Becca: Jamaica through and through

[Karl]

Jamaica through and through
published: Sunday | August 31, 2008


Tony Becca, Consukting Editor

THE OLYMPIC Games in Beijing are over and Jamaicans are still walking on cloud nine.

With 11 medals, including six gold and three world records, victories in the men's and women's 100 and 200 metres races, and a one-two-two finish among the many great performances, Beijing undoubtedly represented the greatest perfor-mance in the history of the country's sport and the planned welcome, the celebration, is richly deserved.

In doing its thing, however, in showing its appreciation of the athletes' grand performance, the government should be careful, and it should be careful for two reasons.

Jamaica through and through

[Mosiah]

In all this reflection, one name that has not been mentioned is Marilyn Neufville. I remember when I first started paying attention to T&F, Marilyn Neufville was right up there with Don Quarrie as one of our local heroes. She first competed for Britain, then switched to represent the country of her birth, Jamaica.

She held the 400m world record at the tender age of 17 and her UK junior indoor record still stands in Britain. She remains the only Jamaican woman to set an outdoor world record. I believe Merlene Ottey set an indoor world record for the 200m back in the day. Neufville's record was broken by eastern European women, just when they started to win everything due to their heavy drug usage.

Despite her early greatness, Neufville debuted in the Olympics at age 24, but was ravaged by injury.

Why have we forgotten Marilyn? Karl, yuh nuh memba har?

Check this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Neufville

[Exile]

Yes, very well...wore this ugly glasses....she was good.

[Willi]

She was great.

Injuries got the better of her though.

[Mosiah]

Yes, I remember the glasses. Was it style or for very bad eyesight? Looked thick like a Coca-Cola bottle!

[Mosiah]

Came across this pic on the Net



Marilyn Neufville

• by Central Press
• License image at | reference: 3200851
• Next image

12th July 1971: Carrying her sports blazer, world record breaking runner Marilyn Neufville waits at Heathrow Airport, London. She is on her way to Jamaica to re-establish her residential status there so that she can represent that country in the 1972 Olympic Games. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

[Mosiah]

From dem time deh wi a wear di Puma!

www.jamd.com/image/g/53301321

[Islandman]

Marilyn Neufville world record at Commonwealth games at about 1:35 .

I never saw this clip before. Mosiah thanks for reminding us, I completely forgot about her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgpPWnAwiM4

[Mosiah]

Great find, I-Man!!! Wonderful stuff!

We really need to remember this woman. Look at how she gapped the field! I believe she is still alive and we must remember her when he reflect on all our athletic achievements. Certainly, the fact that she doesn't have an Olympic medal shouldn't be the reason why we kicked her to the curb. Asafa, another GREAT Jamaican athlete might end up Olympic medal-less too, and we have no problem bigging him up.

(Marilyn could have won a relay medal too if we had a semblance of a team!)

[Exile]

Asafa has an Olympic gold Sir..in WR time.

[Mosiah]

See the last sentence of my post.

[Exile]

I don't read the fineprint...I have people like Gamma to to do that.

[Gamma]

wha di.....??