HELLO
The RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation is the body charged by the RJRGLEANER Communications Group with the production of the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards. An independent body, it operates on two levels, with the Board – currently comprised of eight members drawn from sports administration, tourism and the media – being the ultimate decision-making body on matters of policy, while the Selection Committee is charged with unearthing and presenting nominees in the various categories of annual awards to the Board for consideration. The Selection Committee’s activities are governed by a series of criteria, established before RJRGLEANER took charge of the awards. These criteria are constantly under review and look first at global performances, then regional, and local. The Selection Committee is appointed by the Board.
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Notional Sportsman & Sportswoman
Welcome Reception
Vivienne Bayley-Hay (L), Group Chief Corporate Affairs & Communications Officer, VMBS with Gary Allen, CEO of RJR Gleaner Communications Group, Andrea Messam, Chief Finanical Officer and Marva Bernard, Former President, Netball Federation Jamaica.
Karen Madden, Sports Presenter, RJRGleaner Communications Group addressed audience at the 2016, J Wray & Nephew Welcome Reception.
Gary Allen (c ), CEO of RJR Gleaner Communications Group having a laugh with Jimmy Lawrence (r ), Chairman for J Wray and Nephew and Audrey Williams, Corporate Communications Officer, Jamaica Public Service.
Malaku Lorne, Nominee Chess, with date Mekelia Green, Norman Manley Law Sudent.
Naomi Garrick (L) is all smiles with Chloleen Daley-Muschette (r) Public Affairs Manager J Wray and Nephew.
Bright smiles for, Beverley Gordon-Ledgister (L), Senior Relationship Officer, premium banking, Scotia Bank and Husband.
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Dr. Paula Daley-Morris (l ), President of Netball Jamaica; Courtney Sergeant (c) former Head of Sports at RJR and Dr Walton Small (r) President of the Inter-secondary Schools Association in deep conversation.
Notional Sportsman & Sportswoman
Welcome Reception
Carrole Guntley (L) and Molly Rhone, RJR Sports Foundation Directors share a light moment with Christopher Samuda, President Jamaica Paralympic Association.
Dana-Gaye Weller, Paralympian and her parents with Christopher Samuda, President Jamaica Paralympic Association (r).
Milton Samuda (L), Attorney-at-Law, shared in conversation with Michael Fennell, RJR Sports Foundation Jamaica and Leroy Brown of the Jamaica Boxing Board.
Gary Allen (l), CEO of RJR Gleaner Communications Group with Alia Atkinson, Pauline Davis-Thompson and Jimmy Lawrence, Chairman, J. Wray and Nephew.
Alia Atkinson (L), RJR Sportswoman Nominee shared a light moment with Dr. Warren Blake, President, Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association.
(L-R), Clover Moore, Conroy Rose and Vivienne Bayley-Hay, Victoria Mutual Executives posed for the camera at the J. Wray & Nephew 2016 Welcome reception.
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Sportswoman of the Year
Former Winners 1960s 1961 Joy Foster - Table Tennis • 1962 Monica DeSouza - Table Tennis • 1963/1964 Una Morris - Track & Field 1965 Sarah Newland - Paralympics • 1966 Carmen Smith - Track & Field • 1967 Monica DeSouza - Table Tennis 1968 Frances Noble - Swimming • 1969 Audrey Reid - Track & Field
1970s 1970/1971 Marilyn Neufville - Track & Field • 1972 Audrey Reid - Track & Field • 1973 Andrea Bruce - Track & Field 1974 Belinda Phillip - Swimming • 1975 Andrea Bruce - Track & Field • 1976 Vivalyn Latty-Scott - Cricket 1977 Helen Blake - Track & Field • 1978 Leleith Hodges - Track & Field • 1979 Merlene Ottey - Track & Field
1980s 1980 Merlene Ottey - Track & Field • 1981 Jacqueline Pusey - Track & Field • 1982/1983/1984/1985 Merlene Ottey-Page - Track & Field • 1986 Grace Jackson, OD - Track & Field • 1987 Merlene Ottey, OD - Track & Field 1988 Grace Jackson, OD - Track & Field • 1989 Merlene Ottey, OD - Track & Field
1990s 1990/1991 Merlene Ottey, OD - Track & Field • 1992 Juliet Cuthbert - Track & Field • 1993/1994/1995 Merlene Ottey, OD - Track & Field • 1996 Deon Hemmings - Track & Field • 1997 Michelle Freeman - Track & Field 1998 Sandie Richards, OD - Track & Field • 1999 Beverly McDonald - Track & Field
2000s 2000* Deon Hemmings - Track & Field & Lorraine Graham - Track & Field • 2001 Lorraine Graham-Fenton Track & Field • 2002/2003 Brigitte Foster - Track & Field • 2004 Veronica Campbell - Track & Field 2005 Trecia-Kaye Smith - Track & Field • 2006 Sherone Simpson - Track & Field • 2007 Veronica Campbell-Brown - Track & Field • 2008* Veronica Campbell-Brown - Track & Field & Melaine Walker - Track & Field • 2009 Brigitte Foster-Hylton - Track & Field
2010s
2010/2011 Veronica Campbell-Brown - Track & Field • 2012/2013 Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce - Track & Field 2014 Alia Atkinson - Swimming • 2015 Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce - Track & Field • 2016 Elaine Thompson - Track & Field * In both 2000 and 2008 the award was shared.
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Sportsman of the Year
Former Winners 1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Publishers Notes Oliver Clarke
T
Chairman, RJRGLEANER Communications Group
he Board of Directors of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group, is thrilled that one of our duties is to identify closely with recognizing excellence, especially in the activities of our participants in sport.
It is a great start to any year to be acknowledging outstanding achievements from among us as Jamaicans. We congratulate all those who have been nominated and those who will be awarded. There is much good to be celebrated in Jamaica and we are happy that it is our RJRGLEANER Communications Group that leads the way in providing this credible recognition in sport.
And as I take on the task of being Chairman of the Group, I pay tribute to my predecessor and friend, Lester Spaulding, the Board of the RJR GLEANER Sports Foundation and all those involved in making this recognition of excellence in sport possible. This year we are especially pleased to have the region’s foremost publication for 183 years, the Gleaner, assume the sponsorship of the prestigious Iconic Award – The Gleaner Iconic Award. We look forward to celebrating the successes of those receiving Certificates of Merit, Special Awards, Category Awards, Team Awards, the Chairman’s Award, the Gleaner Iconic Award, the Victoria Mutual Y.O.U.T.H. Award and the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards for 2017.
We are pleased to introduce you to the rebranded RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation, fully committed to continuing our contribution to highlighting good, celebratory things in our society.
I
Gary Allen
Chairman RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation sit in a very special seat as Chairman of the RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation. Not only do I have the honour of guiding deliberations on the direction that the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards should take, but I also have the privilege of deciding who should annually become the recipient of the highly regarded Chairman’s Award. I take these responsibilities seriously.
When, in 2004, the then RJR Communications Group decided to take up the mantle of administering and hosting these awards, it was not a decision which received universal support. Many had reservations, but the passion I shared for the awards and the value of the appreciation it gave to our athletes were important factors. However, one of the main ingredients in this being possible was the support given by former Chairman J.A. Lester Spaulding. He offered his full support, and in the next three to four years when the awards haemorrhaged cash and was slow in building momentum, he maintained his support, always pushing for excellence to be the key ingredient in whatever we did. Though he is not here for this year’s awards, he agreed - and we are sure he is pleased with the rebranding of the foundation and awards as The RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards. Likewise, our incoming Group Chairman, Hon. Oliver F. Clarke, is fully supportive of our recognition of excellence in all spheres of Jamaican life, and especially one of the areas in which we have excelled most – sports. We are acknowledging these changes at a time that is interesting. The year 2017 marks the end of two important eras - the J. A Lester Spaulding era in media and the Usain Bolt era in track and field. Bolt is not gone, though. He remains
relevant, important and valuable to global sports and I have no doubt he will remain so for decades to come. Like Herb McKenley before him, his popularity and value far exceed mere performances on the track. He has revolutionised how athletes (of any sport) present themselves to the public and he has brought back the fun into sport. While always self-confident, he has never been arrogant and has consistently given credit to the performances of his opponents on and off the track. Despite the trial of losing close friend Germaine Mason and not achieving the placing he desired in the final 100-metre appearance of his illustrious career, Bolt has not made excuses, but bowed out gracefully and with the proper level of respect and gratitude to his multitude of fans. Lester Spaulding has bowed out of a 53-year career with the RJRGLEANR Group with some of those same qualities. We salute both giants in their respective areas of endeavour. Whoever wins the titles at this year’s award ceremony will no doubt be worthy, but more importantly, they will represent the way forward, the legacy building of Jamaican sport. As we wait expectantly, like all the other fans, to find out who the winners are, I thank our Board and Selection Committee for the work they do in helping to make these awards special and we stand ready to celebrate with all achievers of excellence.
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Editor-in-chief Yvonne Wilks-O’Grady Executive Editor Alvin Campbell Proof Reading Andrew Wale Contributing Writers Hubert Lawrence Nicholas Martin Creative Director Kamal Hines Designers Dwanne Francis Kemar Royal Wayne-Anthony Taylor Photographs Colin Reid Courtesy of the Jamaica Gleaner Sporting Associations Bob Marley Foundation Sales Executives Gresela Nadine Brown Assistants Thelecia Patrickson Samantha Jones Finance & Accounts Andrea Messam Publisher RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation The RJRGLEANER Communications Group Broadcasting House 32 Lyndhurst Road, Kingston 5 Jamaica, W.I. Tel: 1 (876) 926-1100 Email: rjrgleanersportsfoundation@rjrgleanergroup.com Website: www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com ISSN 0799 - 3307 All rights reserved @2018
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Whats Inside
12
The Chairman’s Award
23 VMBS Y.O.U.T.H. Award
15 Guest Speaker
14// Special Awards For Individual Achievement 16// Special Awards For Team Achievement 17// Secondary Schools’ Awards 18// Certificates of Merit 2017 20// Category Awards 21// Global Lifetime Achievement Award 44// The sports Spotlight A Dangerous Place to be! 48// Talking Sports With Skip Marley 54// What Next for Jamaica’s Track & Field? 59// The Myth of Motherhood and the Athlete 61// What to Expect FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia 76// Farwell Fallen Heroes www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 9
24 Magnificent Women
34 Chris Gayle
25 AMAZING Men
37 Gold Cup Glory
31 Jamaica’s Queen of the Pool
32 Omar McLeod Delivers Again www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 10
56 The Next Chapter
Gala Programme 7:00 P.M. - Cocktails 8:35 P.M. - National Anthem Emcees’ Welcome Chairman’s Welcome – Gary Allen Presentation of the Chairman’s Award Presentation of Special Awards for Individual Achievement Guest Speaker – Senator Don Wehby Presentation of Special Awards for Team Achievement Presentation of the Secondary Schools’ Awards (Nominated by ISSA) Presentation of Certificates of Merit Announcement of the Winner of the People’s Choice ‘Performance of the Year’ Award Presentation of Athletes of the Year by Sport Awards Presentation of The Gleaner Iconic Award Entertainment: Ernie Smith Presentation of The VMBS Y.O.U.T.H. Award Presentation of Nominee’s medals Announcement of Runner-Up – Sportswoman of the Year Announcement of Runner-Up – Sportsman of the Year Announcement of the National Sportswoman of the Year 2017 Sportswoman of the Year replies Announcement of the National Sportsman of the Year 2017 Sportsman of the Year replies ********** Emcees’ Closing Remarks
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Wayne DaCosta (left) receives the Chairman’s Award (2016) from Gray Allen, chairman RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation.
Chairman’s Award Excellence Rewarded
T
The Chairman’s Award is one of the most prestigious honours presented for sports in Jamaica annually. Its list of recipients read like a who’s who in Jamaican sports, including journalist Tony Becca; coaches Steve Bucknor and Stephen Francis; and athletes Jimmy Adams, Sandie Richards, Aleen Bailey and Arthur Wint. Many who qualify on multiple levels have received the award, including fallen warriors for sports, Howard Aris, Herb McKenley, Allan Rae and Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook. They work in a variety of fields and roles in various sporting arenas, but they share one thing in common – excellence. That’s what last year’s winner of the Chairman’s Award has in common with other winners of the prestigious award.. Many forget that before he became the unquestioned king of race horse trainers in Jamaica, Wayne DaCosta,
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OD, spent many years in the shadow of fellow trainer Philip Feanny. He was undeterred. The result, DaCosta is now in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only trainer to win 17 consecutive titles at a single race track. DaCosta has over 2,000 lifetime wins at Caymanas Park, a track record. Among the most successful of his charges have beenThornbird, the first Jamaica Derby winner he trained in 1984; War Zone who was a triple crown winner in 1996; Good Prospect (1999) and Perfect Neighbour (2003), who were both Derby winners and super horse Seeking My Dream, also a Derby winner, who won two consecutive Horse of the Year titles (2015 and 2016) and is the leading stakes earner in the history of Jamaican racing. This year his candidate for Horse of the Year is She’s A Maneater, the brilliant filly who has won the Triple Crown, the Superstakes and the Diamond Mile, an unprecedented achievement.
DaCosta was elated to win the Chairman’s Award in 2016 and Chairman of the RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation, Gary Allen was pleased to once again recognise a stalwart from the field of horse racing. “You don’t set or break records by accident, and it is clear that Mr DaCosta’s success is due in no small measure to his commitment to excellence.” Jamaica waits in eager anticipation to discover who will be the 2017 Chairman’s Award winner.
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SPECIAL AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT
PAM-AM UNDER-20 TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS Christopher Taylor Gold Medal 200 meters (20.38 seconds)
COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES BOXING: Jerone Ennis Bronze Medal - Welterweight
ATHLETICS: Cobe Graham Bronze Medal – Men’s Shot Put (17.80 metres)
Ramone Lindo
Johnelle Thomas
De’Jour Russell
Gold Medal – 400m Hurdles Women (59.40 seconds)
Gold Medal - 110m Hurdles Boys (13.04 Championship Record)
IAAF WORLD UNDER-18 ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD WINTER GAMES
Kevona Davis
Dave Oddman
Bronze Medal - 100m Girls (11.67 seconds)
Silver Medal - SK Speed Skating 222M Race Div 23 (54.727 seconds) Gold Medal - SK Speed Skating 333M Race Div 32 (1:17.679)
Daszay Freeman Bronze Medal - 100m Hurdles Girls (13.09 seconds)
Tyreke Wilson Bronze Medal - 100m Boys (10.65 seconds)
Romaine Austin Gold Medal - SK Speed Skating 333M Race Div 18 (52.838 seconds) Gold Medal - SK Speed Skating 500M Race Div 15 (1:18.971)
Bronze Medal – 400m Men (48.01 seconds)
Sanique Walker
Terice Steen
Silver Medal – 400m Hurdles Girls (58.27 seconds)
Bronze Medal – 400m Hurdles Women (1:00.68)
Britany Anderson
PARALYMPIC WORLD ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kevon Stone
Gold Medal - 100m Hurdles Girls (12.72 seconds)
Shane Hudson
Antonio Watson
Silver Medal - Men’s T-47 400m (49.60 seconds - Season Best)
Silver Medal – 100m Men (10.59 seconds)
Shanette Allison Gold Medal – 100m Hurdles Women (13.26 seconds)
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Gold Medal - 400m Boys (46.59 Personal Best)
Guest Speaker
G
roup Chief Executive Officer of GraceKennedy Limited, Senator Donald “Don” George Wehby, is the RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation Guest Speaker for the 2017 National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony.
Mr Wehby, an astute and visionary businessman and finance officer, has risen rapidly through the ranks at GraceKennedy Ltd since joining the company in 1995 as group finance manager. In September 2007, Mr. Wehby resigned from his positions at GraceKennedy and its Board of Directors to serve for two years as government senator and minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service. Mr Wehby has also served as vice-president of the Private Sector Organisation of jamaica and vice chairman of the Diaspora Conference Implementation Council. He became the youngest ever recipient of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) Distinguished Member Award in 2015 Mr Wehby is currently New Zealand’s honorary consul to Jamaica, and in March 2016 was reappointed to the Senate. Mr Wehby is also the chairman of JAMPRO. Mr Wehby’s close links with sports, dating back to his high-school days at St George’s College, make him the ideal guest speaker for the National Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards. He is an avid cricket fan and a member of the Kingston Cricket Club. He was chairman of the Jamaica Cricket Franchise Development Company, a director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and chairman of its newly created Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee up to June 2017. An avid sports fan, he was instrumental in GraceKennedy’s sponsorship of Schoolboy Cricket in Jamaica and the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships. Mr. Wehby was honoured as the International Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 for his leadership in making GraceKennedy a major player in the international marketplace, his commitment to investing in downtown Kingston, and his commitment to sports.
Senator Don Wehby
Mr. Wehby is married with three children. www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 15
Special Awards For Team Achievement
Badminton
Gold Medal Senior team Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Championships
Rugby Union
Gold Medal - Rugby Americas North Sevens Championship (qualifier for the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games) Jamaica won 28-24 over Guyana
CONCACAF Gold Cup (Football)
Second Place (Runners-up) – The Reggae Boyz – Lost 1-2 to the USA in the final. Team members: André Blake, Damion Hyatt, Dwayne Miller, Sergio Campbell, Oniel Fisher, Shaun Francis, Rosario Harriott, Kemar Lawrence, Damion Lowe, Alvas Powell, Ladale Richie, Jermaine Taylor, Michael Binns, Ewan Grandison, Kevon Lambert, Ricardo Morris, Je-Vaughn Watson, Cory Burke, Owayne Gordon, Jermaine Johnson, Darren Mattocks, Shamar Nicholson, and Romario Williams
Commonwealth Youth Games
Athletics: Silver Medal – Mixed 4x100m relay: Kevon Stone, David Tomlinson, Anna-Kay Allen, Shanette Allison (43.62 seconds)
Netball - World Fast5 Tournament
Second Place - The Sunshine Girls: Khadijah Williams, Paula Thompson, Adean Thomas; Rebekah Robinson, Shimona Nelson, Malysha Kelly, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Stacian Facey, Shanice Beckford, and Vangelee Williams
IAAF World Relays
Bronze Medal – Men’s 4x200m – Nickel Ashmeade, Oshane Bailey, Rasheed Dwyer, Yohan Blake, Chadic Hinds* and Warren Weir* (1:21.09) Bronze Medal – Men’s 4x400m – Peter Matthews, Demish Gaye, Martin Manley, Steven Gayle, Javere Bell*, Javon Francis* (3:02.86) Bronze Medal – Women’s 4x400m – Janieve Russell, Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby, Verone Chambers, Stephenie Ann McPherson, Christine Day*, Dawnalee Loney* (3:28.49) Bronze Medal – Mixed 4x400m – Javere Bell, Ristananna Tracey, Natoya Goule, Jamari Rose (3:20.26) Silver Medal – Women’s 4x100m – Simone Facey, Natasha Morrison, Gayon Evans, Shashalee Forbes, Christania Williams* (42.95) Gold Medal – Women’s 4x200m – Jura Levy, Shericka Jackson, Shashalee Forbes, Elaine Thompson, *Anastasia Le-Roy (1:29.04 – Championship Record)
IAAF World Athletics Championships
Bronze Medal – Women’s 4x400m Relay – Jura Levy, Natasha Morrison, Simone Facey, Shashalee Forbes; Christania Williams* N.B.: Asterisk (*) indicates athlete ran in preliminary round only.
