Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent and American wonderkid Erriyon Knighton are among four athletes to have their world records ratified by World Athletics.

In a release Friday, World Athletics said Nugent achieved her world U20 indoor 60m hurdles record when winning at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville on March 13, 2021.

Other performances that were faster than the previous ratified world record of 8.00 set by Klaudia Siciarz in Torun on February 18, 2017 – including Nugent’s own 7.91 earlier in 2021 – did not fulfil all the criteria for ratification.

Nugent’s 7.92 does meet the criteria, so becomes the world U20 record.

Meanwhile, Knighton achieved his world U20 200m record at the US Championships on 26 June, running 19.69 to improve on his own previous ratified record of 19.84, also set at Hayward Field in Eugene on June 27, 2021.

Knighton had opened his season with a time of 19.49 in Baton Rouge, but that mark could not be ratified as a world U20 record because specific anti-doping testing requirements were not met.

Elsewhere, the world 10km record of 29:14 set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in Castellon on February 27 has also been ratified.

In Castellon, Yehualaw became the first woman in history to dip under the 29:30 and 29:20 barriers on the roads, running 29:14 to improve the ratified record of 29:43 set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in Prague on 9 September 2017 and the mark of 29:38 achieved on 3 October 2021 by Bahrain’s Kalkidan Gezahegne in Geneva.

In a race held under ideal weather conditions, and with pacing assistance from Dutch distance runner Richard Douma, Yehualaw set off at a swift pace. They covered the opening kilometre in 2:51 and by 3km, reached in 8:36, Yehualaw was on target for a sub-29-minute finish.

She went through halfway in 14:28 – one of the fastest 5km clockings in history – and was still inside 29-minute pace. The Ethiopian slowed a bit during the second half, but a final kilometre of 2:52 (and a second half of 14:46) was enough to carry her to a 29:14 finish.

“I knew I had the world record in my legs and wanted to produce a challenging performance for any athletes who may attempt the record in the near future,” she said.

In March this year, Mokoka ran 2:40:13 at the Nedbank Runified 50km in Gqeberha to improve on the inaugural world 50km record of 2:42:07 that had been set by Ethiopia’s Ketema Negasa at the same event last year.

Mokoka is now the official world 50km record-holder, although CJ Albertson clocked 2:38:43 in San Francisco on 8 October, and that performance has also been submitted for record ratification.

Hundreds of children from Paradise and its surrounding communities in Montego Bay to get Christmas gifts from Olympic gold medalist Briana Williams during the third staging of her annual Christmas Treat on Tuesday, December 21.

Williams, who now trains in Jamaica, feted children at the Paradise Community Centre from 10am to 3pm. The children enjoyed playing on bounce-about rides, a Santa Village, a games screen and gifts from Digicel.

Grace Foods provided boxed lunches, beverages and snacks to each child. 

"For the last two treats, we had to deliver the gifts to each home wearing masks because of the pandemic,” Williams said.

“It's nice to host a fun day and interact with the community. This is what makes Christmas special for the children.

“Special thanks to my sponsors Digicel, Grace Foods and KIG Jamaica for making this a reality for the last three years".

Carmen Clarke’s sudden passing, mere days after her 75^th birthday, sent shock waves throughout Jamaica’s sporting fraternity. Clarke lost her brief battle with cancer on December 17.

A regular fixture at track meets, swim meets and netball tournaments, many persons were curious as to who was this bald woman always immaculately attired, not realizing the giant she was behind the scenes.

For those who knew her, many of whom rank among Jamaica’s elite athletes, her death has left a gaping hole that can never be filled.

Carmen was born in Duckenfield, St Thomas, on November 26, 1947. She was the only child for her mother Myrtle Whynn, who took her to live in the United Kingdom when she was only 12 years old.

After more than a decade there during which she attended college, Carmen returned to Jamaica where she worked at the now defunct Daily News newspaper. However, her work was not limited to media as over time she became the public relations manager at Carreras Limited where she worked for many years before transitioning into entrepreneurship. She also contributed significantly to Jamaica AIDS Support and the church. Quite naturally, Carmen was also a member of the board of the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards. 

A stickler for discipline, Carmen was a no-nonsense woman who has been described by relatives and friends alike as fearless, humble, inspiring, brave, trustworthy and a good listener, all attributes suited for the role of ‘mother’ and mentor to many of Jamaica’s top athletes.

