1996 question..

[Twan]

can someone tell me what transpired at the 96 oly with Jamaica's women 4x100 relay team....was someone injured and still ran..

[Historian]

This is What Transpired

can someone tell me what transpired at the 96 oly with Jamaica's women 4x100 relay team....was someone injured and still ran..

I just saw your post.

In 1996 (Atlanta) our curve runner Nikole Mitchell had a pulled hamstring (or some injury of the sort) about 10 meters from Merlene Ottey. The very courageous Nikole nevertheless ran/limped to Ottey, who got the baton safely, but behind several other anchor runners.

Ottey then ran what is, to this day, the fastest anchor leg that I’ve ever seen run by a woman! She managed to overtake Russia’s Irina Privalova, but could not catch the Bahamas’ Pauline Davis or the USA’s Gwen Torrence. The USA got gold, the Bahamas silver and Jamaica the bronze.

In my opinion Jamaica lost hope of getting the gold medal during the backstretch where the USA’s Gail Devers dominated Juliet Cuthbert. Also, this was the race that brought the Bahamas 4x100-meter relay team to prominence (the Bahamian women would later win back-to-back gold medals at the 1999 IAAF World Championships in Seville and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney).

The Jamaican team was made up of the hurdler Michelle Freeman on first leg, Juliet Cuthbert on backstretch, Nikole Mitchell on curve and Merlene Ottey on anchor. We got third in 42. 24 seconds.

[TDowl]

I saw this question on FB, and it seems to center around athletes who knows they are carrying injury, who do not voluntary give up their individual or relay spots.

You may have drawn out that person on third leg, guest who post that?

[Historian]

Well, well, well

I saw this question on FB, and it seems to center around athletes who knows they are carrying injury, who do not voluntary give up their individual or relay spots.

You may have drawn out that person on third leg, guest who post that?

Dowl, I can’t even begin to guess! Likewise, I know nothing about the circumstances behind the FB post you’re referring to. In fact, I didn’t even think that this might have been a loaded question when I saw Twan’s post here!

I would hate to think that Twan is not been sincere in his question but rather, is carrying sh!t on to this forum!!

I did not make an effort to discuss any background to that 1996 relay. I simply stated what in fact happened on the track after the starter’s gun had been fired.

So, what I do know is that my description above is exactly what happened. I have that race on both videotape and DVD, and you can distinctly see Nikole limping in painfully to hand over the baton to Merlene. And like I stated above, I thought that what Nikole did was very courageous (something like what our injured athlete -- was it Deandra Whitehorne? -- did in the girl’s 4x100-meter at the 2011 Carifta Games when she passed the baton despite being injured and thereby ensuring that Jamaica got the Carifta gold medal and the record).

[Twan]

Dowl, I can’t even begin to guess! Likewise, I know nothing about the circumstances behind the FB post you’re referring to. In fact, I didn’t even think that this might have been a loaded question when I saw Twan’s post here!

I would hate to think that Twan is not been sincere in his question but rather, is carrying sh!t on to this forum!!

I did not make an effort to discuss any background to that 1996 relay. I simply stated what in fact happened on the track after the starter’s gun had been fired.

So, what I do know is that my description above is exactly what happened. I have that race on both videotape and DVD, and you can distinctly see Nikole limping in painfully to hand over the baton to Merlene. And like I stated above, I thought that what Nikole did was very courageous (something like what our injured athlete -- was it Deandra Whitehorne? -- did in the girl’s 4x100-meter at the 2011 Carifta Games when she passed the baton despite being injured and thereby ensuring that Jamaica got the Carifta gold medal and the record).

HISTORIAN....what ******** am i carrying on ?

[Historian]

Was just wondering

HISTORIAN....what ******** am i carrying on ?

I don’t know, boss. I was concerned with what TDowl said above, and so I began to wonder if you really wanted to know what happened in 1996 or if it was a trick question you got from FB.

No hard feelings, I hope.

[Twan]

I saw a comment about the race, and I asked a bona fide question....

You gave me a great synopsis of the actual race..Thanks!

there seems that someone was injured prior to the race and that was an issue.

[Willi]

No one was injured prior to the race!