Hardly anyone guessed how quickly the dominance of sprinting could be shaken in post-Usain Bolt Jamaica. The success of the island kingdom in the next few years will depend on field sports, says journalist Atte Husu.
Atte Husu Sports journalist
Usain BoltJamaica and sprinting.
For several years, this combination was considered the holy trinity of athletics.
When Bolt’s reign began at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Jamaica achieved the country’s best medal haul at the Games up to that point, 11 medals. The success of the reggae nation continued in the following five ring games in London and Rio de Janeiro. In them, the general athletes won a total of 24 medals.
Bolt’s career ended at the World Championships in London 2017. Between 2008 and 2017, the island nation’s track and field athletes won 72 Olympic or World Championship medals, of which no less than 70 were the handiwork of sprinters.
Sprinting has been able to maintain its position as the number one sport in Jamaican athletics even after the Bolt era, but the situation may soon be different.
The puck men in a frenzy
Currently, 23 Jamaican track and field athletes are among the top ten in the world statistics of their sport. 11 of them play sports in field sports.
The successful sport of sprinting has seen a dramatic change.
During Bolt’s time, there were at best six Jamaican men in the top 10 of the 100 meters. Now there is only one of them, a 21-year-old Akeem Blake.
The island nation’s strongest sports are elsewhere.
At this point in the summer, Jamaica’s level is at its highest in women’s 400-meter hurdles and men’s discus throw. In these sports, the country has three athletes in the top ten of the world statistics.
Jamaican hockey players Roje Stona, Frederick Dacres and Traves Smikle have exceeded 68 meters, which is unmatched in recent history.
Before this year, only the United States and the Soviet Union had had three throwers over 68 meters in a calendar year. The Soviet Union succeeded in this last time, in 1988.
The level of Jamaican discus throwing is not limited to Stona, Dacres and Smikle. Behind them, a 21-year-old Brandon Lloyd has thrown 65.32 in the current season. In addition, five other throwers have reached over 60 meters.
The outlook for the future is strong, as five of the ten best Jamaicans were born in the 2000s, and the number one player Stonak in 1999.
A rare world statistic
Jamaica’s top three have received a tough scrimmage, considering their level, in a surprisingly calm manner.
Slovenia has taken care of that Kristjan Čehof Sweden Daniel StåhlLithuania Mykolas AleknaAustria Lukas Weißhaidinger and Samoa Alex Rosewho have thrown a two-kilogram game tool over the ghost line of 70 meters this summer.
The last time more than one thrower broke 70 meters in the same season was exactly 40 years ago. When the big lap throwers arrived in Helsinki in August 1983 to celebrate the first World Cup medals in history, no less than seven throwers were found on the starting list, whose statistical results started to stagnate.
At that time, Jamaica did not have a single discus thrower, at least not found in the statistics.
A quick ascent to the top
Discus throwing is a unique athletics sport in the sense that its competitors crave a headwind for their throws. On the other hand, it is not often offered in large stadiums, so top results are rarely seen in prestigious competitions.
For example, the German puck miracle Lars Riedel won an incredible five world championships in the 1990s, but was never able to break the 70-meter barrier at the World Championships. Also during Riedel’s time, the Jamaicans were conspicuous by their absence.
The first stoppage in the World Cup history was finally tied by Lithuania Virgilius Aleknain Helsinki in 2005.
Two years later in Osaka, two eras of Jamaican athletics began: Bolt won his first senior championship medal, a silver in the 200m, and About Jason Morgan became the first Jamaican in World Cup history to spin in the puck ring. Morgan finished last in the qualifier with a result of 55.32.
Bolt finally broke through a year later at the Beijing Olympics, but the first Jamaican Olympic representative in discus had to wait until the 2012 London Games.
At the time, hardly anyone could predict that in 2023 puckmen would be in the spotlight. When Jamaica is currently considering medal chances at the World Championships in August, Bolt’s heirs are on the sidelines.
You can discuss the topic on 30.6. until 11 p.m. Tunnus is required for commenting.