“Carmen will most definitely be missed,” said Juliet Campbell, who competed for Jamaica at the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

“I know first-hand the impact that she has had on a lot of our superstar athletes. She has nurtured a lot, she has encouraged, she has been a part of teams. She has been a part of the athletic community for such a long time and she will be missed dearly.

“She was no-nonsense but she loved these kids.”

A list of the ‘kids’ reads like a who’s who in Jamaica’s track and field. Among them were Olympians Veronica Campbell-Brown, Merlene Ottey, Raymond Stewart, Danny McFarlane, Juliet Cuthbert, Usain Bolt, Juliet Campbell, Aleen Bailey, Elva Goulbourne-Rose, Asafa Powell, Michael Frater, Brigitte Foster-Hylton and many others.

Seven-time Carifta champion and 2004 Olympic relay gold medalist, Aleen Bailey, said she was thrown for a loop when she heard of Carmen’s passing, shared just how much of an influence she was.

“She was the Olivia Pope of Jamaica for us athletes, and not just Jamaican athletes, she has been a blessing in lives across the globe,” Bailey said.

“If you need anything fixed, advice, tough love, support or you need to get out of a tough situation, we call Aunty Carmen.

“My first encounter was when I made my first junior team. She was the one that taught us how to present ourselves when representing the country. She was also the reason we got to host World Juniors (2002).”

Bailey, a member of Jamaica’s gold-medal winning sprint-relay team at the Beijing Olympics, was a senior member in the Jamaican team in 2008 and was like a mother-figure to the many new stars like Shelly-Ann Fraser, Usain Bolt and Melaine Walker, helping keep things together when the lights shone brightly on the island's breakout talents.

However, it wasn’t always like that for her. There was a time during a global championship when she was the one in need of comfort and guidance and Carmen came to her aid.

 “I remember at the World Championships, some people were mean to me and I was hiding in my room and wasn't eating. Deon Hemmings was my roommate. She found Aunty Carmen and told her what was going on. She came to that hotel, barged into the room got me out of bed, made me shower and told me she will be picking me up every day.

“She was whatever we wanted her to be, she cooked for us, washed our clothes, hugs when we needed it. She always wanted the best for everyone she meets.”

Carmen’s influence was not limited to Jamaica’s track and field elite. She was also a tremendous influence on the women in Jamaica’s netball.

“You were the light of our lives. On behalf of the Sunshine Girls who you took under your wings, thanks Miss Carmen, Aunty Carmen as the ones from XLCR (Excelsior High School) called you,” Marva Bernard, past president of Netball Jamaica posted in a tribute on Facebook.

Former media worker and civil servant Gillian Haughton, who describes herself as Carmen’s sister-friend, in a post on Facebook shared just how much of an influence Carmen was to her son, swimmer Nicholas Haughton, a recent graduate of Howard University.

“Carmen Clarke always made the effort to attend Nick's swim meets. She made the extra effort to join us at his first CARIFTA Open Water Swim trials at Puerto Seco,” she posted about the relationship between her Campion College alum and Carmen.

“For the four years he went away for school, Carmen Clarke's apartment was his last stop before the airport so he could get his massage.”

It was perhaps former Jamaica shot put thrower Zara Northover’s Facebook post that best sums up who Carmen Clarke was and what she meant to so many.

 “Auntie Carmen Clarke.  You saw me at all times and encouraged me to pursue at all costs,” Northover said.

“You advocated for me in rooms I was not present and you prayed prayers I know God saw fit to answer.  You are loved, you are missed, you are love and light. Thank you for being a source of inspiration and comfort.  I love you and will never forget the impact you’ve had on my life and the countless others you’ve encountered. Rest in Heaven and thank you in advance for watching down on us all from up above.”

Carmen leaves behind brothers Lloyd and Linval Clarke as well as a sister, Beverley.

Jamaica’s men were the only Caribbean nation to crack the top ten for the most points accumulated at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon in July.

The team, who is in a rebuilding phase after dominating men’s track and field for almost a decade, finished in a three-way tie for fifth on the table with 20 points. Eight points are accumulated for first place and a point for eighth.

Hosts USA, thanks to standout performances from the likes of Noah Lyles, Michael Norman and Fred Kerley to name a few, absolutely dominated the Championships and finished at the top of the table with 118 points.

