Jamaican athletes back on track

OVER THE years at senior global track and field competitions, Jamaica’s richest harvest of medals has traditionally come on the track.

However, at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris, the field athletes carried the seemingly sagging Jamaican fortunes, delivering four of the six medals won. Roje Stona led the way with gold in the men’s discus, Wayne Pinnock took silver in the men’s long jump, Shanieka Ricketts claimed silver in the women’s triple jump, and Rajindra Campbell earned bronze in the men’s shot put.

On the track, only Kishane Thompson in the men’s 100m and Rasheed Broadbell in the men’s 110m hurdles managed to secure medals.

While happy with the rise of Jamaica in the field, the results sparked concern among local fans and pundits, who wondered whether Jamaica’s once-dominant track tradition was fading.

Fast-forward a year, and the Jamaican swagger is back.

At the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Jamaica’s track stars roared back to re-establish their dominance.

Though they fell just short of matching the 12-medal haul from Budapest two years ago — three gold, five silver, and four bronze — Tokyo still delivered a strong showing. Led by Oblique Seville’s gold in the men’s 100m, Jamaica ended with 10 medals overall and finished 10th on the medal table. Only the United States with 26 and Kenya with 11 ended with more medals than Jamaica.

Nine of those medals came on the track. Behind Seville’s gold, Kishane Thompson, Orlando Bennett, and Tina Clayton secured silver, while Tyler Mason, Shericka Jackson, and Bryan Levell claimed bronze in the 200m. Both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams also stormed to silver.

Unfortunately, the Jamaicans weren’t as strong in the field, with Tajay Gayle’s silver in the men’s long jump providing the lone medal.

The absence of Paris medallists Wayne Pinnock, Roje Stona, and Rajindra Campbell — who have since declared their intention to switch allegiance to Türkiye — hit hard, while medal hopefuls Shanieka Ricketts, Ralford Mullings and Jordan Scott failed to break into the top three.

For Jamaicans, there’s no greater joy than watching their athletes shine on the track. After the disappointment in Paris, the Tokyo resurgence was a welcome reminder that sprinting remains the nation’s heartbeat on the world stage.