Track Ledger

18 March 2023

How good is Bouwahjgie Nkrumie?

By Henley Taylor

National Junior Record Holder and World Under 20 Championship silver medalist, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie of Kingston College posted an easy 10.30 second, to win the Boy’s 100m timed final at the Youngster Goldsmith Meet that was held at the National Stadium on February 11, 2023. Nkrumie, who turned nineteen-years-old on Thursday, February 16, 2023, has a lifetime best of 10.02 in the 100m, a time that he posted at the World Junior Championship in Cali, Colombia, last year. Based on early season performances, Nkrumie is likely to go faster than 10.02. Nkrumie may become the first schoolboy to dip below 10 seconds when he competes at the ISSA Boy’s and Girl’s Championship that will take place between March 28 and April 1, 2023 at the National Stadium in Kingston. The competition Nkrumie’s main competitions are expected to come from Brian Level of Edwin Allen and Deandre Dailey of Herbert Morrison Technical High School, both of whom....

18 March 2023

KC and Excelsior are 2023 Corporate Area Champions

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By Henley Taylor

Kingston College (KC) and Excelsior High School retained their respective boy’s and girl’s titles for the Corporate Area Championship that was held over two days on March 3 and 4 at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Interestingly, Kingston College and Excelsior High School won their respective Corporate Area boy’s and girl’s titles for the fifth and seventh consecutive times, respectively. Notwithstanding injuries suffered by quite a few athletes, Kingston College was able to defend with 427 points, to top Calabar High and Jamaica College that finished on 415 points and 389.5 points, respectively. The other schools to complete the top ten on the boy’s side, were: Wolmers Boys (121 points), Excelsior High School (106 points), St. Georges College (79.5 points), Camperdown High School (55 points), Campion College (29 points), Ardenne High (15 points) and Holy Trinity High (10 points). On the girl’s side, Excelsior scored ....

18 March 2023

Ackera Nugent in Perspective

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By Henley E. Taylor

Who is Ackera Nugent? Just how good is Ackera Nugent? What are the credentials that she boasts? Ackera Nugent is a Jamaican female 100m Hurdler. She is a model of focus, intensity, great technique and versatility. Nugent is formerly of Excelsior High School where she was a Champs star in the event. The talented Jamaican was also the 2019 Carifta Champion, 2021 World Under 20 Champion and 2021 NACAC Under 20 Champion. Nugent is too, the 2023 NCAA Champion and National Record Holder in the Indoor 60mH, having eclipsed the mark of 7.74 that was set by countrywoman, Michelle Freeman in 1996, twenty-seven years ago. Thus far, Nugent has a Personal Best of 12.45 in the 100m Hurdles that she set in Texas in 2022, and 7.72 in the 60m Hurdles that she set at the 2023 NCAA Championship in semi-final round. Nugent is currently in her sophomore year at the University of Arkansas. She is fast Interestingly, the twenty-year-old is a genuine sprinter ....

16 January 2023

The 2023 Track and Field Season, women short sprints, a look ahead

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By Henley Taylor

The 2023 track and field season promises much fireworks in the women short sprints, the marquee event being the 2023 World Championship scheduled for Budapest, Hungary from August 19-27. And, given the high quality of the Jamaican female performances over the last two seasons, naturally there are great expectations for this season. But there are many questions that will be answered such as which of the three Jamaican sprinters will dominate the sprints in 2023? Let us look back at how we got here. Recapping Thompson-Herah 2021 exploits In 2021, Elaine Thompson-Herah was at her imperious best, winning a total of three Olympic gold medals in Tokyo, to include an Olympic Record of 10.61 in the 100m, and a Personal Best of 21.53 in the 200m, which were National Records at the time. Two weeks later, in Eugene, Oregon, the global superstar would go on, to lower her Personal Best in the 100m, to 10.54, sending shock waves throughout t....

15 January 2023

Confirmed Track and Field Meets for 2023

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By Henley Taylor

Local As we look ahead with great anticipation, to the McCook/Gibson Relays, the ISSA Boys and Girls Championship (Champs) and the World Championship in Budapest, Hungary, later this year, several local, regional and international preparatory and qualifying meets will take place over the month of January and February, commencing this weekend. There are several scheduled approved JAAA meets that will signal the start of what should be a very exciting and interesting track and field season for both junior and senior athletes. These Meets include, but are not limited to the following: OnDiRun/JC 200m Sprint Fest#1 On Di Run/JC 200m Sprint Fest#1 will take place on Friday, January 6. 2023, at the Jamaica College, Ashenheim Stadium, at 189 Old Hope Road, Kingston, Jamaica. The meet will feature athletes over the half lap event (200m). The Purewater/Jamaica College/R. Danny Williams Meet T....