The rest of the top ten was rounded out by Kenya (46), Great Britain (28), Canada (24), Jamaica (20), Ethiopia (20), Uganda (20), Norway (17), Spain (17) and South Africa (12).

Jamaica’s only medal came in the 4x400m where the team of Akeem Bloomfield, Jevaughn Powell, Nathon Allen and Christopher Taylor ran 2:58.58 for silver behind the USA.

They also finished just outside the medals in the 4x100m where Akeem Blake, Oblique Seville, Yohan Blake and Jelani Walker combined to run 38.06 to finish behind Canada (37.48), USA (37.55) and Great Britain (37.83).

Individually, Seville had the best performance finishing fourth in the 100m in 9.97 behind the American trio of Fred Kerley (9.86), Marvin Bracy (9.88) and Trayvon Bromell (9.88).

Jamaica’s other two individual finalists to place in the top eight were Jaheel Hyde who finished sixth in the 400m Hurdles and Christopher Taylor who finished seventh in the 400m.

It is no secret that Jamaica’s women put on an impressive show at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon in July.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the lone Caribbean athlete so far to have contributed an artefact to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA).

Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time, is to be honoured with the BBC Sports Personality Lifetime Achievement Award next week Wednesday at Media City in the United Kingdom, according to reports.

Bolt, 36, retired in 2017 as the only man to win the 100m and 200m at three consecutive Olympic Games and is the holder of the world record in both sprints.

Those records of 9.58 and 19.19, respectively, were set at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. Bolt is also a 11-time world champion.

Bolt is a four-time winner of the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award. He was also Jamaica’s Sportsman of the Year on seven occasions and was five-time winner of World Athletics Sportsman of the Year Award.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Mujinga Kambundji might be rivals on the track, but the former was among the first to congratulate the latter on Monday after the Swiss star won her first Female Athlete of the Year Award.

The 30-year-old Kambundji had a stellar year in 2022 winning the World Indoor 60m dash in a national record 6.96, a time tied with Merlene Ottey’s as the fourth-fastest in history.

She won the 200m at the European championships and was a close second in the 100m. She was fifth in the final of the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July where Fraser-Pryce won a record-extending fifth title.

Kambundji was also eighth in the 200m final won by Shericka Jackson. Fraser-Pryce won the silver medal.

On Monday, Switzerland’s fastest woman posted about her latest achievement.

“Sportswoman of the Year. Thank you for your support and congratulations to all the nominees.”

Shortly thereafter, the Jamaican superstar and athletics icon, fierce on the track but affable off it, replied “Congrats.”

The two will renew their rivalry in Budapest next summer when Fraser-Pryce goes after a sixth world 100m title and Kambundji makes another attempt to get onto the podium of track and field’s premier championship.

The Penwood Church of Christ Early Childhood Institution in Kingston was on Thursday, December 8, renamed the Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Early Childhood Institution in honour of the five-time World 100m champion and three-time Olympic gold medallist, who grew up in the underserved community.

In addition to the renaming of the school, the church also had a billboard mounted congratulating the athletic icon for her accomplishments this past season.

Fraser-Pryce’s sponsor Nike presented a cheque for US$100,000 while GraceKennedy committed to JMD$500,0000 to a breakfast programme instituted by Fraser-Pryce as well as a lunch programme.

Digicel Foundation, meanwhile, is in discussion about in what way they will support the ECI.

Thursday’s ceremony was several years in the making, according to Raphael Walker, Elder at the Penwood Church of Christ and Chairman of the Early Childhood Institution. He explained that several years ago, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, had declared that in recognition of her athletic exploits, a decision had been made to name an educational institution after the celebrated athlete.

“A few years ago, the Minister of Sport (Olivia) ‘Babsy’ Grange made an announcement. When that announcement was made they started looking for schools to would be named in her honour,” said Walker.

“Shelly indicated that she wanted to be one of the schools that she attended. She attended George Headley, so that renaming wasn’t there, Wolmer’s is named after John Wolmer, so it came down to the ECI that she attended.

“The church met and agreed from then.”

Following the decision, the Early Childhood Commission and Culture, Heart, Arts, Sport and Education (CHASE) Fund renovated the school. “The school was equipped with smart boards and smart equipment, the kitchen was renovated, the playground, the entire school was renovated but nothing had happened since,” the chairman disclosed.

