28 July 2022

Brazil’s Dos Santos Golden in the men's 400m Hurdles Final

By Henley Taylor

Once again, there was an impressive lineup in the final of the men's 400m hurdles final at the 2022 World Championship held in Oregon, USA. Certainly, with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic podium of Karsten Warholm of Norway, Rai Benjamin of the USA and Alison Dos Santos of Brazil, there was anticipation of a repeat presence of those individuals at the World Championship final. The field was completed by Trevor Bassit of the USA, Wilfred Happio of France, Khalifah Rosser also of the USA, Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica and Rasmus Magi of Estonia. Indeed, there was great anticipation, expectations and in the end, disappointment. Would Warholm defend or would Benjamin or Dos Santos ambush him and capture the top podium spot? Warholm starts fast At the firing of the starter's gun, Warholm got out with his trademark explosive start as he tried to disconnect the field early as he did in Tokyo. His two arch-rivals, Alison Dos Santos and Rai Benjamin, were to his ....

28 July 2022

Is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce the GOAT?

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By Henley Taylor

For the third time in a global championship, Jamaica has swept the women's 100m final; twice at the Olympics and once at the World Championships. On all three occasions, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has been a staple while Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson have been involved in two such sweeps. Indeed, the 2020 Tokyo podium mirrors the 2022 Oregon podium, albeit in a completely different order. Fraser-Pryce has won the sweep twice, and Thompson-Herah has won the sweep on one occasion. Fraser-Pryce impressive resume What can I say? Fraser-Pryce has immortalized herself at the World Championships, winning an unprecedented five 100m titles, making her the most successful 100m female sprinter in history. And to think that she has won her fifth 100m World title in a Championship Record of 10.67 at the mature age of thirty-five when most athletes are in their decline or have retired, underscores Fraser-Pryce as truly a phenomenal and end....

26 July 2022

Shericka Jackson shines in women's 200m final - Oregon World Championship

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By Henley Taylor

Justifiably so, the women's 200m final at the 2022 Oregon World Championship scheduled for Thursday July 21, 2022 had all the making of an epic encounter; the promotional hype surrounding the event was befitting of a quality final such as this. In fact, it was one of the greatest fields of female athletes assembled based on prior personal bests coming into the Championship and of course the semifinal results. Shericka Jackson, the double sprint champion at the JAAA National Trials, and the newly-crowned 100m World Championship silver medalist led the way. The twenty-eight-year-old Jackson solidified her status as favorite heading into the finals when she ran a well-controlled time of 21.67 in the semifinals. In the finals, Jackson who had a prior lifetime best 21.55, was assigned lane 4 just behind Tamara Clark of the USA. Clark, who was assigned lane 5, had a lifetime best 21.92, while posting a semifinal time of 21.95. The British Champion

25 July 2022

The Americans sweep the Men's 100m Final

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By Henley Taylor

On Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 9:50pm, the final of the men's 100m was ran at the 2022 World Championship held in Eugene, Oregon. Eight men from five countries lined up for the final. These included four Americans in Fred Kerley, Marvin Bracy-Williams, Trayvon Bromell and the defending world champion, Christian Coleman. Twenty-one-year-old Oblique Seville was the sole Jamaican who qualified for the men's 100m final. Incidentally, Seville won his semifinal race, stopping the clock in 9.90 seconds, making him the fastest qualifier for the finals. Therefore, much was expected from him in the final. The field was completed by Akani Simbine of South Africa, Hakim Sani Brown of Japan and Aaron Brown of Canada. American sweep Given the hype surrounding the Americans and the reputed fast track of Oregon, one was expecting much faster times in the final. However, that was not to be. In the end though, the twenty-seven-year-old American, Kerley won....

25 July 2022

That Sloppy Unfair Schedule in Oregon

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By Henley Taylor

The Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson ran for four consecutive days at the 2022 Oregon World Championship. Yes! They got no break between the 100m final and the start of the 200m. The ladies have gotten only one day break between the 200m semifinals and the 200m final. Can you believe running Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before getting a break on Wednesday? What a sloppy schedule! On the other hand, the men got one day break between the 100m final and the start of the 200m, then another break between the 200m semifinals, and the 200m final. Why this unequal treatment? Are our women beast of burden? Are they machines that cannot tire? And when one thinks that the top three 200m Americans in Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton and Kenny Bednarek, never took part in the 100m, the unfairness is further magnified. Personally, I do believe that the schedule was set up to facilitate the Americans Abby Steiner, Tamara Clark an....

