The thought of Jamaica leaving an Olympic Games without track gold in one of the sprint events has long been unthinkable. But after a sad 48-year first for Jamaica’s female sprinters in Paris, it’s looking like a distinct possibility after the men’s 4x100m relay team delivered the nation another telling blow by failing to qualify for the final in a shocking 20-year first.
The Jamaican men’s relay teams led by Usain Bolt used to be practically unbeatable after winning three straight Olympic golds (one of which was stripped due to Nesta Carter’s positive drug test) and four consecutive world titles from 2008-2016. But after the eight-time Olympic Games legend Bolt retired in 2017, Jamaica only has two World Championship bronze medals to its name in the men’s relay.
The Jamaican men’s 4x100m relay team failed to make the Olympics final for the first time in 20 years at the Paris Games. Pic: AAP
Jamaica’s quartet in Paris included Kishane Thompson, who claimed silver in the 100m final. Thompson anchored the Jamaican men’s relay team alongside Ackeem Blake, Jelani Walker and Jehlani Gordon but in an extraordinary turn of events, they failed to qualify for the final after a number of baton change errors wrecked their chances.
It meant Jamaica could only manage to finish in fourth place behind race winners Canada, France, and China, with only the top three advancing from each heat, as well as the next two fastest times. Incredibly, the Jamaicans weren’t even the best of the rest as their time of 38.45 seconds was slower than all but one team from the first heat.
The Jamaican bombshell meant fans were denied the chance to see a rematch between Thompson and America’s 100m gold medallist Noah Lyles in the relay final. The USA won their heat in 37.47 seconds without even needing Lyles or Kenny Bednarek, who claimed bronze and silver respectively in the men’s 200m final later in the day.
Jamaica’s female sprinters in sad 48-year first in Paris
The shock scenes for Jamaica followed another changing of the guard moment for the proud sprint nation’s female sprinters in Paris. For the first time since the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, not a single Jamaican woman made the podium in either of the 100m or 200m events in Paris, despite the fact Jamaica swept the podium in the women’s 100m at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
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In Paris, American Gabby Thomas grabbed gold in the 200m, with Julien Alfred (St Lucia) taking silver and Brittany Brown (USA) the bronze. It came after Alfred won gold in the 100m ahead of Americans Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson. It effectively completed the downfall of Jamaican sprint queens Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, who claimed gold, silver and bronze in Tokyo.
Gabby Thomas (R) won gold in the 200m, which marked the first time since 1976 that no Jamaican woman medalled in the sprint events at the Olympics. Image: Getty
Thompson-Herah also won gold in the 200m in 2021, but missed the Paris Games due to an Achilles injury. All three of Thompson-Herah, Fraser-Pryce and Jackson are in their 30s, and there’s likely to be massive upheaval for Jamaica by the time the next Olympics come about in LA in four years. Jackson had been hoping to run in the 200m in Paris, but was a last-minute withdrawal due to injury.
And Fraser-Pryce was supposed to take part in the 100m before a mysterious withdrawal just minutes before her semi-final. The Jamaican Olympic team put Fraser-Pryce’s withdrawal down to injury as well, but it came after controversy erupted when she was denied entry into the stadium because she arrived in a private car. The Jamaican women’s team did make the final in the 4x100m relay though, despite the injuries to their biggest stars.
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Publish date : 2024-08-08 13:39:00
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