“We got impatient. We said we are going to rename it the Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ECI and when they (the government) decide what they are going to do it will become the Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Infant School.”

Deacon Walker said the occasion was well received.

“The decision was made soon after she won the world title in Oregon. Generally, the church has always done something for her after every achievement. So, in addition to the renaming, there is a billboard that we have put up congratulating for all that she did this year,” he said.

It was well received, there were people from the church, the children of the basic school performed and a citation was given to Fraser-Pryce, who made a ‘powerful’ speech to the gathering.

“It was a very powerful speech that she made conferring her commitment to Waterhouse, the church, the school and a pledge to continue to give back and empower the children of Waterhouse and to make their lives much better.”

Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Shericka Jackson headline the eight nominees for the RJR Gleaner Sportswoman of the Year award.

Fraser-Pryce dominated 100-metre sprinting in 2022, setting the eighth fastest time of the year, and winning the gold medal at the World Championships in Oregon. Fraser-Pryce also took silver medals in the 200m and the 4 x 100 metres relay at the World Championships, before winning the Diamond for 100m in Zurich. She ended the year ranked No. 1 in the 100m and No. 3 in the 200m. Fraser-Pryce won the National Sportswoman of the Year award in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019.

Shericka Jackson astonished the world with amazing 200m runs in 2022. She took the sprint double at the National Championships, before winning the 200m at the World Championships in Oregon, running the second fastest time in history —21.45 seconds. Jackson also took silver in the 100m and the sprint relay at the World Championships. She then won the 100m at the NACAC Championship, finished second in the 100m at the Diamond League final, and won the 200m Diamond in Zurich. She finished the year ranked No. 1 in the 200m and No. 2 in the 100m.

The other six nominees are Britany Anderson, Lamara Distin, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Shanieka Ricketts, Janieve Russell and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

National 100-metre hurdle champion, Anderson took the silver medal for her event at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon and added the Diamond League bronze medal to top off a very good year. Globally, she ranked third for her event.

Distin won gold at the Commonwealth Games with a height of 1.95 metres. She also won the NCAA High Jump title.

Fowler-Reid set a new record of 808 goals for the Suncorp Super Netball League in Australia. She then went on to be the highest scorer at the Commonwealth Games with 273 goals. Fowler-Reid, who led Jamaica to its first victory over Australia in senior netball, was the driving force behind Jamaica’s second place finish at the Commonwealth Games, the Sunshine Girls’ highest global ranking in international netball.

Triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts had a great 2022, winning the National Championship in Kingston as well as several international meets. At the World Championships in Eugene, she took the silver medal in 14.89 metres. She added the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and the bronze medal at the Diamond League Final in Zurich. She finished the year ranked No. 2.

National Champion Janieve Russell had a good 2022 over the 400m hurdles. She had several high finishes on the Diamond League circuit, won the 400m hurdles at the NACAC Championship in The Bahamas, and finished third at the Diamond League Final in Zurich. She finished the year ranked 5th for the 400m hurdles.

Despite struggling with significant injuries, Elaine Thompson-Herah still managed some outstanding performances in 2022. She took the 100m bronze medal at the World Championships in Oregon and added the silver medal in the sprint relay. Thompson-Herah then went on to the Commonwealth Games where she achieved the rare sprint double, winning the 100m in 10.95 seconds, and the 200m in 22.02 seconds. She finished the year ranked No. 3 in the 100m. She won the award in 2016 and 2021.

The winner will be announced at the RJR Gleaner National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards Ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus on January 23.

World champions and world record-breakers Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Mondo Duplantis have been named the World Athletes of the Year.

They were the final winners to be revealed as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022, along with the winners of the Rising Stars awards: Serbian javelin thrower Adriana Vilagos and US sprinter Erriyon Knighton.

McLaughlin-Levrone and Duplantis – winners of the Rising Stars awards just four years ago – broke the world records in their respective disciplines on more than one occasion this year, with their final record-breaking performances coming at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

McLaughlin-Levrone improved her own world 400m hurdles record by 0.78, first to 51.41 at the US Championships and then to an awe-inspiring 50.68 at the World Championships. That secured her a first individual senior world title, and she followed it by anchoring the US team to another 4x400m victory.

The 23-year-old made a statement with her first 400m hurdles race of the year, clocking 51.61 in Nashville in early June. At that point it was the third-fastest time ever recorded, but the all-time list soon underwent further revisions.