13 August 2022

Tobi Amusan world record 12.12 performance in the 100 hurdles

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By Henley Taylor

The final of the women's 100m Hurdles was a truly stellar and salivating event. Unfortunately, the American defending World Champion, Nia Ali, literally crashed out in the semifinals, having clattered a couple of hurdles towards the ending of the race. The semifinals It is instructive to note that the semifinal round was extraordinary in so many ways, with a World Record, several National Records and Personal Bests. In semifinal 1, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, having ran 12.40 in the heats, erased Kendra Harrison's six-year-old World Record of 12.20, to set an eye-popping 12.12 World Record. Kendra Harrison and Danielle Williams were second and third, in season's bests of 12.27 and 12.41, respectively. Cindy Sember of Great Britain was fourth in a National Record of 12.50. All four women from this semifinal, advanced to the final. Semifinal 2 produced two finalists in Alia Armstrong of the US and Devynne Charlton of the Baha....

13 August 2022

Michael Norman victorious in Men’s 400m

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By Henley Taylor

The men’s 400m final at the 2022 Oregon World Championship had assembled the best quarter-milers across the globe. Notably absent was the reigning Olympic Champion and defending World Champion, Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas, who suffered Achilles Tendinitis prior to the start of the championship. Consequently, the final was not as intensely competitive as it could have been with Gardiner’s exclusion, but it was exciting just the same. Loaded Final The finalists were Michael Norman and Champion Allison of the US, Kirani James of Grenada, Mathew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain, Wayde Van Neikerk of the Republic of South Africa, Byapo Ndori of Botswana, Christopher Taylor of Jamaica, and Johnathan Jones of Barbados. Semifinals There were three semifinals from which the finalists emerged. Semifinal 1 produced the two fastest automatic qualifiers in Michael Norman (44.30) and Mathew Hudson-Smith (4....

02 August 2022

Leave Yohan Blake alone!

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By Henley Taylor

We have the temerity and the erratic tendency to show our ingratitude and spew vitriol at Yohan Blake simply because he is not consistently and dominantly performing at the level of former years before he got injured. However, it is grossly insensitive and unfair to do so. We need to remember that Yohan Blake is the youngest ever male World Champion at twenty-one years old. Indeed, after Usain Bolt false started in the 100m final at the 2011 Daegu World Championship, Blake went on to win the 100m title in 9.92. One year later at the 2012 London Olympics, Blake won two individual silver medals in the 100m and 200m in times of 9.75 and 19.44, respectively. It would take an Olympic Record of 9.63 by Bolt to deny Yohan Blake victory in the 100m. Also, Bolt had to produce his third best time of 19.32, to deny Blake victory in the 200m. Blake is the second best ever Based on times at the Olympic Games, Blake's 9.75 and 19.44 combo is the seco....

01 August 2022

A Special Tribute to Dr., the Honorable Usain St. Leo Bolt, the Greatest of All

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By Henley Taylor

Dr., the Honorable Usain St. Leo Bolt, is undoubtedly the greatest track athlete of all times (G.O.A.T). Indeed, he is the ultimate speedster and the standard against which all sprinters are measured and validated. Bolt is credited with an unbelievable and unrivaled thirteen individual global gold medals; that is, six Olympic gold, and seven World Championship gold, an achievement that has no equal on the track. Bolt is still King The sprint King, as he is commonly called, is the World Record Holder in the 100m and 200m at 9.58 and 19.19, respectively. He is also the Olympic Record Holder in both the 100m and 200m at 9.63 and 19.30. Bolt also holds the World Championship Record in both events, mirroring the said World Records. The sprint Legend, who to my mind, is the unquestionable G.O.A.T., has broken the 100m World Record on three occasions within a twelve-month timeline and the 200m twice within same. These feats were achieved at 2....

01 August 2022

Noah Lyles record breaking 200m performance 19.31

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By O'Neil A Reid

After having somewhat of an average season and being overshadowed by fellow American Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles used the 200m finals at the Oregon World Championship as his own coming out party. The twenty-five-year-old who was heralded as the next great American 200m specialist following the exploits of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, clocked a scintillating 19.31 seconds to win the men’s 200m finals on home soil. Lyles’s 19.31 performance now places him in third place on the all-time list behind the Jamaican duo of Bolt (19.19) and Yohan Blake (19.26). Loaded field Facing a loaded field that included teen sensation Erriyon Knighton, Kenny Bednarek, Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh, Dominica Republic Alexander Ogando, Trinidad and Tobago’s Jeremey Richards, Canada’s Arron Brown, and South Africa’s Lobolo Adams, Lyles entered the final with a lifetime best 19.50 which he established in 2019 and a season best 19.61 th....