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Secondary Schools’ Awards Selected by the Inter-Secondary Schools’ Sports Association (ISSA)
Sport Female Recipient School Male Recipient School Athletics
Gabrielle McDonald
Edwin Allen High
Kevin Nedrick
Petersfield High
Football Tatyana Pollack Denham Town Jourdaine Fletcher Cornwall College Cricket Orande Pearson Papine High Netball
Moyah Manning
Denbigh High
Why They Were Selected Gabrielle McDonald was dominant at Girls’ Champs for Edwin Allen High winning both the 100 metres hurdles and the 400-metre hurdles. In the process McDonald set a new Champs record for the 100-metre hurdles, 13.12 seconds. She also ran a personal best in the 400 metres hurdles, 56.53 seconds. McDonald also won the 400 meters hurdles at the prestigious Penn Relays. Kevin Nedrick set national junior records in the shot put and the javelin in 2017. In the shot put he improved his own record in winning at Boys’ Championships with 20.65 metres. He also set a national junior record of 63.73 metres in javelin qualifying. Nedrick earned the silver medals in both the Discus and Shot Put at the Championships. At the CARIFTA Games Nedrick took the silver in the Discus and then took Silver in the Shot Put at the Penn Relays before moving on to the Pan-Am Under 20 Track & Field Championships where he earned a bronze in the Discus and a silver in the Shot Put. Tatyana Pollack of Denham Town High School was the joint leading goalscorer (with 28 strikes) of the 2017 ISSA High Schoolgirls’ Football
League. Pollack led Denham Town to a third place finish in the League. Jourdaine Fletcher is a very highly regarded youth footballer. The striker has represented Cornwall College in schoolboy competition, Montego Bay United in the Red Stripe Premier league, The Jamaica U-20 Reggae Boyz, the Senior Reggae Boyz and the San Jacinto South Junior College all in 2017. Orande Pearson led Papine High to a trio of cricket titles in 2017, in the ISSA Grace Shield, the all-island Spaulding Cup and the ISSA T20 competition. He also represented Jamaica in the regional U-19 Competition. In the Final match of the Grace Shield vs St George’s College Pearson captured an outstanding 11 wickets for 87 runs. Moyah Manning led Denbigh High to the ISSA All-island Senior Netball Championship. Goalkeeper Manning who was the marshall of her team, directing traffic throughout the season, copped the senior MVP trophy.
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of Merit 2017
Trevor McCain - For his over two decades of service to the
Jamaica Badminton Association as an official. McCain became a member of the National Association of Badminton Umpires and Court Officials (NABUCO) in 1998. He is the current chairman of NABUCO. He is a certified Pan-Am umpire and an accredited Pan-Am referee.
Lockett McGregor - For his service to tennis as an instructor
and administrator for nearly three decades. McGregor has been instrumental in creating an annual youth tennis camp and has been the tournament director of virtually every major tennis tournament to take place in Jamaica for over a decade. Many sponsors will not consider a tournament if he is not the person in charge.
Kingsley Goodison – For his service to the sport of boxing as
a coach and administrator, and to cricket as a mentor to young players. Goodison is the director of boxing at the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control (JBBC) and was manager of the Jamaican boxing team for the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010. He is the manager of the Stanley Couch Gym.
Billy Wilmot – For his development of and services to the
sport of surfing in Jamaica. Wilmot virtually established the sport in Jamaica, created the Jamnesia surf camp at Eight Miles in Bull Bay, and has been the champion of surfing and the main engine behind its achievements for over 40 years. Along with his sons, Wilmot has worked to establish Jamaica’s credential in the international surfing community and introduce the sport to generations of Jamaicans.
Brian Cummings – For his long and distinguished career as a sports photojournalist. Cummings has been Jamaica’s primary sports photojournalist for over two decades, attending most major sporting events globally, where Jamaica is featured, and drawing rave reviews from his international peers for the quality of his sports photography. O’Neil Ebanks – For his long and outstanding contribution to school sports, especially volleyball, physical education, and to the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA). Ebanks, a G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport graduate and former intercollegiate triple jump champion, has been coaching at the Wolmer’s High School for Girls, where he has been the head of the Physical Education Department since 1997. As a coach, he has guided the school to win numerous titles, and has been a member of the coaching staff for both the national senior and junior female volleyball teams and beach volleyball teams since 2000. Ebanks, who has served as an executive member of the Jamaica Volleyball Association, is part of the ISSA organising committee for school volleyball tournaments. He has also had success at the intercollegiate and club levels, where he has guided the University of the West Indies teams to national and intercollegiate titles. Errol Lynch – For his 37 years of distinguished service as a cricket umpire, especially in the parish of St Mary. His tenure as a sports officer for St Mary with INSPORTS has been outstanding, and Mr Lynch continues to serve sports in the parish, especially cricket, with passion and dedication. www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 18
NATIONAL SPORTSMAN & SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS Presents the
PEOPLE’S CHOICE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
ANDRE BLAKE
Amazing Save Andre Blake’s amazing save in Jamaica’s 2-1 win over Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup as he continued his amazing string of performances in that tournament. The win took Jamaica into the semi-finals. Many believe Blake should have been named MVP of the Gold Cup.
KEMAR LAWRENCE Magic Strike
Kemar Lawrence’s magical strike to win the game against Mexico in the 88th minute and take Jamaica into its second consecutive Gold Cup Final.
OMAR MCLEOD Flawless Performance
Omar McLeod’s flawless performance in the 110 metres hurdles final at the IAAF World Championships in London, earning Jamaica its only Gold Medal of the meet in a super fast 13.04 seconds.
KEMAHL RUSSELL Roundhouse Knock-Out
Kemahl “Hitman” Russell’s single punch knock-out of Nigel Edwards in their Wray & Nephew Contender bout. The roundhouse left hook from Russell left Edwards flat on the canvas and with no chance of recovery.
OSHANE THOMAS Fiery Pace
Jamaica Tallawahs Oshane Thomas’ fiery bowling performance against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, getting their Captain Chris Gayle LBW for a third ball duck as he picked up 3 for 31 to lead the Tallawahs to the Caribbean Premier League playoffs.
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CATEGORY AWARDS AQUATICS
FOOTBALL
RUGBY UNION
TAEKWONDO (A)
Alia Atkinson Michael Gunning
Khadija Shaw Andre Blake
Dae-Marie Whyte Conan Osborne
Shekeema Cunningham Akino Lindsay
ATHLETICS
GYMNASTICS
SHOOTING
TENNIS
Elaine Thompson Omar McLeod
McKenzie Robinson Riess Beckford
Lesgar Murdoch
Michaela Stephens John Chin
BADMINTON
HOCKEY
Katherine Wynter Samuel Rickets
Sauwama Gordon Kemar Mitchell
Wendy McMaster Shaun Barnes
BASKETBALL
MOTORSPORTS
Yanique Gordon\ Samora Williams
SKEET SHOOTING
SQUASH
TRIATHLON Liori Sharpe Phillip McCatty
Christopher Binnie
VOLLEYBALL
Marcia Dawes Kyle Gregg
SURFING
Tahleia Bishop Clifton Clarke
BODYBUILDING
NETBALL
Imani Wilmot Ivah Wilmot
Vivette Barrett Richardo Daniels
Shanice Beckford
BOXING Alicia Ashley Sakima Mullings
CRICKET
PARA-SPORTS Shauna-Kaye Hines Tevaughn Thomas
RUGBY LEAGUE Adrian Hall
Syafanie Taylor Nikita Miller
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TABLE TENNIS Onika Francis Simon Tomlinson
TAEKWONDO Shanna Kay Hines Kenroy Clarke
(MIND GAMES) CHESS Deborah Richards-Porter Shreyas Smith
(CGF) for four editions of the Games, from 1998 in Kuala Lumpur until 2010 in Delhi. His leadership was, to a great extent, responsible for the success of those four Commonwealth Games. During his tenure, he guided the inclusion of team sports in the programme of the Games, the integration of athletes with disabilities, and introduced the forum for Commonwealth sports ministers to come together at a special session at the Commonwealth Games, which has since become a regular feature. As a former president he has been conferred with the title of honorary life president. He has also previously served the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) as a vice-president and is now an Executive Committee member and chairman of the Technical Committee of PASO. He was also a member of the Women and Sport and Programme Commissions of the I.O.C. A shrewd businessman, he was formerly president of Air Jamaica, regional manager of Berger Paints, and CEO of Myers, Fletcher & Gordon. He has served many sporting bodies and organizations, including as a director of the Sports Development Foundation, former director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) and he is Chairman of the Independence Park Ltd, which operates the National Stadium Complex. At the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, he has served as the chair of the Placement and Career Services board for almost three decades. An ardent Christian, he has also served his church as chairman of the Diocesan Financial Board of the Anglican Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Global Lifetime
Achievement
Award
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Dr the Hon. Michael Fennell O.J., C.D. LLD (Hon)
ike Fennell was an easy choice for the National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Global Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016. In his ninth decade, the affable Fennell still exhibits the energy of a 20-year-old. St James-born and a Calabar alumnus, he has served both the school’s Board of Directors as well as the Old Boys’ Association in executive office. He swam and played water polo for both Calabar and Jamaica, captaining Jamaica’s water polo team to the Pan American Games in 1959. He was the head of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) for 40 years (1977-2017) and was President of the Commonwealth Games Federation
He is married to Kathleen, with four children. A man driven to volunteerism, Fennell has served the Kingston Cricket Club, the Liguanea Club, The Royal Jamaica Yacht Club, the Rotary Club of Kingston, and the Public Service Commission. He has been intimately involved in the fight against the use of illegal drugs in sport and has championed the establishment of governing bodies for many lesser-known sports in Jamaica. He has attended 11 Olympic Games, at six of which he has been the Chef de Mission for the Jamaican Delegation. He has also attended three Winter Olympic Games. His razor-sharp wit, candor, encyclopaedic knowledge across a multitude of disciplines, disarming charm and insistence on excellence at every stage of every task have made him the super administrator he is today and one of the most sought-after public speakers of his time. For his continuous involvement in and leadership of sports, especially as an administrator of the very highest quality for over six decades, and for his contribution to the growth of Brand Jamaica in the global marketplace, the National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards was elated to present its Global Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr the Hon. Michael S. Fennell with the sincere gratitude of all Jamaica. Clearly, no one deserved it more. www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 21
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Y.O.U.T.H. Award
t launched last year with a bang! The new RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation VMBS Young, Outstanding, Upcoming, Talented, Headliner Award – in short, the VMBS Y.O.U.T.H. Award – was a major hit at the 2016 National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards Ceremony.
winner Llori Sharpe that the awards could and would be life-changing for the winner. The elegant, young triathlete seemed dumbfounded to discover that she was the winner, but pulled herself together to accept the award graciously. Fittingly, the award is sponsored by the 139-year-old Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), which has a long and proven track record of working with youth.
There was a palpable buzz in the air as people realised with the announcement of
Sharpe continued to impress in 2017, having a good competition at the Santo Domingo
CAMTRI Youth Central American and Caribbean Championships, finishing sixth in the youth women’s event, and winning the 16-17 age group female section of the Caribbean Championship in Florida. With improvement in her biking, Sharpe, already a strong swimmer and good runner, has the potential to become a world-class triathlete. Now the question is: Who will follow Sharpe and her good example and become the second winner of the VMBS Y.O.U.T.H. Award? www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 23
MAGNIFICENT
Nominees - National Sportswoman of the Year 2017 Alia Atkinson had another stellar year in the pool for Jamaica, winning several gold medals in the FINA/Airweave Swimming World Cup and taking her tally of gold medals in the series over the 50 mark. Atkinson ended the year ranked number one for short course for both the 50-metre breaststroke and the 100-metre breaststroke, and number four for the 200-metre breaststroke. Her most outstanding meet of the series was at Eindhoven in the Netherlands in August, where she set best times of the year for both the 50-metre breaststroke (28.84 seconds) and the 100-metre breaststroke (1 minute 2.67 seconds).
Alia Atkinson Swimming
Despite a subpar year, Elaine Thompson finished 2017 with four of the top 10 times over 100 metres, including the two fastest times of the year. In a year in which she ran very few 200-metre races, she also managed to post the fourth- and fifth-fastest times of the year in the 200 metres, making her the third fastest over the distance in 2017. An under-the-weather Thompson could only manage fifth in the 100-metre final at the IAAF World Championships, but charged back later in the year to defend her 100-metre IAAF Diamond League title. Thompson won the final race at the AG Memorial Van Damme in Brussels in a swift 10.92 seconds.
Elaine Thompson Athletics Ristananna Tracey ran 53.74 seconds for the 400-metre hurdles – a personal best time – to take the bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in London. The time put her fourth on the All-time Jamaica list behind Olympic Champions Melaine Walker and Deon Hemmings and Diamond League standout Kaliese Spencer. Tracey also won her event at the Diamond League meet in Rabat, Morocco, in July.
Ristananna Tracey Athletics
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AMAZING
Nominees - National Sportswoman of the Year 2017 Christopher Binnie won his eighth consecutive Caribbean Area Squash Association Senior Championship in August in St Vincent. It was Binnie’s ninth consecutive appearance in a final. His winning streak at the championship is unprecedented. Binnie is ranked 70th in the world as of December, his highest ranking ever. Binnie led the Jamaica team to a 22nd -place ranking at the 2017 Men’s WSF World Team Squash Championship in France
Christopher Binnie Squash
André Blake had the tournament of a lifetime at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, pulling off a series of amazing saves to lead Jamaica to the final of the tournament. His performance has attracted interest from many of the world’s top professional clubs, but the Philadelphia Union standout has suffered due to rules which make him ineligible to play in England. Blake is a Major League Soccer All-Star and won the Golden Glove award at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Blake appeared in 26 games for the Philadelphia Union during the 2017 Major League Soccer regular season, conceding only 34 goals. He was a nominee for CONCACAF Male Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year.
Andre Blake Football
Usain Bolt had a lean final year by his exalted standards, but still managed the very outstanding feat of finishing third in the last major 100-metre event of his career, the IAAF World Championships in London on August 5, in a very credible 9.95 seconds. Bolt also had victories at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic and at the Monaco Herculis, before pulling up injured in the sprint relay at the World Championships.
Usain Bolt
Athletics
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Chris Gayle, in 2017, did what has become his norm: finishing the year with a bang. Gayle led his team, the Rangpur Riders, to the title in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), dominating the fiinal match with his bat. Gayle scored an unbelievable 146 not out off just 69 balls with 5 fours and a T20 record 18 sixes. His strike rate was a jaw-dropping 211.59 runs per 100 balls. The final in Dhaka on December 12 against the Dhaka Dynamite saw Gayle easily earning the Player of the Match award. It was Gayle’s first century in a T20 tournament final. Gayle’s score was the highest in the BPL, erasing his own record of 126 runs, made just four days earlier. It was Gayle’s fifth BPL century. Gayle was also named Player of the Series.
Christopher Gayle Cricket Omar McLeod had seven of the eight fastest times for the 110-metre hurdles in 2017, with the other belonging to an athlete who finished second in one of the races he won. He established a new national record for the event on June 24 at the National Stadium in Kingston, running 12.90 seconds, making him the sixth-fastest athlete in the history of the discipline. The Olympic champion capped his year’s achievements by winning IAAF World Championships gold in London in 12.03 seconds. McLeod also established personal bests indoors for both the 60 metres and 200 metres during 2017. His indoor time of 20.48 seconds for the 200 metres is a new national indoor record. McLeod was among the 2017 nominees for IAAF Athlete of the Year.
Omar McLeod Athletics
Nikita Miller continued his assault on regional bowling records with another fantastic year. Miller started the year with a superb Player of the Match performance against Barbados, taking 3 for 12, before ending the year in amazing style in the West Indies regional domestic four-day tournament. First, he picked up his 26th five-wicket innings haul as part of a nine-wicket match against Trinidad and Tobago. Then he went one better, taking 10 wickets against the Leeward Islands, five in each inning, before putting the icing on the cake with a 13 wicket take against the Windwards, adding a ninth-wicket partnership of 141 runs to his résumé, just in case you like batting. The Jamaica captain took 5 for 60 in the first innings, scored 52 runs, and then returned 8 for 54 in the second innings to destroy the Islanders.
Nikita Miller Cricket
Chadwick Walton, already highly regarded as a wicketkeeper, had a banner year with the bat in 2017. In February, he scored his first century in List A cricket, when he made 117 in the semi-final of the 2016–17 Regional Super50 tournament. He followed this up with his second List A century, less than two weeks later, against the touring England team. Walton then proceeded to drive home his claim to vastly improved and consistent batting by hitting the most runs in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Walton scored 458 runs, at an average of 41.63 and an astonishing strike rate of 145.85 runs per 100 balls. Walton was named the 2017 CPL Player of the Series.
Chadwick Walton Cricket www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 26
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BIG MOMENTS IN SPORTS Big Moments in sports looks at all the major sporting performances, achievements and events which took place in 2017 and made Jamaica proud. In 2017 this included performances at the IAAF World Athletic Championships, during the FINA/Airweave Swimming World Short Course Cup Series, at the Netball Fast 5 World Championship, at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Football and at a variety of top cricket events.