Lining up at the US Championships at Hayward Field, McLaughlin-Levrone stormed to victory in the 400m hurdles in 51.41, taking 0.05 off the mark she set at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

“I think there’s a little bit more in the tank there,” she said after her US Championships win. “Hopefully when it’s time we can just empty it completely.”

Back at Hayward Field a month later, McLaughlin-Levrone obliterated her previous best, running 50.68 as the home crowd and the rest of the world watched on in amazement.

"All of my goals were accomplished this year," said McLaughlin-Levrone. "We were able to accomplish everything we set out to do. It couldn’t have been any better, and I was so grateful that I was able to produce that performance in front of a home crowd."

Just when you think Duplantis could not be more dominant, the Swedish pole vaulter has a season like 2022, during which he set three world records, won two global titles, won 18 of his 19 competitions, and vaulted six metres or higher 23 times.

Duplantis, despite only just turning 23, now has more six-metre clearances than any other pole vaulter in history.

His record-breaking 2022 campaign began with an undefeated indoor season, during which he set a world record of 6.19m in Belgrade. He returned to the Serbian capital two weeks later for the World Athletics Indoor Championships, where he struck gold with 6.20m, another improvement on his own world record.

He was then victorious on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, including a 6.16m vault in Stockholm, the highest ever outdoor vault in history. It was the perfect warm-up for the World Championships three weeks later.

As the last athlete competing on the final day of competition at the World Championships in Oregon, Duplantis soared over a world record of 6.21m with room to spare.

Less than a month later, he retained his European title with a championship record of 6.06m in a competition where he registered no misses. He then wrapped up his season with a victory at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich.

"Going into the year, I had really high expectations of myself and I had some really big goals," said Duplantis. "I wanted to win the world indoors, the world outdoors, the Europeans, the Diamond League final, and I wanted to break the world record a few times.

"I was able to do that and it was a bonus, the cherry on top, to do be able to do it (break the world record) at the right times, to do it at world indoors and do it at world outdoors. I can’t complain."

Vilagos and Knighton named Rising Stars of 2022

It was a season of back-to-back successes for this year’s Rising Stars.

Vilagos successfully defended her world U20 javelin title, doing so with a championship record of 63.52m and breaking the European U20 record in the process. Less than three months later, she claimed silver at the senior European Championships in Munich.

“Defending my world U20 title in Colombia was my main goal, but winning a medal at the European Championships was the biggest surprise,” said Vilagos. “It was a good year and this award crowns it.”

Knighton, meanwhile, has been named Rising Star for the second year in a row. He clocked a lifetime best of 19.49 in April which couldn’t be ratified as a world U20 record, but he went on to break the mark officially at the US Championships, where he ran 19.69. He followed that with a bronze medal at the World Championships in Oregon, then went on to achieve victories on the Continental Tour and Diamond League circuit.

Remarkably, both Rising Stars will still be U20 athletes for 2023.

“Winning this award back to back means my talent is getting recognized on a bigger stage,” said Knighton, the first athlete ever to win two Rising Star awards. “I’ve put in the work to achieve this and I’m very grateful.”

The World Athletics Championships will return to the Bahamas for the fourth time in six years after successfully winning the rights.

The next edition of the championships is due to be in 2024, and once again the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium has been earmarked as the venue for the team championship.

The Bahamas hosted the first three editions of the tournament, which took place between 2014-2017.  The event them moved to Yokohoma, Japan in 2019 and then Chorzow, Poland last year.

With the team’s track record of successfully hosting previous events, President of the International Association of Athletics Federations Sebastian Coe is confident the country will be able to deliver another exciting event.

“We have had three wonderful editions of the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, which established this event on the global calendar, so we know we are in safe hands for what will be an important Olympic qualifier for all our relay events,” Coe said.

“We are confident that The Bahamas will offer the best conditions for the athletes and a brilliant atmosphere for both athletes and fans as we mark a key milestone on the road to the Paris Olympic Games.”

The 2024 World Athletics Relays will serve as the main qualifier for teams participating in the men’s and women’s 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 and mixed 4 x 400m metre relays for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

2022 World Championship 400m bronze medallist Sada Williams was controversially left out of Barbados’ Independence Awards as the country celebrated their 56^th year of independence on Wednesday.

