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The heart of champions
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Everyone who watched yesterday's men's 4x400m final at the 14th IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, would have come away with one conclusion — that young Mr Javon Francis has heart.
His performance on the anchor leg of the four-lap event was, to say the least, awesome. It was, indeed, the stuff of which champions are made. For having received the baton in fifth place, Mr Francis — just 18 years old and competing in his first major international event at the senior level — gave proof to the old adage, 'Fortune favours the brave', by sprinting past his competitors and holding off a Russian challenge to give Jamaica a silver medal on the line.
That, we believe, was the performance of the World Championships so far, and it gave Jamaica much cause to celebrate, because we have not tasted success in this event for some years now.
But even more important is the significance that this performance holds for the future of quarter-mile sprinting in Jamaica.
Mr Francis and his teammates — Messrs Edino Steele, Rusheen McDonald, and Omar Johnson, who was a late replacement for the injured Mr Javere Bell who competed in the semi-finals — have displayed the type of talent that we hope will be nurtured and developed.
Producing great 400m athletes, we hold, would be a fitting tribute to Jamaican track heroes Messrs Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, George Rhoden, and Leslie Laing, who smashed the 4x400m world record to take the gold medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Of course, we could not complete this commentary without offering additional congratulations to Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who became the first Jamaican woman, and the third in the world ever, to win the sprint double at the World Championships.
Her dominant performance in the 200m final yesterday was expected, as she has exhibited the type of form at these games that is simply unbeatable.
On Tuesday this week we stated in this space that Mrs Fraser-Pryce — by her accomplishments, form and sheer grit — has placed herself as a contender for the title of the best Jamaican female sprinter of all time.
We made that observation despite our acknowledgement, and acceptance, that Ms Merlene Ottey and Mrs Veronica Campbell Brown, are themselves great athletes.
Yesterday, Mrs Fraser-Pryce gave strength to our argument as she won the half-lap event convincingly from among another quality field.
Again, we offer Mrs Fraser-Pryce our congratulations and extend best wishes for a speedy recovery to Ms Allyson Felix of the United States who, unfortunately, suffered a hamstring injury early in the race.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...#ixzz2cQmJKfq0
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Everyone who watched yesterday's men's 4x400m final at the 14th IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, would have come away with one conclusion — that young Mr Javon Francis has heart.
His performance on the anchor leg of the four-lap event was, to say the least, awesome. It was, indeed, the stuff of which champions are made. For having received the baton in fifth place, Mr Francis — just 18 years old and competing in his first major international event at the senior level — gave proof to the old adage, 'Fortune favours the brave', by sprinting past his competitors and holding off a Russian challenge to give Jamaica a silver medal on the line.
That, we believe, was the performance of the World Championships so far, and it gave Jamaica much cause to celebrate, because we have not tasted success in this event for some years now.
But even more important is the significance that this performance holds for the future of quarter-mile sprinting in Jamaica.
Mr Francis and his teammates — Messrs Edino Steele, Rusheen McDonald, and Omar Johnson, who was a late replacement for the injured Mr Javere Bell who competed in the semi-finals — have displayed the type of talent that we hope will be nurtured and developed.
Producing great 400m athletes, we hold, would be a fitting tribute to Jamaican track heroes Messrs Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, George Rhoden, and Leslie Laing, who smashed the 4x400m world record to take the gold medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Of course, we could not complete this commentary without offering additional congratulations to Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who became the first Jamaican woman, and the third in the world ever, to win the sprint double at the World Championships.
Her dominant performance in the 200m final yesterday was expected, as she has exhibited the type of form at these games that is simply unbeatable.
On Tuesday this week we stated in this space that Mrs Fraser-Pryce — by her accomplishments, form and sheer grit — has placed herself as a contender for the title of the best Jamaican female sprinter of all time.
We made that observation despite our acknowledgement, and acceptance, that Ms Merlene Ottey and Mrs Veronica Campbell Brown, are themselves great athletes.
Yesterday, Mrs Fraser-Pryce gave strength to our argument as she won the half-lap event convincingly from among another quality field.
Again, we offer Mrs Fraser-Pryce our congratulations and extend best wishes for a speedy recovery to Ms Allyson Felix of the United States who, unfortunately, suffered a hamstring injury early in the race.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...#ixzz2cQmJKfq0