25 July 2022

That crazy false start rule by World Athletics

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By Henley Taylor

World Athletics is literally destroying the beautiful spectacle of track and field with its crazy false start rule. The removal of St Lucia’s Julien Alfred, Bahamas’ TyNia Gather and America’s Devon Allen from their respective events last Sunday (July 16, 2022) was unfortunate on several levels to say the least. That action by the officials cheapened and reduced the women's 100m final and the men's 110mH final. And, it deprived those athletes the opportunity to perform their best on one of the grandest stages of global competition. Who really knows for sure what the outcome would have been had those athletes been allowed to compete. “Fast start” vs “false start” I do believe that World Athletics should rethink the false start rule and make an unambiguously clear distinction between a "fast start" and a "false start". Even with the use of aided technology one cannot realisticall....

25 July 2022

Who will win the women's 100m final at the upcoming Oregon World Championship?

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By Henley Taylor

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have remained unbeaten in the 100m for the current 2022 track and field season. Indeed, they are the national and global front-runners in the 100m. Thompson-Herah, the double-double Olympic Champion, has posted 10.79 and 10.83 as her two fastest 100m times for this season. And these she did at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in May 2022 and at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco on June 2, 2022. Fraser-Pryce vs Thompson-Herah Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the four-times and defending 100m World Champion has posted the fastest times this year. In her very first international meet in Nairobi, Kenya on May 7, 2022, the diminutive speedster posted 10.67, a time she equaled a month later at the Paris Diamond League on June 18, 2022. The stage is therefore set for another terrific year of sprinting between the two juggernauts. The question is, who will prevail at this yea....

26 May 2022

Erriyon Knighton, the heir apparent

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By Henley Taylor

The rise of the American Erriyon Knighton as a 200m sprinter is a legitimate threat to one of Usain Bolt’s outstanding record. On April 30, 2022, at the LSU Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge Louisiana, the eighteen-year-old Erriyon ran an unbelievable 19.49 seconds over the 200m to obliterate his own junior record of 19.84. In the process, Knighton became the fourth fastest over the distance. Knighton has chopped off 0.35 of a second from his previous World Junior Record of 19.84. By any objective standard, this is massive. Knighton performance has certainly put the entire track and field community on notice. Reflecting on Bolt’s greatness Every devout track and field analyst or sports enthusiast knows that Usain St. Leo Bolt is the greatest track athlete ever. Certainly, Bolt is the best ever over the 100m and 200m; his World Records of 9.58 and 19.19, respectively, speak volumes. Indeed, Bolt's accomplishments are astounding, ....

25 May 2022

The phenomenal Fraser-Pryce sizzles at The Kip Kieno Classic

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By Henley Taaylor

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce posted a season's best and world-leading time of 10.67 seconds to win the women's 100m at the third edition of the Kip Kieno Classic in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday May 7, 2022. The thirty-five-year-old Fraser-Pryce was in imperious form as she decimated a lineup that included the young Namibian sensation, Christine Mboma, and the American Javian Oliver. And even though the time was done at high altitude of 1700m above sea level, it was nonetheless a stellar performance from the two-times Olympic and four-times World Champion. Indeed, the 10.67 was done in a -0.4W, and is Fraser-Pryce's third fastest time ever, and the ninth fastest time in history. Proven veteran Without doubt, Fraser-Pryce is proving herself to be one of the most enduring and talented athletes of all times with a consistent string of high-level performances that befuddle logic. Fraser-Pryce is like fine wine; the older she gets, t....

25 May 2022

Thomas, Lyles and Harrison golden at the 2022 Doha Diamond League

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By Henley Taylor

The 2022 Doha Wanda Diamond League took place on Friday, May 13, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. The Doha Wanda Diamond League is the first in a series of thirteen meets that will culminates with the two-day Diamond League Final scheduled for September 7 and 8. Several world beaters participated in thirteen events/disciplines at the competition, including Gabrielle Thomas (USA), Noah Lyles (USA), Kendra Harrison (USA) and Anderson Peters (Grenada). All posted impressive victories. Women’s 200m The women's 200m, one of the marque events of the Meet, featured American Gabrielle Thomas matching strides with Jamaica's Shericka Jackson and the UK's Dina Asher-Smith. The race was extremely competitive, but it was Thomas who prevailed in a nippy 21.98 to defeat Jackson in the closing stages of the race. Jackson posted 22.07 for second while Asher-Smith stopped the clock in 22.37. The twenty-five-year-old Thomas, who has a lifetime best 21.....