Barbadian journalist Mike King described the omission of Williams from the list of awardees as “shocking” and “inexcusable” in a Facebook post.

“To leave World Championship bronze medallist Sada Williams out of the Independence Awards is a national scandal. Members of Cabinet should hold their heads down in shame,” he added.

Williams enjoyed a career best 2022 season in the one lap event.

In July, she ran a personal best and national record 49.75 for bronze at the World Championships in Eugene. She followed that up in August by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 49.90 and silver at the NACAC Championships in Freeport in 49.86.

In addition to those medals, Williams also enjoyed four top three finishes on the Diamond League circuit last season. She finished third in Monaco and second in Lausanne and Brussels before crossing the line third once again at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

After a career spanning two decades and characterized by fast times and world records but blighted by injury and unfulfilled potential, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell has called time on his career.

One of the fastest men to have ever lived, Powell, who celebrated his 40^th birthday on November 23, was a trailblazer in an era that produced some of the fastest men in the history of track and field namely Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Steve Mullings, among others.

Powell set 100m world records of 9.77 in Athens, Greece in 2005 and 9.74 in Rieti, Italy in 2007. His record was broken by Bolt in New York in 2008 when he ran 9.72 at the Adidas Grand Prix.  Powell lowered his personal best to 9.72 in September 2008, but by then Bolt had taken the record down to 9.69 at the Beijing Olympics.

After breaking 10 seconds for the first time in 2004, Powell went on to run under 10 seconds for the 100m, a record 97 times. It is an achievement that has earned him the moniker ‘Sub-10 King.”

However, despite his amazing talent, Powell never won individual global titles in the blue-riband event. Favoured to win the 100m at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Powell finished fifth. Four years later, he was fifth at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Powell won the Commonwealth Games 100m title in Australia in 2006 and was favoured to win the 100m at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. However, the six-time Jamaican champion was third behind American Tyson Gay, the gold medallist and Bahamian Derrick Atkins, admitting afterwards that he ‘panicked’.

In 2009, Powell ran his best time in a global final – 9.84 at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany - good enough for bronze behind Usain Bolt, who lowered his own world record to 9.58 with Gay winning silver in a then American record of 9.71.

He was seventh in the 100m final at the London 2012 Games.

Powell won gold medals as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and at the World Championships in 2009 in Berlin and 2015 in Helsinki.

He last ran under 10 seconds in 2016 when he ran 9.92 in Hungary. Injury played a significant role in his inability to continue to break 10 seconds with his fastest time in the last six years being 10.02 in Leverkusen, Germany in 2019.

A favourite of female fans across the globe, Powell announced that his career had come to an end at a lavish birthday party late last week that was attended by several prominent figures from Corporate Jamaica, his shoe sponsor Puma as well as former teammates Bolt, Blake, Frater, Carter and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

His agent Paul Doyle, family, and his closest friends were also in attendance.

On Saturday, he shared the news on Instagram.

“18 years!!! Thanks to my sponsors and loyal fans who have supported me over the years. This sport has given me so many opportunities…but I started my track career in 2002 and have had many ups and downs but was never ungrateful for what I have accomplished,” he said.

“I am entering a new phase and a new chapter of my life and a lot more to come from me. I will continue to inspire the younger generation in every way possible.”

Powell married Canadian model Alyshia Miller in a lavish ceremony before family and friends in Montego Bay 2019 and together have two sons.

Olympian Grace Jackson, Marie Tavares and Edna Atkinson will be honoured at the 19th staging of the Wesley Powell Track and Field Meet set to be held on December 10 at Excelsior High School in Kingston.

At the launch of the meet on Wednesday, organisers said that in keeping with the special focus on Women in the sport by World Athletics, Jackson, the 200m silver medalist from the 1988 Games in Seoul and who, for many years, has served as the Wesley Powell meet director will be recognized along with Tavares, Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Honorary Secretary, first woman to hold that post at the JAAA, and Atkinson, a retired teacher for her service to Excelsior High School.

The meet is scheduled to begin at 8:30am and will have 71 events for high school and collegiate athletes in the 150m, 300m, 600m, 1000m, 3000m and 5000m. There will also be 4x300m relay, long jump, high jump, shot put and javelin.

Excelsior has the only full-size 9-Lane 400m track in Jamaica which was laid before the track at the National Stadium in 1961.