'They made me feel worth it' - Tapper credits dedicated coaching staff for incredible Olympic achievement

By Sports Desk August 15, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper has credited her coaching staff for sticking by her side after a worrying start to the season.

Tapper was one of the stories of the games after battling to bronze in the women’s 100m hurdles.  The athlete’s performance, which saw her making up ground on world record holder Kendra Harrison in the closing stages of the race, was highlighted by a new personal best of 12.53.  In retrospect though, Tapper admits that getting there was far from a straightforward process.

At the Ter Specke Bokaal meet, in the Netherland, she began the season in underwhelming fashion after finishing third in 13.72, and with the Olympics just months away there was plenty to be concerned about.

“Granted the weather conditions we the total opposite of what I was used to, but I’m an Olympic caliber athlete and I was running 13.7, everyone was worried, but no one made me feel like I was not worth it,” Tapper told SportsMax.TV’s InCaseYouMissedIT.

“They continued to invest the same amount of time and effort and even more and it made me feel safe.  As an athlete, feeling safe and worthy and worth it when you don’t perform at your best, is really, really important,” she added.

In Tokyo, Tapper, the country’s national champion, became the first Jamaican woman to medal in the event.

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    The decorated Welshman secured a silver medal in the 110 metres hurdles at the 1988 Games in Seoul and five years later won gold at the world championships with a world record time of 12.91 seconds that would stand for 11 years.

    Jackson, 57, accepts his friend Usain Bolt’s now hung-up spikes might occupy an unfillable place in athletics, but feels the sport is more than ready for new superstars to emerge – an occurrence he believes is only possible at an Olympics.

    He told the PA news agency: “If we have a successful team, which it’s believed to be, and we get five or six medals, if we achieve a ‘Super Saturday’ as we did in London 2012, that will be another kick-start, because that signifies a new generation.

    “We won’t be looking at Jess (Ennis-Hill), Mo (Farah), Greg (Rutherford) any more. You’re looking at the next generation, touching distance for all up-and-coming athletes, and us pre-historic athletes will be happy to celebrate their success.”

    Bolt stepped away from competition in 2017, nine years after the 2008 Beijing Games where he became the first man in history to win 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay golds in world record times in the same Olympics.

    The “fastest man on earth” would go on to defend his 100m and 200m titles at an unprecedented two successive Games at London 2012 and Rio 2016, becoming box-office viewing and one of the most recognisable names in sport.

    Jackson said: “When Usain [broke through], it happened at the Olympic Games, so when you break through you have to break through on that Olympic level.

    “The World Championships are great, fantastic, yes, but it’s that dream of the Olympic Games that will make it come true.

    “[Usain] is once in a lifetime, seriously. As an athlete and a person, I’ve known him for a long time and he’s just brilliant. His professionalism is up and beyond. He’s just magic.

    “When you see somebody with the physical talent like that but [also] the rest of the attributes to be a global superstar, you’ve just got to tip your hat to him.”

    Jackson believes Paris’ proximity and UK-friendly time zone, combined with – unlike the coronavirus-restricted Tokyo 2020 Games – full houses and weeks of “wall-to-wall athletics” across both the Olympic and Paralympic Games could catapult his sport back into the spotlight.

    Take your pick of talent, from Zharnel Hughes – tipped by Bolt himself as a contender for 100m gold in Paris – world champion Josh Kerr hoping to upgrade his 1500m Tokyo bronze, 2024 world indoor pole-vaulting champion Molly Caudery or Commonwealth T38 100m champion Olivia Breen, who Jackson feels has “stepped up her game” since winning T38 long jump bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics.

    Jackson, now a regular commentator, has spent plenty of time around para athletes and saw his career take off alongside that of fellow Welsh athlete and prolific Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson.

    Still, he admits it was not until he became the international sports director for the Wings for Life World Run, which raises funds for spinal cord injury research, that he truly began to appreciate some of the specific challenges those affected face, from difficulties regulating temperature to insufficient government support.

    The event, backed by Allwyn in a three-year partnership, takes place on May 5 this year, with everyone departing at the same time – midday in the UK – regardless of time zone across the globe.

    Anyone can take part in the event, which embraces walkers, wheelchair-users and anyone else looking to test themselves against an in-person or virtual ‘catcher car’, covering as much distance as they are able.

    Jackson’s advice to participants feels just as poignant for the Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes poised for Paris.

    “You should (always) be slightly disappointed,” he said. “Let me come back, work a little harder, just go a little bit further.

    “Nothing is ever perfect, but excellence is good enough.”

