Sports Commentary - JAMAICA’S MALE SPRINTING: 100/200m, THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE
By Dale Brown
TRACKING JAMAICA’S (SECOND TIER) MALE SPRINTERS 2012-2019
NEW YORK, NY. Wednesday, October 7, 2020 --When legendary sprinter and World Record holder in the 100 (9.58) and 200m (19.19), Usain Bolt retired in 2017, the stark reality of the arid sprinting landscape in Jamaica was now in plain sight for all to see.
Bolt won an unprecedented six (6) individual Olympic Gold medals, equally divided between the 100 and 200m from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 games. He also won 9 individual medals (7 Gold, 1 silver,1 bronze), between 2007 and 2017 at the World Championships in both events.
There were justified lamentations about losing the incomparable Bolt but what about the other male sprinters who were his contemporaries? Let’s see what they contributed to Jamaica’s golden run.
Michael Frater (38* yrs. old) won a 2005 World Championship 100m silver medal. He is now retired.
Asafa Powell (37* yrs. old) is the former 100m World Record holder and two-time World Championship 100m bronze medalist, Nesta Carter (34* yrs. old) is the 2013 World Championship 100m bronze medalist and Warren Weir (30* yrs. old) the 2013, World Championship 200m silver medalist and 2012 Olympic games 200m bronze medalist, are clearly past their best.
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BEASTY BOY. Yohan Blake winning the Men’s 100m event at the Daegu Stadium. |
Yohan Blake (30* yrs. old), the 2011 World Championship 100m Gold medalist and 2012 Olympic 100/200 silver medalist, is still trying to regain the form which made him the second fastest man in history in both events.
Blake ‘s 100m PB is 9.69 and the fastest time he has recorded since then is 9.90 in 2017. His 200m PB is 19.26 and the next fastest times he has since then are 19.44 in 2012, and 19.97 in 2017.
When World Championship finalist in the 100m (1x) and 200m (3x) Nickel Ashmeade (30 yrs. old), is added to the list, it is easy to understand why the general consensus is that the men’s sprint factory is at least temporarily closed.
This group of elite sprinters possessed great individual talent but were also members of WR setting or Global Championship winning relay teams.
NB- Weir competed in the heats of the 2013 World Championship 4x100 relay.
The quartet of Carter, Frater, Blake and Bolt, set the current World Record of 36.84 at the 2012 London Olympics for the 4x100m relay.
Reality Check
Did it occur to anyone that Bolt was the only Jamaican sprinter to win a global individual medal after the World Championships in 2013?
Now, suddenly Jamaican track and field experts and fans are faced with the reality that there is a sharp decline in the quality or commitment to the sport by the nation’s male sprinters.
TRACKING JAMAICA’S 2nd TIER MALE SPRINTERS 2012-2019
I will track the performances of the sprinters who started their senior career or ended their Junior careers during the 2012 – 2017 seasons. Where are they now and what can be reasonably expected of them for the next Olympics in 2021, and the World Championships in 2022?
Julian Forte – 27 yrs. old. His 100m PB is 9.91 (2017) and 200m is 19.97 (2016). Forte finished 8th in the 200m at the 2012 World Junior U-20 Championships in Spain. He has won the Rome Diamond League 100m in 2015 and the Brussels 200m in 2016. Forte has not run a legal 100m in sub 10.00 since 2017 or a 200m below 20.00 since 2016. The question is, can he avoid those nagging injuries and return to his form of 2016/17?
Kemar Bailey – Cole - 28 yrs. old. He ran his Personal Best (PB) of 9.92 in 2015 and has not broken 10.00 since running his PB in 2015. The most outstanding performance in his career is a 4th place finish in the World Championships 100m in 2013. Bailey-Cole is injury prone and it is doubtful he will ever approach his peak performances of 2015.
Tyquendo Tracey –27 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 9.96 in 2018 and 20.39 in the 200m (2015). He was the Jamaica National 100m champion in 2018. Tyquendo should be close to his 100m form of 2018.
Rasheed Dwyer – 31 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 10.10 (2016) and a 200m PB of 19.80 (2015). Dwyer is a 2x Jamaica National 200m Champion (2014 and 2019). He has not broken the 20.00 sec., barrier in the 200m since 2015. He is still one of our top two 200m sprinters but is not expected to approach his PB performances.