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ALIA ATKINSON JAMAICA’S QUEEN OF THE POOL
She is regal, she is passionate, she is charitable, she is articulate. But in the pool, she is a monster unleashed, driving fear into the hearts of her competitors. That’s Alia Atkinson, Jamaica’s swim queen and the only swimmer to win the National Sportswoman of the Year title (2014) since Belinda Phillips did so in 1974, forty years earlier. Atkinson already has numerous world class achievements. She was the first black woman to win a world swimming title and only the second to hold a world swimming record when, in 2014, she won the 100-metre breaststroke at the FINA World Short Course Championship in a world- record equalling 1 minute 02.36 seconds. In 2016, she went one better, claiming the short course world record for the women’s
50-metre breaststroke in 28.64 seconds in Tokyo, Japan. Atkinson has made it a habit to dominate the annual FINA/Airweave Short Course World Cup Series, winning multiple events year after year and finishing among the top three point earners season after season. And 2017 was no exception. The Jamaican torpedo won several gold medals, despite missing the World Championships. She took her tally of wins in the series over the 50 mark and ended the year ranked number one for short course, for both the 50-metre breaststroke and the 100 metre breaststroke, and number four for the 200-metre breaststroke.
at Eindhoven in The Netherlands in Augus,t where she set best times of the year for both the 50-metre breaststroke (28.84 seconds) and the 100-metre breaststroke (1 minute 2.67 seconds). At 29 years old, Atkinson is much older than most swim stars of the modern era, but apparently she has not yet received the memo because she seems determined to continue to compete at the top of world swimming for years to come. With the influence she exerts and the example she is stetting as a role model for a new generation of Jamaican swimmers, it may just be a matter of time before Jamaica can boast of being a world power in the pool.
Her most outstanding meet of the series was www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 31
Omar McLeod
Delivers Again
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McLeod expected 2017 to be not just more of the same, but even better, and he proceeded to produce another superstar year on the track.”
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Monday, August 7, 2017, London. Jamaica was not exactly in mourning, but we were licking our wounds at the series of disappointing results. Elaine Thompson had failed to medal in the 100 meters and Usian Bolt, the mercurial, the indomitable, the champion of champions, had only brought home a bronze medal in the 100 metres. Heads were bowed, spirits were dashed. It was a moment that begged for a hero, and we were all praying that Omar McLeod would be that hero. The year 2017 dawned bright and sunny for Omar McLeod. He had enjoyed tremendous success in 2016, a year in which he became the Olympic Champion and was imperious in defeating all challengers. McLeod, forever optimistic, expected 2017 to be not just more of the same, but even better. He proceeded to produce another superstar year on the track. First, there was the indoor season. On February 11, he ran the second-fastest time of the year for the 60-metre hurdles, clocking 7.46 seconds in New York. Then the Jamaican, the only man to break 10 seconds in the 100-meter and 13 seconds in the 110-metre hurdles, went to the flat events. In one eventful day in Fayettville he produced personal bests in the 60-metres (6.61 seconds) and the 200-metres (20.48 seconds). His 200 meters time established a new Jamaican National Indoor Record. In this IAAF World Championship year, McLeod then turned his attention to the outdoor season. On April 29 in Des Moines, Iowa, he flashed to a 13.04 second victory in the 100-metre hurdles. It was an ominous sign for his competition. One month later, on May 27, he bettered that result with a 13.01 second clocking in the mile-high stadium at Eugene, Oregon. Then on June 24 at the Jamaica National Championships in Kingston, McLeod exploded to a new national record 12.90 seconds in the 110-metre hurdles final. The performance made him the sixth-fastest man in the discipline of all time. Jamaica buzzed in anticipation of what was to come. Continuing his preparation for London, McLeod dipped under 13 seconds again in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, running 12.96 seconds. The Jamaican speedster was now heading into the IAAF
World Championships undefeated and a clear favourite. August 6, Jamaica Independence Day, McLeod was on the track for the 100-metre hurdles preliminaries. First, he ran 13.23 seconds to win his heat, before returning later to post a 13.10-second win in his semi-final. At this point, no one would take a bet against McLeod, but the hurdles are an unforgiving event. Ask Gail Devers, who tripped over the hurdles and lost her gold medal chance. In the hurdles, all it takes is one technical mistake, one mental error, and not only is your medal prospect gone, but you may find yourself prone on the track in anguish. However, like most great sprinthurdle champions, McLeod possesses a silky smooth stride and an aura of confidence that suggests no such disaster would befall his efforts. August 7, 9:30 P.M. The introductions have been finished. In lane one stands the man most likely to challenge McLeod, Sergey Shubenkov, the Russian, running under Olympic License as a neutral. He has already run 13.01 seconds in 2017 (albeit in running second to McLeod) and has a personal best of 12.98. He will be the biggest threat. Also notable in the lineup are Garfield Darien of France and Balázs Baji of Hungary. The others, based on current 2017 form, do not seem to pose any substantial threat. At the gun it was Darien who got the best start, followed by Baji, and a mere 100th of a second behind, McLeod. The Jamaican was leading by the first hurdle, but by the second flight Shubenkov had drawn level and it was then neck and neck until the penultimate hurdle (hurdle number nine) when McLeod started to pull away, eventually sprinting to victory in 13.04 seconds, a decisive tenth of a second in front of Shubenkov (13.14 seconds). At last, Jamaica could celebrate. We had our champion! We had our gold medal! Rejoice, rejoice! And the hills were joyful together! As a footnote, McLeod’s outstanding year was celebrated by his nomination as an initial finalist for the IAAF Athlete of the Year.
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Surprise… NOT!
CHRIS GAYLE
Setting Records Again Every year, Chris Gayle likes to remind us who is the don. The heavy-hitter won the National Sportsman of the Year title for 2010. Gayle, a former West Indies test captain, is one of only four cricketers in Test history to score two triple-centuries: 317 against South Africa in 2005, and 333 against Sri Lanka in 2010. He also has numerous records in the shorter forms of the game, One-Day cricket (50 overs) and T20 cricket.
17 sixes). His strike rate was a jaw-dropping 211.59 runs per 100 balls. The final in Dhaka on December 12 against the Dhaka Dynamite saw Gayle easily earning the Player of the Match award. It was Gayle’s first century in a T20 tournament final. Gayle’s score was the highest in the BPL, erasing his own 126 made just four days earlier. It was Gayle’s fifth BPL century. Gayle was also named Player of the Series.
The most popular West Indies cricketer since Brian Lara, Gayle has dominated T20 cricket like the colossus astride Rhodes harbour. In 2017, it was no different as Gayle finished the year with a bang. Gayle led his team, the Rangpur Riders, to the title in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), dominating the Final match with his bat. He scored an unbelievable 146 not out off just 69 balls with 5 fours and a T20 record 18 sixes (beating his own record of
In case you are suffering from memory loss, here is a reminder that Gayle is not just a T20 cricket giant. Gayle is the only player to achieve the century mark in all three of the highest versions of the game (Test cricket, One Day International (ODI) and T20 internationals. He is the first player to have a triple century in tests, a double century in ODIs, and a century in a T20 international. He was the first batsman to score a double
century in the Cricket World Cup, and only the third West Indian to score over 1,000 runs in a calendar year. He was the first to score a century in a T20 international (117 against South Africa) and the first to carry his bat (open the batting and stay to the end of the inning) in a T20 international. He has the fifth fastest century in test match history (just 70 balls) and the fastest century in T20 history (30 balls) in his inning of 175 not out off just 66 balls in the IPL. That is also the fastest century in any form of the game. He shares in the largest partnership in Cricket World Cup history (with Marlon Samuels) – 372 runs. He holds the record for most centuries in T20 cricket (20), 13 more than his nearest rival, Brendon McCullum. To sum it up, without hyperbole, the man is awesome!
CHRIS GAYLE’S CRICKETS STATISTICS AS OF DECEMBER 28, 2017 Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
103
182
11
7214
333
42.18
11970
60.26
15
37
1046
98
96
0
ODIs
275
270
17
9420
215
37.23
11009
85.56
22
48
1054
253
117
0
T20Is
52
49
4
1577
117
35.04
1085
145.34
2
13
134
103
14
0
Firstclass
180
321
26
13226
333
44.83
32
64
158
0
List A
342
336
24
11893
215
38.11
25
64
143
0
T20s
320
314
44
11056
175*
40.94
7419
149.02
20
67
833
819
78
0
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
103
104
7109
3120
73
5/34
6/81
42.73
2.63
97.3
2
2
0
ODIs
275
190
7222
5739
163
5/46
5/46
35.20
4.76
44.3
3
1
0
Firstclass
180
12511
5194
132
5/34
39.34
2.49
94.7
2
0
List A
342
9366
7112
222
5/46
5/46
32.03
4.55
42.1
4
1
0
T20s
320
1873
2354
78
4/22
4/22
30.17
7.54
24.0
2
0
0
Bowling averages
127
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He is the first player to have a triple century in tests, a double century in ODIs, and a century in a T20 international.
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Kemar Lawrence (left) fights off a challenge during the national Premier League
GOLD CUP GLORY
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In 2015 Jamaica surprised the entire footballing world by reaching the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, besting the USA in the semi-final match. At the time it was regarded as a positive sign for the Reggae Boyz and their ambition to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. That was not to happen as coach Winfried Schafer and his charges faltered in the final round and fell out of contention. What next? Blow the trumpets and signal the charge. Sometimes in order to go forward you have to look
back. Enter Theodore Whitmore, the Jamaican coach with arguably the best record of any used to date. Despite his inability to gain entry into some football grounds, Whitmore is a man who knows how to get things done and for the first time in our history, the JFF seemed ready to fully support a local coach, rather than simply looking to ‘foreign’. Whitmore’s approach was pragmatic from the start. Use the players you can get on a regular basis. This meant a squad with local players and overseas players
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GOLD CUP GLORY mainly from the North American leagues. He had a big trump card left over from the Schafer era, Andre Blake, the brilliant and charismatic Reggae Boyz captain who is clearly one of the world’s beat goalkeepers. With other standout regulars like Kemar Lawrence and Darren Mattocks Whitmore was confident that the team could do well. Come the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, others were not as confident. To equal their achievement of 2015 would be a tall order. Jamaica had lost away matches to the USA and Peru prior to the tournament, although they did manage a 1-0 victory over Honduras. Our 2016 match results were discouraging with multiple losses. Whitmore was undaunted. In the first match in San Diego, Jamaica over-
came some stout defending by the minnows of Curacao to secure a 2-0 win by way of second half goals by Romario Williams and Mattocks. Captain Blake had little to do in the Jamaican goal as the Reggae Boyz dominated the ball. The second match was an entirely different matter with Mexico dominating the ball and Jamaica playing a disciplined and pre-planned defensive game. Despite the Mexicans forcing two good saves out of Blake and hitting the post, the Jamaicans on the whole looked very comfortable in defense and the Mexicans at times clueless as to how to break through. The 0-0 draw meant that Jamaica had already secured a place in the quarter-final. A 15th minute goal by Nelson Bonilla left Jamaica unfazed against El Salvador and when Darren Mattocks slotted home a second half
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penalty to draw his team level, it seemed merely their just due. Jamaica were showing a level of professionalism they had rarely displayed before and hope was igniting in the hearts of fans that maybe, just maybe, this team could spring another surprise. Jamaica 1, El Salvador 1. Jamaica’s counter-attacking plan for the Gold Cup came into full view in Arizona in the quarter-final match against Canada. Canada dominated possession, but Jamaica won the game. Shaun Francis gave Jamaica the lead in the sixth-minute scoring on a powerful drive after a clever cut-back pass from Mattocks. Then early in the second half, Romario Williams stunned the University of Phoenix Stadium crowd with a swerving strike that beat the Canadian keeper and found the back of the net. Canada did pull one back through Junior
GOLD CUP GLORY Hoilett with just under 30 minutes to go, but some brilliant keeping by Andre Blake, including what was probably the save of the tournament, saw Jamaica safely into the semi-final for the second consecutive Gold Cup. Blake soared like an eagle to edge away a shot seemingly destined to end up in the Jamaican net. It was an incredible save, but par for the course from the amazingly athletic Jamaican captain. It was on to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California for a semi-final match-up against Mexico and a chance for revenge for their 2015 Final loss against the ‘El Tri’. Although Mexico were playing a weakened side, after Confederation Cup competition, they were clear favourites going into the match, a virtual home game in Pasadena. Jamaica stuck to their plan, allow Mexico the ball and hit them hard on the counter, using the Reggae Boyz’ superior speed. As it turned out, Jamaican could not have written a more perfect script. Mexico had 70% of the possession in the game, but Jamaica created as many good chances and strikes by Jermaine
Taylor and Damion Lowe forced good saves by Jesus Corona in the Mexican goal. At the other end of the pitch Andre Blake was having yet another outstanding game, foiling Jesus Duenas, Erick Torres (twice) and Jesus Gallardo to keep Jamaican level. It seemed the game was heading for the inevitable 0-0 draw, but Kemar Lawrence had other ideas. Jamaica won a free kick just outside the Mexican area and in the 88th minute Lawrence established himself as the hero, curling a fantastic strike over the wall to leave Corona flat-footed and give Jamaica the lead. That lead held and Jamaica had done it for the second time in a row, made the Final of the Gold Cup. It was on to Santa Clara and, most Jamaicans hoped, a date with destiny against the USA. Unfortunately it was not to be. When Jamaica lost their talismanic goalkeeper and captain, Blake to a hand injury early in the match, after diving at Kellyn Acosta’s feet to block a pointblank shot, most expected that the US would
go on to win on a canter. But, the Reggae Boyz kept to the plan, defending stoutly and proving dangerous on the counter attack. This despite Jozy Altidore blasting the US into the lead in the 45th minute with a well taken long-range free kick that went off the underside of the crossbar past Dwayne Miller who had replaced Blake in goal. Undaunted, Jamaica persevered and were rewarded in the 50th minute when JeVaughn Watson brushed past Jordan Morris to plant a powerful volley past Tim Howard at the far post. But the Reggae Boyz luck had finally run out and in the 88th minute, the USA did to them, what they had done to Mexico, scoring on a Morris strike that found the top corner. The final score, USA 2, Jamaica 1 did nothing to tarnish Jamaica’s Gold Cup reputation, but it meant that for the second time in a row, they would leave the tournament as runners-up. Maybe this was meant to be. Maybe it’s third time lucky. We will see!
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Have Jamaicans Given Up on Cricket? There was a time in Jamaican cricket when not making the West Indies team was no slur on your playing abilities, because you were probably good enough to make most other Test teams. There was a time when the roster for Jamaica sounded like a full West Indies side, with line-ups including Basil Williams, Richard Austin, Everton Mattis, Lawrence Rowe, Maurice Foster, Herbert Chang and Jeffrey Dujon. There was a time when Dujon stood at the wicket at Chedwin Park and drove Malcolm Marshall and Sylvester Clarke
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through the covers with imperious ease and elegance in front of cheering crowds. From the early 1960s through the ‘80s, there was much to cheer about in Jamaican cricket and the people responded. The crowds were good – if not always excellent – and when the team played in western Jamaica at Jarrett Park or on the north coast in Discovery Bay, it was standing room only. Everyone loves a winner. Those days watching the batsmen play their shots, the bowlers deliver, and the fielders pull off amazing catches was only a part of the reason to be at a Jamaica cricket match. The rest was the camaraderie you shared with your fellow fans and the stories you inevitably heard
through the day. To be blunt, it was clear that many of these stories were made up, but the skill in the telling was what counted. “I was there the day Seymour Nurse hit a six…” If you check the day in question, Nurse was probably in England and not on the playing field, but it did not matter. If the fan was passionate enough to want to invent tales, that meant he was invested in the game. What happened? Well, the first thing was a gradual decline in West Indies cricket and a concurrent decline in Jamaican cricket. How did that come about? The reasons have been argued, analysed, and explained for years. Cricket lost out to football and track and field. Cricketers did not make good money. Cricket gear
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Thank God for ODIs and T20 tournaments. Many of the same players who struggle to attract a couple hundred fans to watch a four-day game at Sabina Park are elevated to superheroes when they represent the Jamaica Tallawahs or another side in the Caribbean Premier League T20 Tournament. It used to be unheard of that a visiting Test side would not have a Test match in Jamaica, with its iconic grounds at Sabina Park. Now, it is almost expected that test cricket will not be played here as it attracts such poor fan support. Of course, the very television that is our saviour with bigmoney payments is also part of the reason why we don’t rush to watch Test matches and four-day cricket. You can watch it at home! Even if there is a blackout in your area, with the Internet, you can still watch it at home. One station or another will be carrying the game. So, many persons have decided that going to the park is a hassle.
was expensive. The nursery system was not properly set up to replace retiring players with new blood. The cricket authorities were too autocratic and self-absorbed. Cricket was not a mainstay in the inner city as there was no place to play. Every argument had a grain of truth and every explanation was incomplete. What do I think happened? I think Jamaica started losing cricket matches regularly and when West Indies teams began to crop up that did not feature a single Jamaican. It was a virtual death knell for Jamaican cricket. Jamaica loves winners. The 1997 FIFA World Cup qualification started out with relatively small crowds at ‘The Office’, but by the time Jamaicans realised that we had a realistic chance to make it to France 1998, you could not find an empty seat in the Stadium. Jamaicans do not have a culture of supporting you when you are down. In Merlene Ottey’s illustrious career, she was many times retired by the Jamaican public, long before she hit her peak performance years. So as the success diminished for Jamaica and the West Indies, so too did the support. Nowadays fourday cricket in the Caribbean would be a hopeless cause, except for sponsors and television rights.
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Despite mounds and live entertainment and giveaways and anything else you might imagine it is still almost impossible to get the fans out for the longer version of the game. This compared to as recently as the 1980s, when live cricket on TV was a rarity and if you wanted to see cricket, you had to go watch the game live at the grounds. Also today’s options for the young fan are far wider than ever before. Michael Jordan made basketball a super sport and youngsters everywhere saw great earning potential in that game. Usain Bolt and others have shown the earning potential in track and field. Jamaicans are planning to make it in the NFL, and in football (real football that is), where the money is large, the adulation is unending and the opportunities abound. Cricket is suffering by comparison – even if the actual professional cricketers are making pretty good money. In fact, the only thing that seems to be a success in West Indies cricket nowadays is the ability of the players to get paid. The worse they do, the worse they play, the more money they demand and get. Seems a little cockeyed! So like Usain Bolt, who famously was advised to give up cricket for sprinting, have we, as a nation, abandoned our love of the game and our support of our team? Is T20 the only form of the game we can abide because it is quick, incident filled and exciting? Is there any room left to salivate over that elegant cover drive, or that well-timed pull through the leg side? Can we still appreciate great line and length pace bowling and precise controlled spinning? Are the young men and women who are doing well in the school version of the game abandoning cricket as soon as they graduate, rather than going into club cricket as was formerly the norm? As Johnny Nash said, “There are more questions than answers.”