  • U.S. Elite International, National Education Trust partner to award 2024 Honorary Legacy Scholarships to Kingston College, Edwin Allen High and Muschett High U.S. Elite International, National Education Trust partner to award 2024 Honorary Legacy Scholarships to Kingston College, Edwin Allen High and Muschett High

    U.S. Elite International and National Education Trust have come together to recognize Kingston College, Edwin Allen High and Muschett High for their outstanding performances at the recently concluded ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships held at the National Stadium in Kingston.

    The three schools were selected as recipients of the 2024 Honorary Legacy Scholarships during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday.

    U.S. Elite International is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the United States, whose mission is to support low-income and at-risk students through the college matriculation process, provide mentorship through their collegiate studies and help them graduate college debt-free.

    The 2024 Honorary Legacy Scholarships recognize the winners of the 2024 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships, also known as "CHAMPS," and will be awarded as follows:

    The Hubert Lawrence Legacy Scholarship for Champion Boys' School valued at J$309,000.

    Hubert Lawrence was a renowned journalist, veteran, and world-class track and field analyst, whose monumental contribution to the sport is evidenced through his coverage of major track and field championships locally and internationally.

    The John Messam Legacy Scholarship for Champion Girls' School also valued at J$309,000.

    John Messam was an information technology professional but was most renowned for his valuable contribution to track and field, laying the foundations for hurdles in the country.

    The Vilma Charlton Legacy Scholarship for Top Emerging School valued at J$154,500.

    Vilma Charlton is a retired university lecturer and renowned track and field Olympian. She was the first woman to receive an athletic scholarship to Pepperdine University, USA, where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

    Each selected institution will receive an award banner that must be displayed in the institution for at least one year after receiving the scholarship.

     “It is with these scholarship awards that we help to carry on the legacies of the lives of these people into the next generation,” said Keishia Thorpe, Vice President and Liaison Programme Director at U.S. Elite International at the handover ceremony.

    “The students we serve are students whose stories represent our own and we are honored to work alongside the National Education Trust (NET) to make sure that schools in Jamaica that are working with these students have an opportunity to advance in wither the athletic or academic field,” she added.

    National Education Trust Limited (NET) is a Registered Charitable Organization and a Government of Jamaica agency that mobilizes financial and quality resource investments for the education sector.

    NET also implements infrastructure development projects for educational institutions in Jamaica to achieve greater levels of access to education and learning.

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    This year, U.S. Elite International, through its "Making Champions Project" Initiative, embarks on providing Legacy Scholarships, a single monetary allotment that will be awarded to selected institutions each year.

    This initiative aims to empower schools to more efficiently support their students and prepare them for college by giving them the resources to enhance the quality of the academic and sports programmes they offer.

    The group believes that by doing so, it will in turn, make it easier for students and, by extension, athletes to use their gifts and talents as a passport to higher education.

    U.S. Elite and its partnering agencies will determine the criteria for these awards each year, but the stipulation that the products and funds be used to advance the academic and sports programmes offered by these institutions will main resolute.

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  • On track: Hallgrimsson says CNL performance a positive step towards World Cup qualification On track: Hallgrimsson says CNL performance a positive step towards World Cup qualification

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    Though Hallgrimsson would have preferred the 2023/24 CNL title, as opposed to the bronze they secured with a 1-0 win over Panama, he believes the achievement represents a step in the right direction on their quest to add to the country’s 1998 World Cup feat.

    “This is just a part of our journey. We were trying to build something for this tournament as there is a saying that ‘success is not a destination, success is not a date, it’s a continuous journey to the right direction’. So, we’re just working on improving this team, as our biggest goal at the moment is to try to reach the World Cup finals,” Hallgrimsson declared. 

    Jamaica’s third-place battle followed a heartbreaking 3-1 extra-time loss to United States in an entertaining semi-final contest that they led from the very first minute, but lost after Corey Burke’s last-gasped own-goal brought the opponents back into the game.

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    “This is a good step to play important matches, to play big tournaments, and to play strong opponents like the United States and Panama. They are two of the three highest-ranked Concacaf teams and we showed that we are closing in on this gap, even with the number of players not with us. So, I have to give a lot of credit to the players for the way they presented themselves for Jamaica,” Hallgrimsson said.

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    Jamaica is scheduled to face Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela in Group B of the June 20 to July 14 Copa America, while Dominican Republic, Dominica, Guatemala and British Virgin Islands are their Group E opponents for the World Cup qualifiers, also scheduled to begin in June.

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