more success, and so it comes as no surprise that the Anguillan-born Great Britain sprint sensation is strongly optimistic about clinching a medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
In fact, if Hughes’s confidence to top his performances from last year is anything to go by, then he could very well accomplish the feat, provided he maintains a clean bill of health throughout the season.
During last year’s electrifying campaign, which ended with his World Championships bronze in the men’s 100m final, Hughes broke Olympic champion Linford Christie’s 100m British national record when he clocked a personal best 9.83 seconds at the New York Grand Prix, in June.
A month later, at the UK Athletics Championship, Hughes ran a brisk 19.77s, which is faster than John Regis’s national 200m record, but the time was wind-aided and, as such, was recognised as a record. However, Hughes, with his superb form, inevitably established a new record when he clocked a wind-legal 19.73s at the London Diamond League.
With that in mind, coupled with his relentless work ethic and resolute pursuit of excellence, Hughes is poised to make another significant impact on the world stage this year. Whether or not it will be an Olympic gold medal triumph is left to be seen.
“It's the Olympic year, so obviously you want to better what you did last year. I'm happy with how last year turned out for me, and this year is very much more exciting. I'm preparing myself nicely. I'm feeling fit and ready to go. Obviously as an athlete, you want to lower your personal best every year, but unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't work out like that. But I'm definitely aiming to lower my personal best both in the 100m and 200m,” Hughes declared.
“I'm in good shape and I’m excited. I've definitely counted myself as one of them (athletes) to be reckoned with (for an Olympic gold medal). I'm never going to count myself out now because you've seen what happened last year, and I'm excited to top my performance from last year,” he added.
Though he 48.25s in a 400m run in February, followed by a 20.40s-clocking in March, the 28-year-old pointed out that he is yet to really hit top gear in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games, but is aiming to do so at the sixth edition of the Racers Grand Prix, on June 1, at Jamaica's National Stadium.
At the Racers Grand Prix, Hughes will line up alongside Racers Track Club teammate Oblique Seville and American World champion Noah Lyles in the 100m, which he considers a good prelude for what could come at the Paris Games.
“I'm looking forward to it, I was listening for who was going to be there; Oblique and I have been training pretty good and I know both of us representing coach Glen Mills, will be bringing it on the day. So, I look forward to who's in the field, especially with Lyles being there,” Hughes said.
“This race is to get you prepared for what's to come later in the summer. So, to have great competition like that at the Racers Grand Prix is just a great indicator to see where we're at, and what we can tweak going into our national trials, because my trials will be the latter part of June. So, for me, I'm looking forward to this race and the following week I'll have the European Championships as well. So, it'll be a great indicator for me,” he shared.
Working tirelessly under the watchful eyes of decorated coach Mills, Hughes, a four-time European Champion, has upped the ante in the gym to improve his strength, as he is leaving no stone unturned in his quest for Olympic glory.
“My training has been going tremendously well. I'm excited to open up properly (at Racers Grand Prix) because my first race wasn't so good because I had a little niggle, but I've overcome that now and I'm very excited to see what's there. I've worked on my strength a lot, physically, I'm a lot stronger and I just want to keep on top of my mental health as well,” Hughes revealed.
“Those things are very crucial going into an Olympic year, so you have to be very focused. You have to ensure that your body is properly fit as well in order to go there to give the best that you're looking for. So, I'm pretty sharp on keeping my mental focus up and ensuring that I'm properly recovered,” he ended.
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