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The sports
Spot
A DANGEROUS PLACE TO BE!
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I light
n the age of the Internet, surveillance cameras and commercial databases, protecting one’s privacy for the average Joe has become problematic, let alone for the elites of the sporting arena. Despite the purported rise and influence of civil libertarians, privacy is fast becoming a luxury rather than a basic right. As we know, those in the entertainment and political spheres are routinely subject to insufferable speculation and inquisition. Similarly, athletes who, for the most part, actually seek to avoid the limelight are increasingly subject to a suffocating sense of 24/7 ‘ownership’ by the media, public, sponsors, administrators and their employers. Athlete privacy has become an oxymoron. While being celebrated for their outstanding display of sporting prowess and dominance, much to the delight of the
media and passionate fans worldwide, the common observation seems to be that fans sometimes forget that their favorites are human, too. Moreover, athletes have been forced to keep security personnel close at hand during the most human interaction or engagement imaginable. Five-time Olympic gold medallist and artistic gymnast Simone Biles had just wrapped up winning her fifth gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio, when a day later, she was photographed enjoying herself on the beach with company - scores of armed guards. Similarly, Jamaica’s own Usain Bolt was asked to sit out the parade of nations during the opening ceremony at the same Olympic Games due to security concerns. But while security measures for athletes have become more stringent, the golden era of the Internet and mass media has made stars even more accessible. Fans and media alike now have an insatiable craving for the who, what, where, when and why of the stars. The hefty price with which a life athletic stardom comes becomes clear as athletes virtually waive their right to personal freedom and privacy. With the line of demarcation between the public’s right to know by virtue of athletes being public figures, and the athletes’ right to privacy remaining constantly blurred, it is left only to the imagination as to how far is too far. From physical attacks and threats to a lack of privacy, SportsWorld takes a look at the dark side of being an accomplished athlete. Athletes inadvertently make a deal with the Devil, being granted privilege and riches, but paying the price with their inability to have secrets. Their private lives become public, creating a space for super fans, and more ominously, stalkers. The safety of athletes has become an even greater issue in the wake of physical, and in some cases, even death threats. British tennis player Heather Watson, in a post-match press conference at Wimbledon 2016, revealed that she had received death threats after losing, and by extension, being behind the bad day for some angry gamblers. But while Watson may have been able to boost security measures following the threats, others have been unlucky, as they had attacks meted out to them in the most chilling incidents
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“
Fans sometimes forget that their favourite sports stars are human, too
imaginable.
April 30, 1993 marked a pivotal moment in the tennis arena, but moreso within the wider spectrum of the sporting world. The victim, 19-year-old Swiss tennis ace Monica Seles, at the peak of a stellar career, was stabbed in the back during the changeover at a match between herself and Bulgaria’s Magdalena Maleeva. Not only did this gruesome attack dictate security at sporting events globally, it also dictated the path Seles’ career would take. Returning two years later to
”
the tour, Seles looked a total shadow of her once-indomitable self. Similarly, Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion and Olympic Bronze medallist, was stabbed after an intruder posing as a utility company employee invaded her apartment in December 2016. In the attempt to protect herself and restrain the attacker, the lefty ended up wounding herself, halting her tennis career for almost six months.
According to WADA, “out-of-competition tests can be conducted anytime, anywhere and without notice to athletes. They are the most effective deterrent and method of detection of doping, and are an important step in strengthening athlete and public confidence in a doping-free sport”. But while WADA puts great effort into facilitating clean sport, the ambiguity surrounding when athletes are ‘on duty’ adds a bit of complexity to the issue.
Leaving a dark cloud over the innocence surrounding a fan simply wanting an autograph post- match, tennis standard-bearers such as Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have become notorious for having scores of bodyguards in the wings when competing at tournaments.
The same ‘on duty’ issue comes to the fore once more when we hear the story of NBA elite Dwayne Wade, having lunch in a hotel while in China, only to be bombarded by his Chinese fans to the point where he had to abandon his meal. Similarly, American super golfer Tiger Woods found that there was no such thing as privacy in the midst of his infidelity scandal that made front pages around the world. Tiger’s plea that it is the professional lives of athletes which should be pursued rather than their personal affairs fell on deaf ears. Woods argued understandably that “personal sins should not require press releases, and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions”.
The media may have accounted for the overexposure of athletes, but one can only, in some cases, pardon journalists for doing their jobs, since governing bodies within sports also demand information on the whereabouts of athletes. Case in point, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Article 14.3 of the World Anti-Doping Code stipulates that athletes nominated for testing are required to inform the anti-doping bodies about their current and future whereabouts for at least an hour of each day, i.e. the ‘whereabouts information’.
Though, on occasion, athletes tend to open the book on themselves, attracting the same attention they try so desperately to avoid, ultimately, the widespread failure to distinguish between their professional identities and private lives, and the commodifying of the latter, have done us all a disservice. It’s a vicious cycle where athletes put up a wall to the media’s glare, avoid the public when possible, and constrain their true persona – leading to greater invasive techniques and outrageous hearsay presented as facts.
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TALKING SPORTS WITH
SKIP MARLEY
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W
hen not on tour, Skip Marley spends a considerable amount of time in the studio recording. Making waves earlier this year when he performed his smash hit collab with Katy Perry “Chained to the Rhythm”, Marley who follows in the footsteps of his grandfather Reggae legend Bob Marley, has inherited more than just his grandfathers talent. SportsWorld catches up with Skip Marley, this time not standing behind a microphone.
Marley who has been exposed to music from as early as 7, reveals that he enjoys football just as Bob Marley notoriously did. “I would say Football is definitely my favourite sport...... passion.” At just 22, the “Calm Down” artiste has already managed to make a name for himself within the music industry, and has dreams of being one of the biggest names in entertainment. Though already a star in his own right, Skip has his list of athletes in various disciplines he admires. When asked to name some athletes he’d like to have dinner with Marley reveals to SportsWorld who would be at the table. “I can’t name all of them. But Pelé, Bruce Lee,
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Leo Messi, Usain Bolt, and Ronaldo,” he beamed. The avid Football fan lists the FIFA World Cup as the major sporting event at which he would choose to do a live performance. Starting his days with a morning workout, Skip also enjoys Basketball, and even spends his evenings jogging. The Bruce Lee fan admits to having a health conscious diet, and even has his own way of satisfying his occasional craving for Jamaican food. He explains, “my diet is very health conscious so whenever I crave some yaad food, I cook up some Ital stew or some Rundown with Boiled Dumplings and Yam”. Constantly on tour or recording, the 22 year old has gotten accustomed to the busy itinerary, which doesn’t grant him the privilege of visiting Jamaica as much as he would like to. His last trip to Jamaica he shares was for a celebration of his grandfather’s birthday. “My last trip to Jamaica was to celebrate my grandfathers earthstrong. I performed at the One Love Music Festival and also at the Hope Road show. I have been traveling to a lot of other places since that time for work purposes, but I’m looking forward to getting back to Jamaica very soon.” He reflected. His love for music can also be accredited to his grandmother Alfarita “Rita” Marley, who met Bob Marley while being a member of the group I-Three. A natural guitarist, Marley laments getting accustomed to another musical instrument in his younger days. Revealing advice he would give to himself ten years ago, Skip shares, “My advice would be to practice harder and study music further, as well as pick up another instrument”. While fans never really get a glimpse of who Skip is behind the microphone, he does admit that there is no difference between who he is on stage and personality wise. “How I portray myself is how I am, but one thing I would say [fans wouldn’t guess by looking at me] is that I’m a huge Bruce Lee fan and Martial Arts in general”, he shares. Reflecting on his breakout performance at the Grammy Awards earlier this year, Marley takes SportsWorld through his preparation for the big night. “Well we rehearsed well in advance and then around showtime, there was no nervousness nor weakness- just Jah guiding me as we do the works seen” he reflected. Marley is currently splashing GAIAC 10 by Le Labo, a personal favourite of his.
By Nicholas Martin SportsWorld Contributor www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 50
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Sporting Greats
Lord Sebastian Newbold Coe
C
By Nicholas Martin Sports World Contributor
apturing the world’s attention after an impressive performance, front-running the 800 metres for a convincing win, just shy of the then-world record in 1977, Lord Sebastian Coe remains one of Britain’s most prolific athletes. The Right Honourable Lord Coe, C.H, KBE, set 12 world records throughout his career, three of which were done over a 41-day period in 1979. Setting records in the 800 metres (1:42.33), the 1500 meters (3:32.03), and the mile (3:48.95), Coe became the first person to hold all three world records simultaneously. Proving his illustrious feat was no fluke, Coe remained undefeated at all distances that year, and made himself a marked man for the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow, Russia.
Ovett, settling for the silver medal. Six days later, determined for a redeeming run, Coe produced 3:38.4 in the final of the men’s 1500 metres for gold in the three-and-a-half-lap event. As is common in the careers of many athletes, Coe had his own taste of the bitter pill, as a misdiagnosis with glandular fever sidelined him for most of 1983, causing him to miss the inaugural staging of the IAAF World Outdoor
Coe set world records over three distances, 800 metres, 1500 metres and the mile in a golden 41 day period in 1979
On July 26 1980, Coe (1:54.9), competing in the men’s 800 metres final at the Moscow Olympics, was edged out by countryman Steve www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 52
Championships. The correct diagnosis, which turned out to be toxoplasmosis, left small hope that Coe would recover in time for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. But
after marginally missing out on automatic qualification for the three-man British 800 metres contingent, Coe was given the nod for the final spot. Devastated by his loss in his pet event at the previous staging of the Olympic Games, an ill Coe exhibited a valiant effort in the final of the two-lap event, but again fell short and took the runner-up spot. But this silver medal was nothing but a silver lining behind his dark cloud. Days later, he successfully repeated his performance from the Moscow Games in the 1500-metre final, becoming the first – and still the only – athlete to win successive 1500-metre gold medals at the Olympics. Throughout his decorated career, which produced a whopping 12 world-record runs, Coe engraved his name, one race at a time, in the annals of track and field. His love for running stuck with him beyond the track. Following his retirement from competitive athletics in 1990, Coe took up representational politics. In 1992, he was elected as member of parliament for Falmouth and Camborne, representing the Conservative Party. His first term in politics came to an end in 1997, when he lost his seat
in the general elections. Shortly following the loss, he made a subtle return to politics as chief of staff for then Opposition Leader William Hague, upon accepting the offer of a life peerage in May 2000. A member of the House of Lords, Coe has been on leave since October 2016. The Loughborough University alum became chair of London’s bid to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad upon the resignation of Barbara Cassani in May 2004. In September 2006, former FIFA President Sepp Blatter made the announcement of Coe’s appointment as the first chair of FIFA’s Ethics Committee. Coe’s ascent to an international administrative role first came in 2007, when he was appointed vice-president of the IAAF, and was reappointed in 2011. His alma mater, Loughborough University, appointed him as pro chancellor in 2012, before being named the university’s sixth chancellor in March 2017. In November 2014, Coe announced that he would be offering himself as a presidential candidate for the IAAF, following President Lamine Diack’s announcement that he would be standing down. In August 2015, Coe took charge of track and field’s governing body.
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What Next for Jamaica’s Track & Field?
A
s Usain Bolt moves into retirement the big question has become, can he be replaced? Unfortunately Usain Bolts do not grow on trees. That does not necessarily mean that we should prepare ourselves for a drought. On the contrary, despite the lack of medals at the London World Championships, the state of our track & field may be at its best since Beijing 2008 or perhaps even better and it seems likely that we will replace Bolt not with any single person but by committee. The clear standouts to carry us forward are Elaine Thompson and Omar McLeod, but there are others.
By the 2020 Olympic Games
The following are or will be the stars we are looking to, to ignite Jamaica on the global stage by 2020. Some names have been omitted because of the age of the athlete or their current status (e.g. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce) and others will find places on relay teams. The list is by no means definitive.
The Prospects: Already There
Event
Male
Upcoming Female
Male
100 metres
Kemar Bailey-Cole, Yohan Blake, Julian Forte
Elaine Thompson, Samantha Morrison, Christania Williams
200 metres
Nickle Ashmeade, Kemar Bailey-Cole, Yohan Blake, Rasheed Dwyer
Elaine Thompson, Shericka Jackson
400 metres
Javon Francis, Nathon Allen, Rusheen McDonald
Shericka Jackson, Stephenie Ann McPherson, Christine Day
Martin Manley, Akeem Bloomfield, Christopher Taylor
Tiffany James, Junelle Bromfield, Chrisann Gordon,
100 m hurdles
N/A
Danielle Williams, Megan Simmonds, Rushelle Burton
N/A
Gabrielle McDonald Britany Anderson
110 m hurdles
Omar McLeod, Hansle Parchment, Andrew Riley, Ronald Levy
N/A
Dejour Russell, Michael O’Hara
N/A
400m Hurdles
Annsert Whyte, Kemar Mowatt, Ricardo Cunningham
Ristananna Tracey, Janieve Russell, Ronda Whyte, Leah Nugent
Jaheel Hyde
Long Jump
Kimberly Williams, Shanieka Ricketts
3,000 m Steeplechase
Shot Put
Kevona Davis, Brianna Lyston
Damar Forbes
Triple Jump
Discus
Odean Skeen, Jevaughn Minzie, Jhevaughn Matherson
Female Shashalee Forbes, Jura Levy, Kimone Shaw, Kevona Davis, Dawnalee Loney, Gayon Evans,
Aisha Praught Fedrick Dacres
Kevin Nedrick
O’Dayne Richards
Kevin Nedrick
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S E R E N A
W I L L I A M S :
THE NEXT CHAPTER
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A
s 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams moves down the weekly updated Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, the tennis public continues to relish what may or may not be her last days in the upper echelon of the rankings. On September 1 of 2017, Williams gave birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian. Williams married Alexis Ohanian in November it 2017. The standard-bearer of Women’s professional tennis has already returned to the court, albeit not yet for serious competition. It is expected that she will soon be resuming her quest for a historic 24th major title. Three other women have won majors after giving birth. Since her debut as a pro in 1999 (18 years ago), the same year she won her maiden Grand Slam, Williams has won an incredible 23 of the 74 contested women’s singles majors – that’s an amazing 31% of the major tournaments played in the period and that is not taking into consideration the many events she missed due to injury and illness. Boasting an unmatched win-loss record of 23-6 in Grand Slam finals, the notorious Taco-lover surpassed the long standing record by tennis legend Steffi Graff, going one-up for a new open era record of 23, the most by any athlete. But while Serena’s dominance which lasted nearly two decades is on hold, and the women’s draw at majors remain without clear favourites, life in the next chapter promises to be equally or even more fulfilling for the new ‘tennis mom’. It is no secret that Williams is and has always been family oriented. She has on several occasions attributed her success on and off the court to the support she’s received from her family, having dominated women’s tennis with veteran sister and doubles partner Venus. The duo has won the hearts of many for their showstopping shots, and their complimenting wardrobe, including Serena’s 2002 US Open iconic catsuit.
Moreover, despite being mortal enemies on court, facing each other in 9 Grand Slam finals with the most recent being the 2017 Australian Open Final, the closely-knit sisterhood remains as strong as ever. Now, as her transition into motherhood unfolds, Williams’ love for family will undoubtedly be a key factor in the new chapter, making the transition go smoothly. Already a protective mother, Williams gave a solid and classy response to racist comments made towards her unborn child by former world number one Ilie Nastase shortly after the announcement of her pregnancy. An excited Williams has also expressed her burning anxiety for her child to watch her from the player’s box, hopefully not having to shed tears. At 36, Williams is nothing short of an overachiever, with her commercial success continuing to grow. But at her age, retirement is quite common in many sports. When it comes to Williams however, the impression is that she doesn’t see herself retiring any time soon. Getting her own inspiration from Venus’ timeless career, Serena has outlined that if Venus, who is a year older, can still do it, then there’s no question about her own abilities.
Williams has won an incredible 23 of the 74 contested women’s singles majors since her debut 18 years ago – that’s an amazing 31% of the major tournaments played in the period.
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BIG UP LEGEND G.O.A.T. 8-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST 11-TIME WORLD CHAMPION The Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records Team Salutes you, Dr. The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt on your record breaking accomplishments throughout your career. We will continue to celebrate you and your stellar achievements in all of our establishments “Yaad and Abroad”.
Proud buck!
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Kingston | Ocho Rios
THE MYTH OF MOTHERHOOD AND
THE ATHLETE
T
here is a popular misconception that is held as reality by the vast majority of sports fans. It holds that once a sportswoman becomes pregnant her career as an athlete is over and she will never find success at the highest level again. The only thing this was based on is tradition, where, in the past, women often retired from sport to have children or retired from sport once they became pregnant. The modern reality does not support this idea in the least. In December, Serena Williams returned to the court, four months after giving birth and was very competitive in an exhibition match against the world number seven ranked tennis player. All the knowledgeable sports pundits share the same opinion, Serena will soon be back at the top of the tennis rankings, and probably all the way back to number one. History is on her side. Take away the move in many sports to provide child care services for mothers who compete and you end up with only a few obstacles: a good babysitter; someone to oversee things when you are forced to go on tour; and the anxiety of separation from your child for a new mother. Some mothers have to shed as much as 50 pounds gained during pregnancy and that’s hard to do. To add to the pressure, pregnant athletes are in danger of losing corporate sponsorships and that continues during maternity leave after the baby’s birth. The athlete who has a good support system has the best opportunity to return to competition. Netball Australia’s parental policy allows players with children under the age of 12 months the opportunity to travel with their child and carer at the expense of the clubs. The actual sports part is usually the easiest obstacle to overcome for most athlete mothers, who have years of practice in the discipline of training and enduring hardships. The average woman takes about a year to get back in shape after a pregnancy, if they work at it. Athletes often achieve the same result in as short a period as three months.