Senoj-jay Givans – 27 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 9.96 in 2016 and 200m 20.32 in 2017. He has not broken the 10 sec., barrier since his PB effort and he has not contested a 200m event since 2017. Givans is expected to be a member of the 4x100 relay pool.
Akeem Bloomfield -22 yrs., old. He has PB’s of (200m) - 19.81 (2018) and (400m) - 43.94 (2018). Akeem’s fastest times in 2019 were 20.24 and 44.40. Bloomfield has won Diamond League events in the following cities, 200m in London (2018), 400m in Rabat (2018), 400m in London (2019), and 400m in Birmingham (2019).
There is some concern that although he advanced to the finals of the 400m at Doha World Championship, his 8th place finish was far from his best effort. In addition to that concern, it should be noted that he failed to make the Jamaican 200m team for the same championship when he finished 5th in the finals.
Bloomfield potentially is our best 200m sprinter and it would be a shame if for whatever reason, he does not fulfill his great promise.
Andre Ewers -21 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 9.98 (2018) and 200m PB of 20.14 (2019). Andre is a promising sprinter who represented Jamaica in the 200m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Jevaughn Minzie -25 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 10.02 (2016). Minzie ran 10.10 in 2018 but has regressed to 10.32 in 2019.
Nigel Ellis - 23 yrs. old. His PB’s are 100m 10.16 in 2016 and 20.36 in 20.18. He is the World Junior 200m U-20 (Poland) bronze medalist in 2016. Much more is expected from Ellis but it is certainly not too late for him to progress in a positive manner.
Raheem Chambers – 23 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 10.09 (2019). Chambers finished 6th at the 2016 World Junior U-20 Championship, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Michael O’Hara - 24 yrs. old has a 100m PB of 10.19 (2014) and a 200m PB in 20.45 (2014). O’Hara won Gold medals in the 200m at the 2013 World Youth U-18 Donetsk (UKR) and 2014 World Junior U-20 Championships, Eugene (USA). The fastest times he has recorded since his PB’s are; 100m - 10.33 in 2015 and 200m – 20.59 also in 2015. O’Hara is still young enough for some expert intervention to help him to realize his vast potential.
Odean Skeen -26 yrs. old. His PB in the 100m is 9.98, done in 2017. He did not compete during the 2018 season and ran 10.56 in 2019. A sprinter who was the 2010 Youth Olympics 100m champion and the 2012 World Junior U-20 bronze medalist in the 100m. Skeen is an enigma.
LOOKING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL
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HORSE POWER. Christopher Taylor (right, foreground) winning the 200m event at the Pan Am Junior Championship. - contributed |
Christopher Taylor - 21 yrs. old. He is Jamaica’s Junior 100m co- record holder with a 10.11 clocking, done in 2018. His 200m PB is 20.35 (2018) and 400m PB is 44.88 (2018), which is the Jamaican Junior record.
Taylor won the 400m at the 2015 World Youth U-18 Championship in Cali, (Columbia), and also won the 400m silver medal at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland.
He also won the 400m at the Jamaican National Championships in 2018.
Christopher Taylor possesses prodigious talent but the biggest concern will be for his team of advisors to pick the right event(s) for him to concentrate on. Taylor’s prowess in the short sprints 100/200m should not be ignored.
Oblique Seville – 19 yrs. old with a 100m PB of 10.13(2019) and 20.86 for the 200m. He won the ISSA ‘Boys Champs’ Class 1 and Carifta U-20 100m in 2019. Much is expected of him.
Summary
It is doubtful that there will be any immediate relief for the current state of Jamaican men’s 100/200m sprinting.
The athletes who were expected to take the baton from Bolt, Blake, Powell, Weir, Frater and Carter, are not consistent performers and in fact, they appear to have peaked while most of the established stars were still performing at a world class level.
Yohan Blake remains our best bet to reach the finals of a global 100m race. The 200m is even more bleak because no one seems capable of reaching the 200m finals at a global Championship. Akeem Bloomfield and Christopher Taylor have great potential but will they concentrate on the 200m?
The sprint relay pool should come from Yohan Blake, Julian Forte, Tyquendo Tracey, Kemar Bailey – Cole, Senoy- Jay Givans, Andre Ewers, Raheem Chambers and Oblique Seville, providing he can make a smooth transition to the senior ranks.
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Editor’s note: Dale Brown is a sports historian and host of SECOND BASE, the total sports program airing Tuesdays, 7 – 8 pm, on the Wee Radio Network at; www.weeradioonline.com.
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