So who are the winning athlete mothers? Let’s take a look: Tennis: Lindsay Davenport had great success after giving birth. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley dominated the women’s game in 1980, becoming the first mother to win Wimbledon since Dorothea Lambert Chambers did so 66 years earlier. Kim Clijsters won more major titles as a mother than she did before. Basketball: Candace Parker has achieved her greatest success in basketball as a mother, including winning the WNBA title. Football: Mia Hamm continued to be the biggest draw in women’s football for years after giving birth to her twins. Track & Field: Wilma Rudolph was a mother when she won sprint gold at the Olympics in 1960. Olympic marathoner Paula Radcliffe ran throughout her two pregnancies, up to the day she gave birth. She triumphed in the New York marathon just 10 months after giving birth to her baby daughter, claiming that being a mom actually improved her performance. Lashinda Demus, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Liz McCoglan all returned from giving birth to global success in athletics. Swimming: Amanda Beard and Janet Evans had Olympic success after motherhood. Cycling: Dame Sarah Storey was a winner after childbirth. Winter Sports: skeleton racer Noelle PikusPace defied the odds to win medals at the Winter Olympics in Sochi after giving birth. There is not enough available space to talk about the incredible journey and challenges faced by these outstanding athlete mothers, but two deserve special ovations. Australian Kerryn McCann a 38-year-old mother of two, won the 2006 Commonwealth Games marathon, just two years before dying from cancer. And then there is Sara McMann, the daughter of heroin addict parents, who grew up in poverty, lived through the murder of her brother, the death of her husband in a car accident (she was the driver), and who had won an Olympic wrestling medal before becoming a mother. At 36 years of age McMann is currently ranked #7 in the UFC and waiting for her title shot. Motherhood is just part of the challenge for her. Life, not sport, is the biggest challenge.
Winning Athlete Mothers
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The spires and domes of St Petersburg at sunset
What to Expect FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia
Z
dravstvuyte, blagodarya and Proshchay! That’s Russian for Hello, thanks and Goodbye. Some of the words you may want to learn before heading off to Russia for the FIFA World Cup 2018. And by the way, if you are going to the World Cup be prepared to spend… BIG! It is recommended that you travel to Russia with about US$8,000 in hand. That’s excluding the tickets for the games and your travel costs to and from Russia. Despite all that expect huge crowds! The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on earth, bigger even than the Olympic Games in terms of spectators and television viewers. Also be prepared, Russia itself is big, the biggest nation on earth covering 11 time zones. So when you are getting to work at
8:00 A.M. in Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Oblast, they are just getting home in Anadyr, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug where it would be 6:00 P.M. The country covers Europe to Asia and almost reaches America at Alaska.
THINGS TO DO IN RUSSIA WHEN NOT AT A MATCH
Visit a restaurant. Russia has a wide range of top rated restaurants, and especially the city of St Petersburg, which will also charm with its Byzantine influenced domed structures and amazing churches. Go to a ballet recital. Russia has fantastic ballet, including the highest rated ballet company of them all, The Bolshoi Ballet. Their precision and athleticism is incredible. Enjoy the rivers. Russia has 100,000 rivers, including some of the world’s longest. Most
of those are in Siberia, which I doubt you will be visiting, but the Neva River, the main river of St. Petersburg runs from Lake Ladoga right through the middle of the city into the Gulf of Finland, and the Moskva River passes through central Moscow. The river banks are full of cafes and restaurants, perfect for sightseeing and sating the appetite. St Petersburg (sometimes called the Venice of the North or Paris of the East is renowned for its canals and chic style) has load of canals and a canal boat trip would be a unique experience. Walk Red Square in Moscow, even just to see its enormity and to say you were there. All the major cities have intense nightlife and you can party into the wee hours. Just remember, Russian weather is unpredictable, with sunshine and blizzards known to hit the same city on the same day. Carry an umbrella and wear a coat. It’s not Negril beach. And on www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 61
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that note, flowers will be on sale everywhere, but will not be so much in evidence in the countryside. Russians love flowers, because they don’t see many growing naturally very often.
TRAVEL
The distances between host cities of the World Cup is immense! Give yourself lots of travel time if you plan on moving from one to another. Russia has a good train system and it is a great way to see the country. Train travel can be expensive, but Russia has announced that it will offer free travel between host cities for qualified fans (that means game ticket and fan-ID). You will need to book these train tickets in advance via the Transport Directorate website. Don’t leave home without both (ticket and fan-ID), as both will be necessary to gain entry into the matches.
THE PEOPLE
Despite what you may have heard or believe, Russians are generally friendly people, so expect them to be particularly welcoming during the World Cup. However, be aware
that in a nation with almost no black people, racism may be a problem. Don’t expect it, but be prepared. Identify yourself as Jamaican by wearing your colours, this will probably lead to great conversational openings. Did you know Bob Marley? Do you know Usain Bolt? Russians do not generally speak English, so be prepared, although many in the western states (St Petersburg for example) do speak some English and are pleased to practice with you. Also remember that the signs will often be in Cyrillic only, which will be totally unintelligible to you unless you have studied it.
THE STADIUMS
If you have never been to a World Cup before, be prepared to be amazed at the size of the stadiums. They are huge and if you have a seat near the top section, binoculars would definitely help. The field will seem to be miles away. Also if you have a disability, which makes walking difficult, be aware of the steep steps that you may have to navigate. One friend of mine had vertigo problems in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, because every time he looked down he felt he was falling. It
is NOT ‘the Office’. Be prepared for large crowds and long entry times. Despite extensive pre-planning and large staffs, the sheer numbers will mean patience on entering the stadiums. Be prepared for a wait and arrive early to avoid the crush.
ENJOY RUSSIA
For many of you Jamaicans heading off to the World Cup, this will be your one and only chance to see Russia. Embrace the opportunity and be a tourist. Don’t sit in your hotel watching cable television. Russia has great parks, colourful electric buses, the best caviar and lots of sights to see that you will not experience in the Western hemisphere. Be adventuresome and make your trip memorable.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Check the FIFA website and the Russia 2018 World Cup website for advisories. The best way to avoid problems is to be prepared. You may just return with a different perspective on Mr Putin’s country.
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Africa
the rising power in
World Football?
F
For years, the word has been observing Africa’s rise in world football. One after another – in no particular order –Cameroon, Egypt. Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Nigeria have been touted as potential FIFA World Cup winners, and it remains a dream. This despite a wealth of African players representing clubs whose pedigree are established by them being among the clubs in the quarter-final, semi-final and final stage of the UEFA Champions League. Is this a case of neocolonialism? Is Europe now signing African football talent so fast and furious that the home nations in Africa are suffering? Are almost all the great African talents now playing in Europe? Africa at the FIFA World Cup
George Weah Liberian President
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To date, 13 African nations have passed through FIFA World Cup Qualifying and reached the World Cup Finals a total of 44 times. The first was Egypt in 1934. Three teams have reached the quarter-final stage of the World Cup: Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010. Cameroon has been the most successful African team at the World Cup, qualifying for the final on seven occasions, the most recent being in
2014. Nigeria falls next on the list with six qualifications, including the upcoming 2018 World Cup in Russia. Morocco and Tunisia, who have both qualified five times, are also scheduled to appear in Russia. In 2010, six African nations, including hosts South Africa, made the FIFA World Cup Finals. This year, five will represent the continent. In 1978, Tunisia became the first African side to win a World Cup game. In 1982, Cameroon went home unbeaten, edged out on goals scored by Italy. In 1986, Morocco became the first African side to reach the second round, and in 1990, Cameroon reached the quarter-final. It seemed that nothing could stop the upward trend for Africa. Except that the trend came to a halt inexplicably. Despite Senegal reaching the quarter-final in 2002, and Ghana in 2010, there has been little or no consistency from African nations in global football. Case in point, despite high expectations, no African team made the quarter-final in 2014 in Brazil. Africans on the World Stage On the other hand, the visibility and value of African footballers has been steadily rising on the world stage. African players feature
Is Europe now signing African football talent so fast and furious that the home nations in Africa are suffering?
Manchester City Jamaica-born playmaker Raheem Sterling
prominently in all major global football leagues, including the EPL (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany), and Ligue 1 (France). Players of African heritage are also abundantly represented in South American football and CONCACAF. The highest level of club football is generally regarded as that played in UEFA (Europe), and there, Africans have become the stars. Over the past four decades, African players have become household names. Among a host of star players, the ones below stand out. George Weah – Liberia (Paris Saint-Germain AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City and Marseille). He is a three time African Footballer of the Year and is the only African Player to win the Ballon D’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Weah is also beloved off the field for his ambassadorship in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In December
2017 Weah, was elected president of Liberia. Roger Milla – Cameroon (Monaco, SaintEtienne). Milla led Cameroon’s national team to two African Cup of Nations victories (1984 and 1988) as well as played in the World Cup finals in 1982. In 1990, he took the team to the World Cup quarter-finals and in 1994, he became the oldest player to score a goal in the Finals of the World Cup. Samuel Eto’o – Cameroon (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Everton Sampdoria) is a four-time African Footballer of the Year. In 2011, he held the distinction of being football’s highest-paid athlete. Didier Drogba – Ivory Coast (Marseille, Chelsea). One of the English Premier League’s all-time deadliest strikers. He is the Ivory Coast’s all-time top scorer, with 65 goals from 104 appearances, and was twice African Footballer of the Year. He is the first African
player to score 100 goals in the EPL, as well as the first man to score in four different FA Cup finals. He eventually left a hero (voted Chelsea’s greatest-ever player in 2012). His generosity led him to establish the Didier Drogba Foundation, and to build a hospital in Abidjan that he helped fund with three million. Drogba also played a major part in negotiating a ceasefire after five years of civil war in his country. Yaya Touré – Ivory Coast (Olympiacos, Monaco, Barcelona, Manchester City). A fourtime African Footballer of the Year). Kolo Touré – Ivory Coast (Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool). He is the secondmost capped Ivorian footballer in history, with 118 caps. Big Money These players have also led the charge for African players to be compensated at the highest level for their services. The list of African players who have earned the most money from football is led by Samuel Eto’o, with over US$200 million in lifetime earnings. Following him are Yaya Touré, US$170
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Africa the rising power in World Football? million; Didier Drogba, US$155 million; Jay-Jay Okocha, US$115 million; and Kanu Nwankwo, US$110 million. The Societal Power of Football The power of football in Africa is not limited to the field. Football has been used both negatively and positively as a power for societal change in the Mother Continent. Football stadiums have been turned into killing
Heritage Stars Currently, a new wave of Africans and players of African heritage are exciting football fans around the globe. They include the Liverpool pair of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané; the Manchester United trio of Paul Pogba (former world’s most expensive player), Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku; Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe; Bayer Leverkusen’s Jamaican striker Leon Bailey;
A sidebar to the success of Black players in England is the dramatic change in the ethnic make-up of most of the top teams in England. From the national teams (at all age levels) to top club sides, English football has taken on a noticeably darker shade. Back in the 1990s, we saw signs of the change with the arrival of that outstanding Manchester United duo of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. However, the side was predominantly comprised of Caucasian Englishmen. Many of the Black players in England at that time were French players, several of whom were born in Africa. Fast-forward to today. At the beginning of the 2017-2018 season, Manchester United had a squad of 28 players – at least 10 would be classified as Black, with one mixed race, two would be classified as Latino, one as Arab, and 14 as White. But of those Whites, four are Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, and two others are Armenian or Swedish, leaving only eight players that could be classified as white AngloSaxon. That’s a sea change reflected right across the board in the EPL.
Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend, Didier Drogba
fields; presidents and prime ministers have risen and fallen due to their involvement in the sport; Africans have fought bloody battles around football results. Yet, an amazing number of professional footballers have used their status and their financial power to make a positive change in Africa, building hospitals, starting charities, and becoming advocates for the poor, downtrodden, dispossessed and disenfranchised. Most recently, George Weah has risen to the presidency of Liberia. The New African and African
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Manchester City’s Jamaican playmaker Raheem Sterling (who previously was a star at Liverpool); Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City); N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea); Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund); Thomas Lemar of Monaco; Dele Alli (Tottenham); David Alaba of Bayern Munich; Naby Keïta (RB Leipzig); Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona); and Ousmane Dembélé (the thired most expensive player in history), also at Barcelona.
Black Players Dominating English Football
The top 20 Premier League goalscorers in 2016-2017 contained three times as many African footballers than South Americans. In 2017-2018 their influence has become even greater, with the Egyptian Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah being the top scorer in England, and others like Manchester City’s top scorer Raheem Sterling, Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku and Liverpool’s Sadio Mané finding the net with regularity. There are currently 12 African countries being represented in England’s top league and a host of players of Caribbean origin or heritage. Just as South America provided many (if not most) of the top strikers of past days, it now seems that Africa is where that talent is originating, albeit that not all come from Africa directly. Let’s hope that England’s withdrawal from the European Union will not affect the number of Black players afforded the opportunity to play in the EPL, and if it does, then let’s hope that it’s to the benefit of African nations in international competition.
HONOURS PILE UP FOR USIAN BOLT
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e has won an unprecedented number of medals on the global stage. He has made more money than any track & field athlete in history. He is without question, in the age of social media, the most celebrated track & field athletes ever. He retired from competition in 2017, but the honours keep on coming. Ambassador, the Hon. Usain St Leo Bolt is far from finished with those who would celebrate his achievements. The bigger than life icon achieved two ‘bigger than life’ achievements in 2017. First he became only the third athlete to be honoured with a statue outside Jamaica’s most famous sporting venue, the National Stadium. Bolt followed Donald Quarrie and Merlene Ottey as the subject for a statue in his honour. The statue, in the famous Bolt “to the World” pose, was unveiled amidst much fanfare on December 4, 2017.
The statue joins the celebrated ‘Statue of the Athlete’ created by Alvin Marriot and being an amalgamation of the images of the famous Helsinki four (Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, Leslie Laing and George Rhoden) emerging from the starting blocks. The bronze Bolt statue was created by famous Jamaican artist Basil Watson and Bolt humourously lauded him for his accomplishment, noting that “You really got all details right, even my toes, which are ugly”. At the event, luminaries including Warren Blake, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association; Victor Lopez, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Association of Athletics; Sebastian Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Federation (via video); Sports Minister Olivia Grange; and Dr Peter Phillips, leader of the parliamentary Opposition all paid tribute to the Jamaican legend, while Guest speaker Prime Minister Andrew Holness reminded the athlete
that Jamaica owed him a lot for the branding capital he had given to the country. Then in mid December, the University of Birmingham announced a new set of constellations in the night sky, developed in its Astronomy Society, which included the Bolt constellation. Others sports stars honoured in the new listing were Mo Farrah and Serena Williams. The university explained that research showed that the traditional classical star formations, based on the zodiac and characters from ancient mythology, are failing to inspire children today. “We really hope these new creations will help people of all ages develop their interest in space and astronomy, working to inspire the next generation of astronomers to take an interest in the field” the release stated. Usain Bolt’s constellation is identified through a pattern of stars that resembles his own celebratory lightning-bolt stance, ‘to the world’, most of which are found in Taurus. www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 67
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e s i R e h t Youth on
n o t s y L a n Brian
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t e h S Is
She was born May 4, 2004, which means that as of the 2017 National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards Gala on January 19, 2018, she will be six weeks shy of her 14th birthday. Yet she is already drawing attention from the global media, with journalists from as far as Asia making the trek to Monk Street in Spanish Town to interview the St Jago High sensation – Brianna Lyston. She was still only 12 years old when, in April of 2017, she set a world age-group (10-12) record for the 200 metres at 23.72 seconds. Lyston’s time breaks Tia Jones’ world age-group record set on July 25, 2013. It also beat the previous Champs record of 24.21 seconds set by Joanne Reid in 2015. Lyston ran that time into a negative 0.5 metre wind, and it placed her 25th among Under- 18 athletes on the global all-time list. That list includes seven Jamaicans and is topped by Edwin Allen’s Kevona Davis with a time of 22.97 seconds run in June of 2017, when she was 15 years old. Interestingly, Davis also tops the 100-metre Under-18 world list with a time of 11.24 seconds, done at the same 2017 Jamaica Under-18 Championships. So Lyston is not the only shining star beckoning on Jamaica’s future Olympic stage, but she may be the best Jamaican prospect ever. Lyston also runs a very quick 100 metres, with her best time being 11.85 seconds (Champs winning time). She also broke another Champs record in the 4x100m with her St. Jago teammates. Lyston made a mockery of the Class Four sprints at Champs, not just beating her opposition, but completely destroying the field. You could easily watch Lyston win and then turn your attention to the others with ample time to see who would finish second. At her age, Lyston is clearly ahead of Usain Bolt’s accomplishments at the same age. A very confident young lady, she insists that she can run faster, and no one doubts that claim. Jamaica’s education state minister, Floyd Green, remarked “… Feel like we going to be calling her name for years to come.” Even with her incredible talent, nothing comes easy in track and field. Lyston runs every day of the week after school, and sometimes on a Saturday. The young star, whose ambition is to become both an athlete and nurse, understands the sacrifices necessary to succeed, posting on her
Facebook page that “work conquers all”. Now that Bolt is retired, everyone is looking for his successor, and that search is most pointedly focused on Jamaica. Jamaican track analyst Hubert Lawrence is not sure that Lyston is the next Bolt, but he does compare her performances to that of Olympic gold medallist Melaine Walker and says we should expect Olympic success from the young sensation, assuming she continues on her present developmental curve. “She’s far superior to anybody who has run at Girls’ Champs, and we’re talking since 1957,” Lawrence said. The Champs crowd of 35,000 at the National Stadium is surely not the biggest that the young phenomenon will excite before the end of her track career.
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IS JAMAICA PREPARING FOR THE DIAMOND LEAGUE?
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Attentive fans at a full National Stadium
ome exciting and long overdue news has been recently released about an upgrade to Jamaica’s National Stadium. The upgrade, currently schedule to be completed in 5 years, will see yearly stages undertaken, with the completed project adding 10,000 seats to the facility’s now almost 35,000 seating capacity; resulting in upgrades to the bathroom facilities; creating a new Royal Box; and establishing a new and improved doping-control facility. The upgrade was announced by Sports Minister Olivia Grange and plans are underfoot to fund the US$60M project by a variety of private-public sector partnerships. Leading the way, will be the Jamaica National Bank. The Bank has agreed to partner with Independence Park Ltd (IPL) in raising US$40 million from Jamaicans living overseas to start major upgrades at the National Stadium. The funds will be sourced using the bank’s platform as the point of transaction for Jamaicans living across the world to contribute to the initiative. It is hoped that Jamaicans in the Diaspora, knowing the importance of the stadium to the development of both track & field and football, will choose to donate generously. The news comes in the wake of the recent Jamaica National Racers Grand Prix meet “Saluting the Legend” which was a send-off for Usain Bolt and attracted what was perhaps the longest list of global track & field superstars to ever compete in Jamaica. The full stadium saw competition by stars including: world record holders - Wayde van Niekerk; David Rudisha; and Mo Farah; and Olympic and World
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Mo Farah (left) plays to the camera as he takes a selfie while Usain Bolt scans the crowd during the Racers Track Club ‘Tribute to a Legend’ meet at the National Stadium
Champions - Christian Taylor; Allyson Felix; and Sally Pearson. Also in attendance was IAAF boss, Lord Sebastian Coe. The turn-out for the meet, the willingness of top name athletes to come to Jamaica and our regular, clockwork type efficiency in running the programme again gives rise to the question, will Jamaica host a Diamond League meet? The positives are obvious. Jamaica is a destination of choice for most of the world’s athletes. Our track & field fans are extremely knowledgeable and our facilities are good and are being improved. The negatives – funding for the event, which carries large appearance fees and prize money is not easy to organize. However, with brand Jamaica’s status in world athletics, there should be a way to engage television in this project and defray most of the costs in this manner. We also have great relationships with global brands like Puma, Nike, Visa and others who should be willing to come on board. The other major negative is that most Diamond League events take place in Europe and that means long travel for those athletes who would come. This however, is not insurmountable as events in China, Japan and other areas have proven, and if we align our schedule to the events which take place in the USA we should be easily able to overcome this drawback. Clearly it’s time for the nation that former ISAAF President Lamine Diack said had hosted the best ever IAAF Junior Games to get its chance at the Diamond League.
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Dodgy Testing The problem gets extremely tricky when you look at the therapeutic use exemption.
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Dodgy Testing! You probably had not heard the term until the last decade or so. Although the use of performanceenhancing drugs in sports has been in the headlines for over three decades, the issue has become more and more a matter of gray lines in the last few years. Merlene Ottey and Veronica Campbell-Brown both fought the system and won, as testing procedures were found to be faulty. Others have denied any wrongdoing and have been supported by the authorities. However, the stigma and suspicion remain. Gail Devers was famously allowed to use banned substances to treat her asthma. That’s fair … right? Well, maybe! But when you look beyond the surface, you find article after article explaining ‘performance-induced asthma’. What does that mean? It means that if you are not performing, there is no sign of the asthma. How is that different from
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taking a drug to stop you getting tired when you run, or breathless when you swim? And remember, the test is only as good as the tester. Recently, the case of Russia and the media-titled ‘state sponsored doping’ made headlines around the globe. Russia was denied the chance to take part in athletics at the Rio Olympics. Even if all the allegations are true, is it fair to ban everyone just because they are Russian? That does not seem to equate to natural justice to me, but I’m not a lawyer or a judge. Among the superstars to come under public suspicion recently were cyclists Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins as well as mega-superstar boxer Floyd Mayweather, the most financially successful boxer ever!
The problem gets extremely tricky when you look at the therapeutic use exemption (TUE). And some of those decisions seem to be based on bureaucracy rather than logic. So Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce takes a nonbanned painkiller, which is accepted as having, if anything, a deleterious effect on performance, but because she failed to say beforehand that she was taking the drug, she was banned. She should have stopped and in the middle of massive pain gone to report. That seems draconian to me. But then again, I have never understood why your picture ID becomes invalid the day it expires. It doesn’t matter if you look exactly the same as the picture. It’s expired, so it cannot any longer identify you. Expiry date January 2! On January 1, it is fine! January 2, it’s no good! Talk about illogical!
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Salaries for Sports Stars Out of Whack with the Real World, or Their Just Due?
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oday’s sports stars can and do earn megabucks as sports has become more about entertainment and less about competition. Yes, performance still counts – and counts big – but more important is the sheer enjoyment of watching the games, mainly by way of television sets.
The Rise in Salaries Back in the 1920s, America, the Mecca of sports salaries, paid its baseball players about US$200 per game. While a substantial amount at the time, it was not a livable salary as players only played a limited number of games per year. Babe Ruth was the top star of the era, earning US$80,000 per year (the equivalent of about US$1 million in today’s money. The average income was just US$5,000 (about US$62,500 today) and most players had a second – and sometimes third – job to supplement their incomes. Golfers were among the best-paid sportspersons of the era, with top players earning about $20,000 per year.
Television – A Game-changer With the introduction of live television coverage in the 1960s, salaries saw a major rise. Now instead of a few hundred or few thousand people watching an event at the grounds, the audience became several million watching across the country. Add to that the introduction of collective bargaining agreements with team owners in 1968, and the modern free agent system, which began in 1975, and salaries skyrocketed. The first million-dollar deal was signed in 1972, and by the 1980s, multimilliondollar deals had become commonplace. But the salaries were still relatively small. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, earned just US$2-3 million a season for most of his career. However, Jordan did set a NBA salary record in the 1996-1997 season earning US$30 million. This mark was only bettered in the 2012-2013 season by Kobe Bryant.
Endorsements As television coverage became more pervasive and spread beyond national boundaries, with the rise of satellite technology and cable television, big-name companies turned more and more to sports stars as spokespersons for their brands. In 2009, Tiger Woods became the first athlete to earn US$1 billion (lifetime) in combined prize money and endorsements.
Bolt Forbes estimated that Usain Bolt would have earned US$34.2 million in 2017, making him the 23rd-highest-paid athlete in the world and the only www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 74
Forbes 2017 Highest Sports Money Earners (in Million US Dollars) Pos.
Name
Sport
Salary/ Winnings
Endorsements
1
Cristiana Ronaldo
Football
58
35
2
Lebron James
NBA
31.2
55
3
Lionel Messi
Football
53
27
4
Roger Federer
Tennis
6
58
5
Kevin Durant
NBA
22.6
34
6
Andrew Luck
NFL
47
3
7
Rory McIlroy
Golf
16
34
8
Stephen Curry
NBA
12.3
35
9
James harden
NBA
26.6
20
10
Lewis Hamilton
F1
38
8
track and field athlete in the top 100 earners. Almost all this money is from endorsements with Puma, Sprint, Advil and others. How does this compare with the top global earners in sport?
US$217,000, respectively, was substantial, but nothing compared to the gap between the highest paid doctors (see list 1 below) and the average NBA player – US$489,000 against US$7.1 million.
Other Professionals
List 1 – Highest Paid Doctors in the US by Specialty • Orthopedists (US$489,000) • Plastic surgeons (US$440,000) • Cardiologists (US$410,000) • Urologists (US$400,000)
The question remains, do athletes deserve these mega earnings when compared with other professionals. If you told the average person that you were sending them on a deserted island to live for 10 years with 10 of their closest friends, and asked them to pick one professional to go along with them, chances are they would pick a doctor. When you need a doctor, no one else will suffice. So doctors are top of my list of crucial professionals, in front of teachers, nurses and engineers. What do doctors earn? Continuing the American example, the Medscape’s 2017 Physician Compensation Report reveals that the average doctor in the US earned US$294,000 in 2017. The pay gap between the incomes of specialists and primary care providers — US$316,000 versus
Average Player Salaries According to BusinessInsider.com, which looked at average salaries for first team/ active roster players, the highest salaries are paid to NBA players, who earn an average of US$7.1 million per annum. Second is Major League Baseball at US$4.5 million. Third is the Indian Premier League (cricket) at US$3.9 million. Fourth is the English Premier League, the first football league on the list where players earn an average of US$3.4 million. Surprisingly, NHL hockey
players (US$3.1 million) earn more than NFL (American football) players – US$2.7 million. There are 11 leagues represented where the average player earns more than US$1 million per year. According to the report, the Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) are the new highest-paid sports team in the world, with players making an average of US$9.3 million during the 2017-18 season. So, you decide. Do sports star deserve to get up to 15 times what a doctor earns? Is the thrill they bring when you watch them perform and the patriotism they ignite with their performances for their respective nations worth that much? Would you take Cristiano Ronaldo on your island or the family doctor? While you consider, consider this also, Cristiano Ronaldo’s value to Nike in 2016 was estimated by Forbes at US$500 million. That is a lot of money!
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Death Visits Sports Germaine Mason, Jordan Scott
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– Gone Too Soon
Jordan Scott
Germaine Mason
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t is a tale told far too often. A fast bike, a heavy crash, a tragic death! That’s how Jamaica, Great Britain and the world lost Beijing Olympic silver medallist and Jamaica National High Jump record holder, Germaine Mason. It was death to be echoed eerily similarly the by the death of 400 meter runner Jordan Scot of the MVP club who reportedly crashed his Honda Civic into a light post. Both accidents happened after four A.M. and both athletes were reportedly heading home after parties. The deaths, particularly that of Mason left the local sporting fraternity shocked and in mourning. Mason, a likeable and fun-loving young man was close friends with many of Jamaica top sports personalities, including Usain Bolt and Michael Frater. He was a protégé of renowned MVP coach Stephen Francis. He began his high jump career competing for Jamaica, and earned his first senior gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games. He set the Jamaican National Record of 2.34 metres that year. He won bronze at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, before switching allegiances to Britain in 2006, qualified through his London born father. In 2008 Mason equaled his national Record in earning silver at the Beijing Olympics for Great Britain. It was the first British Olympic high jump medal since 1908. Mason and Bolt were friends since 2002 and Bolt always supported him, saying “… I’m happy for him. To me, it doesn’t really matter who he runs for.’
A Sorrowful Stephen Francis Brigitte Foster-Hylton, World Championships gold-medal winning hurdler, noted in tearful tribute, “Anybody who knows Germaine knows that he’s the kindest person on the planet. Twitter tributes were quick to appear, including tributes from Great Britain standouts, Linford Christie, and Jessica Ennis-Hill as well as Trinidad speedster Ato Boldon. Jordon Scott, the MVP club member, who was studying at the University of Technology Jamaica and had a personal best of 48.01 in the 400 meters, was best known for his high school exploits at Champs for Petersfield High. He famously led the team to victory over favourites St Elizabeth Technical High in the 4X400 meters relay in 2015.
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He is most remembered as the architect of Jamaica’s qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup Finals in France, but he was much more than that. Horace Garfield Burrell was a visionary who had a plan for Jamaican football and would let nothing stand in his way. The story starts much earlier than 1998. At Clarendon College in the 1960s, Burrell was a member of the school’s Under-14 team for the Galloway Cup in football and also played cricket, but his true love was for the cadet corps. He had the honour of also being selected two years in a row by the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force to represent Jamaica in cadet exchanges with Canada and Trinidad and Tobago. Burrell was determined to serve his country. He wished to develop the discipline and various other talents he valued, so that he might be best suited to serve his beloved Jamaica. After training Burrell achieved a career landmark in 1977, being promoted to captain in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). In 1981, he was appointed Acting Company Commander, First Battalion, Jamaica Regiment, a position he held for a year. In the army, Burrell saw the true value of structure and of a clear chain of command, lessons he would apply later in his football administration. While in the army, Burrell had established a close association with football and a chance to exert leadership over the JDF’s strong football team. His chance came at the behest of Colonel Ken Barnes (father of English international footballer John Barnes), who charged Burrell with looking after the JDF team. Burrell saw the charge as a challenge and laid out a plan to make the team competitive. The Captain had determined that the team should win the National Premier League. Within three years (the 1984-1985 season), the feat was accomplished and was followed by winning the Major League title in 1986-1987. In addition, three of his players - Michael Tulloch, Eric Curry and Wayne Wonder - had made the Jamaican national team. Burrell also became involved in international football, first as an executive with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and later with FIFA. In 1990, Burrell was elected president of the Bakers’ Association of Jamaica, a position he would hold for 13 years and great preparation for his role as founder and CEO of The Captain’s Bakery. At the same time, he continued to climb the ladder of local football leadership. He joined the executive of the Kingston & St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) in 1992 as treasurer and then put forward his name to become president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) in 1994 and was duly elected.
Horace Garfield Burrell, JP, OD, OM (FIFA)
Jamaican Icon Passes www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 77
Having examined the state of football in Jamaica, especially national football, he had a plan to restructure the sport, give emphasis to national programmes and achieve what many Jamaicans thought was impossible - qualification to the FIFA World Cup Finals. The first move was to make the Jamaica Football Federation a smoothly functioning, welladministered governing body for the sport. He then turned his attention towards the national management and coaching staff, and decided that the best fit for Jamaica would be Brazilian leadership. He took the bull by the horns and went straight to then Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, who was so impressed by his presentation that he immediately made contact with the Brazilian president and set a plan in motion for the acquisition of a Brazilian manager, with the eventual choice being Professor René Rodrigues Simões, who was named Jamaica’s technical director. Burrell announced his four-year football budget of $104 million to great derision, but was unfazed. Under his leadership, the National Stadium in Kingston (redubbed ‘The Office’) became an impregnable football fortress with Jamaican achieving an unbeaten run of 50 matches at home between 1995 and 2001. Burrell then began a systematic programme of recruiting overseas players to the squad, especially those playing in the English League system. The core group that he was able to assemble became the core group of players who were redubbed ‘The Reggae Boyz’ and would bring great glory to Jamaica and rekindle the flames of patriotism from Negril to Morant Point. At the end of a long qualifying campaign, Jamaica needed a draw with Mexico at The Office to ensure qualification. In front of a packed National Stadium, Jamaica earned that draw (0-0) and had achieved Burrell’s impossible dream qualification to the 1998 FIFA World Cup Finals in France. The national joy and pride was unprecedented. Prime Minister Patterson declared the following day, Monday, November 17, 1997, a public holiday to mark the miraculous feat. Burrell’s role as the architect of our success was not overlooked. In the following months and years, he would receive the 1997 Chairman’s Award at the RJR Sports Foundation National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards; a 1999 Order of Distinction, Commander Class (CD), and a 2000 Order of Merit award from FIFA (football’s world governing body), the highest award presented for outstanding service to the sport of football globally. Perhaps most importantly for his legacy, Burrell had turned the Jamaica Football Federation into a model for how governing sports bodies in the region should be operated. As one administrator noted, Burrell converted the JFF from a briefcase enterprise to a full office operation. www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 78
Lindy Delapenha
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GIANT OF JAMAICAN SPORT FALLEN
f you grew up in the 1930s or 1940s you probably knew him as a great schoolboy footballer and Champs star, who competed in an amazing 16 events over two days - a feat that would not even be allowed today. But before that, at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, Lindy represented the school in the Sunlight Cup, on the boxing team, and at the age of 12, in a Manning Cup game against St George’s College.
Moving to Munro College, the diminutive Delapenha represented the school in an amazing seven sports: football, cricket, tennis, boxing, gymnastics, hockey and athletics. At Champs, his 1945 performance caused the organisers to change the rules. Representing Munro College, he participated in 16 events (eight heats and eight finals) over the then two-day ISSA School Boys’ Athletics Championships, something no other schoolboy had ever done. He was team captain and won the 880yard and one-mile races, placing second in the 120-yard hurdles, the 220yard dash and long jump; and third in the 100- and 440-yard races. This feat eventually prompted a change in the rules, reducing the number of events in which an athlete can participate. In football, he is best remembered for leading a fantastic comeback by Munro against Calabar in the Olivier Shield, going from 1-4 down with 10 minutes to go to a 5-4 victory. If you grew up in the 1950s or 1960s, you probably knew Delapenha as Jamaica’s first superstar footballer. After serving in the British Armed Forces after World War II, he joined Portsmouth in April 1948, where he won a league championship medal and became the first Jamaican to play English professional football. He was also one of the first black overseas players to play league football in England. Moving to Middlesbrough in 1951, he became the club’s leading goalscorer, scoring 93 league/FA Cup goals in 270 appearances, including unbroken records for a winger of 22 goals (1952) and 25 goals (1954) in a single season.
Returning to Jamaica and nearly 40 years old, he took local club Boys’ Town from Division III to Division I before ending his playing career at Real Mona. If you grew up in the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s, you probably knew Delapenha as a golfer, cricket analyst and television sports personality. He represented Jamaica at golf for many years and in many tournaments, while concurrently being a man who hardly missed a day at the track, as he was an avid horseracing fan. On television Delapenha was the face of JBC television sports, and as director of sports for the station, he was responsible for the widening of the range of sports reported on television and introducing a plethora of ‘new’ sports to Jamaican audiences. He was on television for 30 years.
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Salute to an Icon
JA Lester Spaulding
RJRGLEANER Communications Group Late Board Chairman Fifty-two years in an enterprise would be regarded as a
determined to stay ahead of the game and on the crest of
mammoth achievement. Fifty-two years with a single
the new technologies.
entity is remarkable, to say the least. That’s the length of time that JA Lester Spaulding, the late RJRGLEANER
The late Lester Spaulding can be best summed up in
Communications Group Chairman served the media
the words of his own charge to RJR two years
giant. He oversaw the acquisition of JBC Television
ago on the occasion of its 65th anniversary:
and other JBC assets to join RJR in the then new
“Stay committed to our tradition of
RJR Communications Group, and he presided over
responsibility for truth, integrity, and quality,
the merger of RJR and The Gleaner into the current
and don’t take a successful tradition for
RJRGLEANER Communications Group.
granted. Experiment with new things, while maintaining a true moral compass.
To say Spaulding was a visionary leader is to state the
Be creative. Don’t depend only on what
obvious. To say he was committed to sports is to educate
people/audiences say they want, but be
the general public, many of who did not know this side
innovative and nimble, doing something new
of the former chairman. Iit was he who green-lighted the
and different every six months or shorter, and
takeover of the National Sportsman and Sportswoman
make a lot of noise about it. Otherwise, your
of the Year Awards when the Carreras Foundation was
efforts and deeds will be lost in the
desperate to find a successor, and it was Spaulding who
increasing cacophony
supported RJR keeping the awards when it was a major
in the market and
financial liability. The man who rose from accounting
society. Be
clerk (1965) to chief clerk (1968) to managing director
creative leaders!”
(1978) and then chairman of the Board (1994), in the era when RJR was first listed on the Jamaica Stock
We, in the
Exchange never saw problems, only challenges and
media and
opportunities. He also oversaw TVJ’s move from South
sporting
Odeon Avenue to the new, state-of-the-art facilities at
community,
Lyndhurst Road in 2004 after building the country’s first
will miss
standard digital television facility.
his voice.
Under Spaulding’s leadership, TVJ has become a fantastic success story in Jamaican media and the National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards Gala has become a major television event, not just for Jamaica, but, through the Group’s digital arm, 1Spot Media, for a global audience. Add to that his conviction that the merger with The Gleaner was the right move and you see the picture of a man who was always www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 80
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2017
Sports Review www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 82
Aquatic Sports Swimming Stella Maris took the overall title in the Burger King-Popeye’sYMCA Prep and Primary Schools Swim Meet, while Immaculate Conception (girls) and Campion College (boys) took the secondary titles at the Mayberry Investments All-Island Swim Meet. UWI retained the tertiary title. Jamaica had a 30-medal haul at the 32nd Carifta Swimming Championships, held at the Betty Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre in The Bahamas in April. Jamaica ended the meet with 12 gold, eight silver and 10 bronze medals. Jamaica placed sixth overall, with 530.50 points. Britain-born swimmer Michael Gunning represented Jamaica at both the FINA World Championships in July and the 2017 World University Games. Gunning, who just started representing the island in 2017, has already set national records in four events. He is the current short course record holder in the 400m freestyle, and holds the Long Course Records for the 200m freestyle, the 400m freestyle, and the 200m butterfly. Alia Atkinson was once again the toast of Jamaican swimming. The Jamaican established two world leading times in the FINA/ Airweave Short Course World Cup series, setting best times for the 50-metre breaststroke and the 100-metre breaststroke in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Atkinson is the world record holder for both events. Atkinson also set new national short course records in the 200-metre breaststroke (Berlin on Jamaica’s Independence Day), swimming 2:18.96 and in the 100-metre butterfly (Moscow) 57.56 seconds. In all, Atkinson swam the 50-metre butterfly three times with a best finish of 4th; the 100-metre butterfly once, finishing third; The 100-metre medley three times with a best finish of third; the 200-metre breaststroke six times, earning two first-place finishes, one second-place finish, and two third-place finishes; the 100-metre breaststroke six times, winning five and finishing second once; and the 50-metre breaststroke six times, winning all six.
Water Polo Jamaica finished sixth at the 2017 Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Water Polo Championship. The nation earned a bronze medal in the male 18 and Under Junior category.
Diving The diving pool at the National Stadium was rehabilitated and upgraded to the tune of $14.4 million. This followed on work done to the swimming pool at a cost of over $30 million. The work directly benefits swimmers, divers, water polo players and synchronised swimming teams.
Badminton Badminton had an active and relatively successful year in 2017. Jamaica captured two silver medals (women’s doubles and mixed doubles) at the third staging of the Jamaica International Badminton Tournament in Kingston in March. Next up was the XXII Peru International Challenge where Katherine Wynter and Dennis Coke took the silver medal in the mixed doubles. Then in the summer, www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 83
Jamaica had an outstanding tournament at the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Championships held at the National Racquet Centre in Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica won a total of 20 medals between Junior and Senior competition at the Championships with five gold, four silver and 22 bronze. Highlights were the Championship win by the Senior Men’s team; senior men’s doubles (Samuel Ricketts and Gareth Henry); boys’ singles Under-19 (Shane Wilson); boys’ doubles Under-19 (Shane Wilson and Joel Angus); and girls’ doubles Under-15 (Cemba Griffiths from Jamaica and Erisa Bleau from Suriname). Then in November Jamaica hosted the prestigious Badminton World Federation (BWF) Council Meeting in Montego Bay, at which it made a bid to host the 2021 World Badminton Masters Championships. Later in the month Jamaica earned five medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze) at the Suriname International Badminton. The gold came via the men’s doubles pair of Dennis Coke & Anthony McNee. Katherine Wynter earned a personal best with a bronze medal in the Ladies Singles. Coke and Wynter are the highest world ranked Jamaican badminton players.
Basketball Calabar High took the double in high-school basketball, capturing both the boys’ Under-16 and Under-19 titles at the 20162017 Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) All-island National Basketball Championships finals at the G.C. Foster College. In the boys’ Under-16 final, Calabar defeated Jamaica College 51-44, while in the Under-19 category, they defeated St Catherine High 68-55. Camperdown beat Holy Childhood to win the girls’ equivalent. Mount Alvernia High were third. In the tertiary tournament, G.C. Foster College beat Exed 74-72 to retain the InterCollegiate basketball tournament title with The Mico University College third. Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) and Urban Development Corporation (UDC) were crowned champions of the 3-on-3 Business House Division One and Two championships, respectively. Jamaica saw top-flight basketball at home when Florida State University www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 84
(FSU) and Tulane University both maintained their perfect win records as they each won two games as the first Jamaica Classic men’s NCAA Division One Playoffs took place at the Montego Bay Convention Centre late in the year. It was the second year of a five-year deal for the tournament. FSU, the highest-ranked team of those invited, were presented with the Jamaica Classic trophy following their win over Colorado State. Also in Montego Bay, but at the Lorna Nembhard Auditorium at the Montego Bay Community College, the New York City team won the successful third staging of the Caribbean Hoopfest, beating Team Canada 77-69 in overtime in the final. The youth tournament features players between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. Meanwhile, in the continuing absence of the National Basketball League, the Granville Jaguars won their second Western Basketball Association iCool/iDrade Elite Basketball League (EBL) title, beating defending champions Catherine Hall All-Stars, wining 2-1 in the three-match series. Nationally, Jamaica had little success, finishing sixth in the Centro Basketball Tournament after finishing third in their group. In the women’s tournament, Jamaica finished fourth. Yanique Gordon was the Jamaican standout, averaging 10.6 points per game, with 4.8 rebounds.
Bobsleigh Jamaica has some new Bobsleigh heroes. The women’s bobsleigh team of Jazmine Fenlater (pilot) and Carrie Russell (pusher) is making waves in the Cool Runnings tradition. The pair took home two medals in 2017: the bronze medal at the start of the year at the North American Cup race in Lake Placid, USA, and the silver medal late in the year at the Cup Race in the same series in Whistler, Canada.
Boxing Jamaican Sakima Mullings dominated Canadian Phil Rose in the grand finale of the 2017 junior middleweight Wray and Nephew Contender Series at The Mico University College. The 34-year-old Mullings became the first two-time winner of the hugely popular boxing series via a sixth- round technical knockout victory. Mullings had previously won the Contender Series in 2015. Mullings twice floored Rose in the bout on his way to winning a first prize of $2 million. Mullings won all five of his fights in the series and only lost once in the year, a splitdecision verdict in a fight in Ghana for the WBC International Silver Welterweight title. Only Marvin Shea, Jamaica’s 60kg amateur
champion, was able to win a match in the dual contest with Trinidad and Tobago. One other highlight of the year was the bronze medal earned by Jerone Ennis in the welterweight division at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Middleweight boxer Kemahl ‘Hitman’ Russell recovered from a fifth-round TKO loss to Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko to win the vacant NABF Junior Middleweight title by virtue of seventh-round TKO over American Ian Green in Queens.
On the women’s side, the now-50-year-old Alicia Ashley had only one fight in 2017, defeating Liliana Martinez from the Dominica Republic on points in an eight-round super bantamweight bout. Despite having three fights postponed, Ashley is currently ranked seventh in the world by boxing records, making her the oldest-ranked female boxer active. She is the number one-ranked contender for the WBC world title.
Chess (Mind Games) The Jamaica Chess Federation had some notable achievements in 2017. In February, the youthful National Master Shreyas Smith broke a tie with Woman International Master Deborah Richards-Porter, by winning the final match and thereby avoiding a playoff and becoming national champion. In the National Women’s Championship, the event ended in a three-way tie, with Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Ariel Barrett, WCM Annesha Smith and Krishna Gray all finishing on six points.
Later in the year, reigning national chess champion Super National Master (SNM) Shreyas Smith shook off another of his characteristic poor starts to rally from a gameone loss and win the best-of-four final of the 2017 Proven Investments Masters Knockout Chess Championship. Smith defeated Damion Davy in the final. Deborah Richards-Porter, the first Woman International Chess Master in the Englishspeaking Caribbean, continued to do Jamaica
proud. She played outstanding chess at the Women’s Zonals in El Salvador (a qualifier for the Women’s Chess World Championship), winning three of her last four games to end in fourth position. She missed qualifying for the Women’s World Championship by a mere half point. Twenty-two women competed from eight countries – Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico and Puerto Rico, with Richards-Porter being the only player from the English-speaking Caribbean. Richards-Porter is a professional in chess, making a living by teaching, with more than 100 students, mainly female.
Cricket It was another year of missed opportunities for cricket, but still a year with outstanding highlights. Papine High followed up their victory in the urban area Grace Shield by taking the All-Island Spalding Cup in a 22-run victory over rural-area Headley Cup champions St Elizabeth Technical High.
In April, Jamaica finished fourth in the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional Four-Day Tournament. In the West Indies Cricket Board Regional Super50, the Jamaica Scorpions went closer, but lost in the final to Barbados Pride by 59 runs. In the 2017 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament, the Jamaica Tallawahs lost in the playoffs to the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Chris Gayle led the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to the final, but lost out to the Trinbago Knight Riders.
Outstanding Jamaican cricket performances during the year included the bowling performances of Nikita Miller, highlighted by a 13-wicket haul against the Windward Islands in the four-day championship; the batting of Chadwick Walton, who scored the most runs in the CPL and was named CPL Player of the Series; and the continuing assault on world T20 records by Chris Gayle, who scored an unbelievable 146 not out off just 69 balls with five 4s and a T20 record eighteen 6s in the Bangladesh Premier League final match. In the year leading into the ICC 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies, Jamaica had a first as Jacqueline Williams became the first Jamaica female umpire to officiate at an ICC Women’s World Cup final. Also in 2017, outstanding West Indies Women Cricket captain Stafanie Taylor was awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) for her sterling contribution to Jamaica and West Indies cricket. She is the first female cricketer www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 85
in Jamaica to receive the award. Taylor will also be honoured by her alumni as Eltham High School continues plan for the construction of the Stafanie Taylor Oval at the school. Taylor’s Women’s Big Bash League team, the Sydney Thunder, were leading the league at the end of 2017, due in no small part to Taylor’s excellent bowling returns. West Indies Women’s cricket may also be in line for a tournament similar to the CPL as Jamaica’s minister of sport, Olivia Grange, has proposed the creation of a Twenty20 (T20) cricket tournament for women in the region.
Fencing
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Jamaica’s fencing continued to grow in 2017 with major developments at the G.C. Foster College, at the UWI, and on the international scene. The country’s Women’s Epee Fencing team qualified for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, following their silvermedal performance at the Central American Fencing Championship staged in Puerto Rico. The trio of team captain Claudine Williams, Caitlin Chang, and Caira Moreira-Brown, who entered the tournament without a ranking, defeated Costa Rica and Puerto Rico before losing to Cuba to finish with the silver medal. Meanwhile Jamaica’s top fencer, Tia Simms-
Lymn, was crowned British Under-18 fencing champion, defeating her teammate from the South West Club, Sarah Spice, 15-8. She ended the year ranked 55th in the world in the Under-20 Women’s epee.
Football Football saw another year of outstanding results for Jamaica and Jamaican footballers. At home, Jamaica College (J.C.) won the Manning Cup, the Walker Cup and the Olivier Shield (for the 5th straight year) to enhance their claim as the best schoolboy football team in the country. Kingston College won the
FLOW Super Cup, the only title J.C. missed out on. Excelsior High won the girls’ equivalent with a victory over defending champions Lennon High. In the Red Stripe Premier League, Arnett Gardens defeated Portmore United 2-1 to take the trophy. Jermaine Johnson from Tivoli FC was the leading goalscorer in the tournament with 16 goals. Returning coach Theodore Whitmore guided the Jamaican national senior team – the Reggae Boyz – to an outstanding runners-up finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States. It was the second-straight time that Jamaica had reached the final of the tournament. Super-talented Jamaican goalkeeper André Blake was the standout player for the Reggae Boyz as they reached the final after a 2-0 victory over Curaçao and 0-0 and 1-1 draws with Mexico and El Salvador, respectively, to end the group stage. Jamaica dismissed Canada 2-1 in the quarter-final, before beating Mexico 1-0 with a brilliant late goal by Kemar Lawrence in the semi-final. After losing Blake to a hand injury early in the game, Jamaica fell 1-2 to the USA in the final. Jamaica’s Under-20 Reggae Girlz also had success in 2017, qualifying for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship to be hosted in Trinidad and Tobago. Further afield, many Jamaican players had great 2017 footballing years, playing at home and overseas, but none more so that Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey, who has been linked to several top teams in Europe due to his pace, creativity and goalscoring prowess. The top female player was Khadika Shaw, who broke the school record in the SEC for her college (University of Tennessee), scoring the winning goal on seven occasions.
Golf The year 2017 was unique for golf in Jamaica. There was not one but two Jamaica Open Golf tournaments. The 50th Jamaica Golf Open took place in January, having been postponed from December of 2016. The title was won by Englishman Paul Eales, who has three European Tour wins, ahead of Americans Tom Gillis and Kenny Goodykoontz . Then in December, the 51st Jamaica Golf Open took place at the Half Moon Golf Club. American Hernan Borja held on for his first major tournament victory. Hillel Academy Jamaican junior teenager Justin Burrowes topped the amateur field, with a three-day score of eight over par 224, after rounds of three over par 75, two over par 74, and three over par 75 – an outstanding achievement. At the 27th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship, only Tiana Cruz in the girls Under-15 category was able to finish in the frame, ending the event second. International golf returned to Jamaica for the first time in over 20 years, with the staging of the 2017 BMW Jamaica Classic, a second-tier event for the PGA Tour and part of the PGA Latin America series. Jared Wolfe – a Louisville, Kentucky native – created history as the winner of the inaugural 2017 BMW Jamaica Classic. Amassing 267 points, Wolfe finished one ahead of Mexicans Gerardo Ruiz and Jose de Jesus Rodríguez at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course.
Gymnastics Jamaica continued to make strides in gymnastics in 2017. Toni-Ann Williams may have started the buzz with her pleasing performances at the Rio Olympics, but her example created an exponential spread in Jamaican gymnastics in 2017. Danusia Francis came out of retirement to lead the preparations of a group of expatriate Jamaican gymnasts. Primary among these is Mackenzie Robinson, the Canada-born gymnast. Robinson had a good year, first finishing second in the overall competition at the United Winterfest meet in Maryland in January, before improving to first in the www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 87
overall at the Caribbean Championship in Barbados. Robinson was the lone Jamaican female – joining male teammates Riess Beckford, Caleb Faulk, Stephen Lewis, Nicholas Tai, and Daniel Williams – at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Montreal, Canada, as Williams was a late withdrawal due to illness.
second-leading goalscorer of the tournament.
Horse Racing
Motorsport
The year 2017 lived up to the promise of the new, exciting era in horse racing, now highlighted by the Diamond Mile in December. The year belonged to She’s A Maneater, who dominated the Caymanas racetrack in magnificent fashion. The shoo-in for Horse of the Year 2017 won all 12 of her starts, earning J$20,557,950.00 and blowing away the opposition. The filly won the 1,000 Guineas, the Jamaica Derby, The St Leger, The Burger King Superstakes and the Diamond Mile, all the major races in which she competed. Wayne DaCosta took his world-record 17th straight trainers championship, with 72 wins on the year from 443 starts. DaCosta’s charges earned $69,324,125.00 in prize money, over $5 million ahead of Anthony Nunes, who was second. Nunes, however, did saddle one
Kyle ‘Speedy’ Gregg dethroned Fraser McConnell and many-time champion David Summerbell to win the Circuit Championship at the Dover speedway. Kyle Reynolds retained his bike series Championship. McConnell did, however, have his moment of glory, winning the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club’s Rally Jamaica at the end of the year. The 19-year-old McConnell was joined in the car by navigator Peter Clarke.
more winner than DaCosta (73). Fearless Samurai won the 2,000 Guineas and Marlene My Love took the Jamaica Oaks. Omar Walker, with 69 wins from 273 rides, won the Jockey’s Championship. Amazingly, it was DaCosta’s first time winning the Superstakes.
At the Netball World Youth Cup, Jamaica finished fifth after losing its quarter-final games against England 38-55. In local action, Quest Prep won the prep school title, John Mills won the junior high title, and Mico University College’s ‘A’ team won the intercollegiate title. In the fiercely competitive high-school competition, Denbigh High defeated St Catherine High in the junior all-island final, while Excelsior High beat Holmwood in the senior final.
Hockey
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The JFF were the men’s champions of the National Hockey League, while the St Andrew Strikers took the women’s equivalent. The Strikers made it a double by winning the knockout, while the St Andrew Phoenix took the male knockout.
Netball Jamaica had its best-ever competition in a Fast5 World Series, finishing runners-up to England in Melbourne, Australia. The Sunshine Girls beat South Africa, Australia, Malawi, New Zealand and England to reach the final as the only undefeated team. In the final, England turned the tables in scoring a 34-29 victory over the Jamaicans. Goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid led the scoring with 80 goals from 123 attempts (65.04%), while goal attack Shanice Beckford had 22 goals from 52 attempts (35.48%).
Jamaica had a satisfying year in field hockey, with both the male and female national senior teams qualifying for the 2018 CAC Games in Colombia. Playing at home at the Mona hockey field in the Pan-American qualifiers, the Jamaican men had a great series and won the title by virtue of a group victory over runnersup Guyana, as the final was abandoned due to a failure in the lighting system. The women qualified in second place, losing to Guyana 0-1 in the final.
Para Sport
On the women’s side, Jamaica captain Sauwana Gordon had an outstanding tournament, while for the men, Kemar Mitchell starred, scoring in every match to finish as the
In para sports, the two big events were the World Para Athletics Junior Championships and the Paralympic World Athletic Championships. At the World Juniors, sprinter
Jamaica has a para sport first in 2017 as it entered its first Para taekwondo athlete in international competition. Shauna Kay Hines, despite only two weeks of training, earned the silver medal at the US Open Taekwondo Championship in Las Vegas. She followed this up with another silver medal in the Tiger Open International Championship in Aruba.
Tevaughn Thomas was impressive, earning a bronze medal in the Class T47 200m, and a silver medal in the Class T47 100m. At the World Championships, perpetual Jamaican standout Shane Hudson took the silver medal in the men’s T-47 400m in a season-best 49.60 seconds.
Racket Sports Badminton had an active and relatively successful year in 2017. Jamaica captured two silver medals (women’s doubles and mixed doubles) at the third staging of the Jamaica International Badminton Tournament in Kingston in March. Next up was the XXII Peru International Challenge, where Katherine Wynter and Dennis Coke took the silver medal in the mixed doubles. Then in the summer, Jamaica had an outstanding tournament at the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Championships, held at the National Racquet Centre in Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica won a total of 20 medals between junior and senior competition at the championships, with five gold, four silver, and 22 bronze. Highlights were the championship wins by the senior men’s team; senior men’s doubles (Samuel Ricketts and Gareth Henry); boys’ singles Under-19 (Shane Wilson); boys’ doubles Under-19 (Shane Wilson and Joel Angus); and girls’ doubles Under-15 (Cemba Griffiths from Jamaica and Erisa Bleau from Suriname). Then in November, Jamaica hosted the prestigious Badminton World Federation (BWF) Council Meeting in Montego Bay, at which it made a bid to host the 2021 World Badminton tournament Masters Championships. Later in the month, Jamaica earned five medals (1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze) at the Suriname International Badminton. The gold came via the men’s doubles pair of Dennis Coke and Anthony McNee. Katherine Wynter earned a personal best with a bronze medal in the ladies singles. Coke and Wynter are the highest world-ranked Jamaican badminton players. In squash, Chris Binnie continued his amazing assault on Caribbean squash records. Christopher Binnie won his eighth consecutive Caribbean Area Squash Association Senior Championship in in St Vincent. It was Binnie’s ninth-consecutive appearance in the final match. Binnie is ranked 70th in the world as of December, his highest ranking ever. Binnie led the Jamaica team to a 22nd-place ranking at the 2017 Men’s WSF World Team Squash Championship in France. In table tennis, Kane Watson and Simon Tomlinson represented Jamaica at the World Championships in Germany. At the Caribbean www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 89
Pistol Tournament, Kevin Cheung won the Open division, while Chris Tilley took the Limited division and Ryan Bramwell was victorious in the Production division. The Rifle Association highlight performances all came from veteran Lesgar Murdock. The marksman had a great year, winning the Florida State Championship; the Florida Open Championship; the USA Area 5 title; and the Indonesia Kresna Cup International Pistol Shooting Championship (IPSC). Murdock also has a host of medal finishes and was 13th at the IPSC World Shoot in the Open division. In skeet, Wendy McMasters was the national female shotgun champion, while Shaun Barnes took the male title. It was Barnes’ sixth national title in seven years. Barnes also won his class (A Class) in three international events in 2017, including the highly rated ‘World English’ Championship in Texas.
Special Olympics The highlight event of the year was the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Two outstanding Special Olympians did Jamaica proud at the event. Dave Oddman earned two medals at the Games – the silver medal in the SK Speed Skating 222M Race Div 23 and the gold medal - SK Speed Skating 333M Race Div 32 (1:17.679). Compatriot Romaine Austin did him one better, winning gold medals in both the SK Speed Skating 333M Race Div 18 and the SK Speed Skating 500M Race Div 15. We may not be a winter country, but from the performances of these two young men, it would be hard to tell. Championships, the women’s team earned a bronze medal, while the men’s team finished fifth. Jamaica hosted the Caribbean Region Table Tennis Federation Mini and Pre-Cadet Championships for the second consecutive year in 2017 and finished in second place, behind the Dominican Republic in the race for the overall championship title. Jamaica’s Dana Prendergast was named the most outstanding player in the Under-11 girls’ competition. Jamaica finished with 17 medals, comprising five gold medals, four silver medals and eight bronze. Jamaica’s Liana Campbell captured two gold medals – the Under-11 girls’ singles and Under-11 girls’ team events. In tennis, two Jamaicans had outstanding years. Michaela Stephens had an unbeaten year at home, winning every tournament she entered and becoming both Jamaica’s junior and senior champion. On the male side, John Chin had an even more outstanding year, winning tournaments at home and overseas in both singles and doubles. He took the singles and doubles titles in Trinidad in April, and also won the doubles title in Barbados. His level of play www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 90
impressed the International Tennis Federation (ITF) which awarded him a scholarship for travelling expenses, which allowed him to play in many overseas tournaments during 2017.
Rugby Union Jamaica had a major first in 2017. The Jamaica national men’s and women’s teams both earned qualification to the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization (CACSO) Games in Rugby 7s. The men went a step further in the Rugby Americas North 7s Tournament, winning the event and qualifying for the 2018 Rugby World Cup, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 2018 CACSO 7s, and the prestigious 2018 Hong Kong 7s. It was the first time a team from the English-speaking Caribbean was qualifying for the Rugby 7s World Cup.
Shooting In pistol shooting, at the Jamaica International
Surfing The Jamaica Surfing Association continued to promote the sport and establish outlets for Jamaican surfers. The two major events held in Jamaica in 2017 were the National Open Championship and the Pali Pro International Surfing Contest. Imani Wilmot and Ivah Wilmot dominated the female and male section of the events, respectively. Imani won the national women’s championship and also the pali Pro, while Ivah won the Open division of both events and was also runner-up in the Pali Pro Junior Final.
Track & Field Athletics Jamaica had a middling year in track and field by our own very high standards.
Juniors
Naggo Head Primary won the INSPORTS
Primary Champs, while Hydel defended their title in the Jamaica Independent Schools Association (JISA) Prep School Championships. At the ISSA/ GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Champs, Calabar made it six wins in a row, edging their perennial challengers, Kingston College, by three points. In the girls’ event, Edwin Allen took their fourth consecutive title. Sixteen records were broken – 10 by the girls and six by the boys (not counting individual event records in the decathlon and heptathlon). In particular, there was a major assault on hurdles records, with seven hurdles going down. Christopher Taylor won gold at the Pam-Am Under-20 Track and Field Championships, destroying the 200-metre field in 20.38 seconds. That gold was part of a sevenmedal haul by the Jamaican team, including bronze and silver in the discus and shot put, respectively, for Kevin Nedrick. At the Commonwealth Youth Games, Jamaica earned seven medals, with pride of place going to Shanette Allison, who took the gold medal in the girls 100m hurdles, and Johnelle Thomas who took the gold in the 400m hurdles. At the IAAF World Under-18 Athletic Championships Jamaica went a step better, earning seven medals, including three gold. The gold medals came by way of Britany Anderson in the 100m hurdles, Antonio Watson in the 400m, and De’Jour Russell in the 100m hurdles. Russell, the Calabar standout, established a new championship record of 13.04 seconds in winning his event. Russell also had the world-leading Under-20 time in 2017 for the senior height sprint hurdles (13.21 seconds). Also sharing that worldleading Under-20 distinction were Roje Stona (66.42 meters) in the discus and Calabar High School in the 4X100 metres (39.00 at the Penn Relays).
Seniors
Jamaica had a mediocre year in senior athletics as we bid farewell to a Usain Bolt heading into retirement.
IAAF World Relays
At the IAA World Relays, Jamaica earned six medals, four bronze, one silver, and one gold. The standout gold medal came courtesy of the women’s 4x200m relay team of Jura Levy, Shericka Jackson, Shashalee Forbes and Elaine Thompson (Anastasia Le-Roy had run in the heats). The quartet set a new championship record of 1:29.04.
IAAF Diamond League
Jamaica had only one Diamond winner in 2017, returning champion Elaine Thompson in the women’s 100 metres. Thompson, who
had the two fastest times of the year over 100 metres, sprinted to a close win in the Diamond League Final at the AG Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels, Belgium, in 10.92 seconds. Thompson also finished second in the 200 metres Diamond Race, as too did Fedrick Dacres in the men’s discus. Both Danielle Williams (100m hurdles) and Kimberley Williams (triple jump) finished fourth in their Diamond disciplines.
schools’ competition, it was Camperdown who took the girls’ title, while St Jago High won the boys’ title.
London World Championships
In beach volleyball, our women’s team finished fifth in the final round of regional qualifying for the Olympic Games, failing to make the Games by just one position, as all of the first four teams gained Olympic entry. Both beach volleyball teams (male and female) have gained qualification to the 2018 CAC Games. The national women’s volleyball team (indoors) is doing very well and is currently ranked 44th in the world.
The IAAF World Championships in London were a big disappointment for most Jamaicans. Usain Bolt, in his farewell performance on the track, could only manage third in the 100 metres. Elaine Thompson, apparently ill, did not medal in the female equivalent. One after another, Jamaica’s medal chances went a-begging, best exemplified by Bolt pulling up in the 4x100 metres relay. But there were a couple of bright spots. Ristananna Tracey, running her best series ever in the 400m hurdles, took home the bronze medal in the event in a personal best time and then there was Omar McLeod. The Jamaican hurdler, unbeaten in 2017, looked imperious from the start and did not disappoint, winning the 110m hurdles in 13.04 seconds, McLeod’s run ensured that Jamaica did not leave the Championships winless. In a year in which ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce was off on maternity leave and Kaliese Spencer was missing in action, the return of three medals (add bronze in the women’s sprint relay) was still a below par performance.
The Premier League champions for 2017 were Venus for the men and UWI for the women. At the Under-19 Caribbean Championships, the Jamaican boys’ team won the title and are currently ranked 25th in the world.
Jamaica hosted two major tournaments in 2017, the Olympic qualifiers in beach volleyball, involving 14 nations, and the Caribbean Championships (indoors).
Outdoors
Omar McLeod had seven of the eight fastest times of the year over 110-metre hurdles and was unbeaten in 2017.
Indoors
McLeod set a new national indoor record for the 200 metres (20.48 seconds).
Volleyball It was a very good year for volleyball. The growth of volleyball in rural Jamaica, and particularly in Westmoreland, was reflected in the win by New Works Primary in the all-island primary volleyball contest. In the ISSA high www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 91
BIRMINGHAM OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND World Indoor Championship Preview By Hubert Lawrence TVJ Track & Field Analyst.
O
Christopher Taylor
De’Jour Russell
Only once in the long history of the World Indoor Championships has a
back. Asafa Powell lost the 60 metres to the schedule and American
Jamaican team come home without a single medal.
Trayvon Bromell in 2016. Three races in one day left him flat in the final. This time, and now at 36, he will probably have his hands full with
That bitter memory from 1999 isn’t likely to be repeated when the
America’s World Championships 100m runner-up Christian Coleman,
17th edition of the Indoor spectacle is staged in the English city of
whose fast start makes him a terror indoors. Their personal best 60-metre
Birmingham in March. In fact, recent disappointments and the call of
times are almost identical at 6.44 seconds for Powell and 6.45 seconds
opportunity might launch a new era of success in Birmingham.
for Coleman.
The nation’s track stars met unaccustomed defeat in London in August
Had Elaine Thompson finished first and not fifth in the 100 metre final in
2017 at the outdoor World Championships. Injuries and illness cut the
London, she might stay away from Birmingham. Once she’s healthy, the
medal haul to approximately a third of most expectations, and only Omar
best guess is that she might try to improve from bronze in the 60 metres
McLeod won a gold medal for Jamaica. McLeod is the reigning World
last time. To do so, she could face a formidable crew. American indoor
Indoor Champion in the 60 metre hurdles. If he chooses to defend his
terror Barbara Pierre beat Dutch woman Dafne Schippers and Thompson
title, he would go to Birmingham as the favourite.
last time. For all we know, Marie-Josée-Ta Lou, the fast-starting Ivory
The smart money is on him to do so and then using the outdoor season to
Coast London double-silver medallist, will come to the World Indoors to chase her own golden ambitions.
dabble in the flat sprints and maybe the 400 metre hurdles. If Thompson goes to Birmingham and comes out on top, she would join Two others who won medals at the last World Indoors could be tempted
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Merlene Ottey, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
O’Dayne Richards
as winners in the shortest sprint. With US college commitments out of the way, it’s possible that university graduates like Chris-Ann Gordon and Danielle Dodd could make themselves available. Both are NCAA champions in the 400 metres and the shot put, respectively, and at their best, both could be in the finals in Birmingham. Thanks to their time away, they both have loads of indoor experience, too. Triple jumper Kimberly Williams parlayed her own hugely successful collegiate career into a World Indoor bronze medal in 2014 and might be in the frame again.
Megan Simmonds
Similar possibilities await the male triple jumper Clive Pullen as well as
Rusheen McDonald, holder of the national outdoor record at 43.93
Natoya Goule in the women’s 800 metres.
seconds, is compact and could manoeuvre the 200 metre indoor tracks with aplomb once he gets the hang of the banked surface. Interestingly, Jamaica has only one winner apiece in the 400 metres. Devon ‘Helsinki’ Morris produced a stunning upset to win the men’s event in 1991 and Sandie Richards scored like favourites do in 1993. Megan Simmonds, that pint-sized delight, doesn’t have too much indoor
Mingled with disappointments from the last trip by the Jamaican track and field team to England, the contingent to the World Indoor Championships will arrive there with ambitions to win and thrill.
experience, but her fast start makes her an instant candidate for a place in the 60-metre hurdles final. If she can hurdle as bravely as she usually does, her presence may even unsettle those more favoured in an event that saw a Jamaican 1-2 in 1997. That’s when Michelle Freeman and Gillian Russell took the gold and silver medals. O’Dayne Richards rolled into London on the back of a national shot put record of 21.96 metres on the eve of the Worlds. Surprisingly, he went out early. Birmingham could be a place and time for the soft-spoken rocket launcher to add to his glittering collection of major medals. Opportunity abounds in Birmingham. Mingled with disappointments
Selecting the men’s 400-metre team is difficult. Nathon Allen will likely
from the last trip by the Jamaican track and field team to England, the
be unavailable due to college commitments at Auburn University. The
contingent to the World Indoor Championships will arrive there with
men whose stride or size make them potentially good indoor runners
ambitions to win and thrill. Cheered on by the many Jamaicans who
have no indoor experience. Like Allen, Demish Gaye was in the 400
live in the host city, the prospects for a satisfying team performance are
metres final in London and his quick strides could be perfect indoors.
reasonably good.
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The RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation board members
Gary Allen, JP CEO and Managing Director - The RJRGLEANER Communications Group Chairman – The RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation
Yvonne Wilks-O’Grady
Grace Jackson, OD
Marketing Consultant - Radio Services The RJRGLEANER Communications Group
Director of Sport and Head of the Faculty of Sport, UWI, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago
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Dr Carrole Guntley, CD, JP Tourism, travel, entertainment and marketing consultant - former Director General for Tourism in the Ministry of Tourism
The Selection Committee The Selection Committee includes Board members Mike Fennell (Chairman), Grace Jackson, Courtney Walsh and Courtney Sergeant, as well as: Tony Becca, CD Celebrated sports journalist, author and editor Dr Walton Small Head of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Michael Hall Director of Operations, Caribbean Premier League and former Chairman of the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards Board
Courtney Sergeant Award-winning sports journalist and sports coordinator; former sports journalist with the RJR Communications Group
Hon Molly Rhone, OJ, CD
Hon Michael S. Fennell, OJ, CD
President, International Netball Federation (INF). She is the first Jamaican to head an international sports federation.
Immediate Past President Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and Past President Commonwealth Games Federation. He is the Chairman of the Selection Committee.
Hon Courtney Walsh, OJ Specialist bowling coach for Bangladesh. He is an Ambassador-at-Large for Jamaica as well as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
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Notional Sportsman & Sportswoman
Award Ceremony
Jaleel Hyde. Athlete collected Award from Grace Jackson, Sports Foundation Director.
Oliver Gers, Guest speaker 2016 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards collecting gift from Yvonne Wilks-O’Grady, Sports Foundation Director.
Christopher Taylor collected award from Peter Hilary, General Manager, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
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Alia Atkinson, Sportswoman nominee 2016 collected award from Grace Jackson, Sports Foundation Director.
Tiffany James collected award from Grace Jackson, Sports Foundation Director.
Anthony Carpenter collected award from Peter Hilary, General Manager, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Shanon Kalawan, collected award from Peter Hilary, General Manager, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Stacey Ann Williams, collected award from Peter Hilary, General Manager, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Notional Sportsman & Sportswoman
Award Ceremony
Junelle Bromfield collected award from Peter Hilary, General Manager, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Christania Williams collected award from Christopher Barnes, Managing Director, Gleaner
Elaine Thompson collected award from Christopher Barnes, Managing Director, Gleaner Media Company Limited.
Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce collects award at 2017 Gala
Anniesha McLaughlin-Whilby collected award from Christopher Barnes, Managing Director, Gleaner Media Company Limited.
Shericka Jackson, Sportswoman Nominee 2016 collected award from Christopher Barnes, Managing Director, Gleaner Media Company Limited.
Peter Matthews collected award from Christopher Barnes, Managing Director, Gleaner Media Company Limited.
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Notional Sportsman & Sportswoman
On The Red Carpet
Former Hockey Player Kathleen Wilson on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Minna Israel, RJRGleaner Board Director on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
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Paula Pinnock, Managing Director, FYI Consultancy on the Red Carpet at the 56th staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Paralympian, Alphanso Cunningham on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Rugie Misir, Secretary, Jamaica Sailing Association on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Trishana McGowan (L) and Ricardo Chambers, Sports Journalist, RJRGleaner Communications Group at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
A bright smile from Leroy Brown, General Secretary, Tennis Jamaica and Jamaica Boxing Board of control.
Arthur Barrows, President, Taekwondo Association and date on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Notional Sportsman & Sportswoman
On The Red Carpet
Dr. Cynthia-Thompson (L), Former Athlete and guest at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Robert Wheeler, Former President, Jamaica Chess Federation and son on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Nadine Molloy, RJR Board Director on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Grace Jackson, RJR Sports Foundation Director on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Myrtle Weir (left) and Husband on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Mr. Terence Lindo, secretary, Jamaica Chess Federation (L) and President, Mr. Ian Wilkinson at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Christene King, Journalist, editor and Publisher on the Red Carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
Vivienne Bayley-Hay, group chief corporate affairs & communications officer, Victoria Mutual and hubby on the red carpet at the 56th Staging of the RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
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Thank you for being partners through sponsorship of the RJRGLEANER Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards
Acknowledegement Project Management Team - Alvin Campbell, Donna Hussey, Adrian St. Louis and his team of ushers. Special thanks also to Collin Hinds, Garfield Granderson, Paula Pinnock, Prudence Simpson, Nicola Madden Greig and to the Television and Radio Production Teams including: Patrick Anderson, Trevor Johnson, Shauna Cushnie, Sutania Williams, Orville Powell, Jordan Forte, Sarah Manley and Brian Cuffe. www.rjrgleanersportsfoundation.com - Page: 100