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We cannot live by (Pan Am) medals alone
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Much had been made in the media of the fact that Jamaica, up to Monday, had not yet medalled from competition in these 15th Pan American Games underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The one medal Jamaica achieved up to then was that awarded to welterweight boxer, Ricardo Smith, who is assured of at least a bronze, under the rules of Amateur Boxing, because his Cuban opponent failed to show for their bout on Sunday. Smith was still in the running for a silver, if he beats Brazilian Pedro Lima, or even gold after that.
That perceived drought has, however, been broken by Maurice Smith's courageous gold-winning performance in the gruelling 10-event decathlon, for which we offer him, along with our silver and bronze medallists, our heartiest congratulations.
Of course, the expectation that Jamaica would have garnered more medals by this time in the competition shows how much we take it for granted that once we compete, we must come away with medals in any world games.
In a way, that often takes away from the sterling performances of our athletes who reach many finals but don't win a medal. In this case, one good example is Miss Alia Atkinson, our national swimming sensation who ended the meet without silverware, as they say.
But that would not have been the full story. Miss Atkinson, the seven-time 2005 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games gold medallist, reached three finals in Brazil. This is by no means anything to scoff at.
The reality though is that Jamaica has not done well traditionally at non-track events, and these (track events): are just starting in Brazil. We expect to shine on the track, no less than in previous Pan American Games, for which we have 104 medals to show - not counting the most recent one - and a ranking of 11th overall among the 40-odd countries which take part in the Games.
Naturally, Jamaica entered the 15th Pan American Games with great plans. We took the largest contingent among the English-speaking Caribbean, with 175 persons - just over 60 per cent being athletes - participating in 11 disciplines. We boast teams in mens and women's football and women's basketball; and representatives in boxing, badminton, taekwondo, swimming, tennis, equestrian, cycling and track and field where, as customary, the most medals are expected.
It could, conceivably, be argued that our expectation of medals comes from the rich heritage established by our great athletes over the years, and being continued by the current group. Perhaps this is a time to mention Herb McKenzie, Arthur Wint, Les Laing, George Rhoden, Donald Quarrie and Merlene Ottey, among the impressive constellation of athletic stars produced by this country.
And there is every reason to expect that this legacy will continue, with current successes like Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson, Tricia Smith, Usain Bolt and Michael Frater at the top of the long list.
The under-20 football team has already made history by qualifying for the finals of the Games. By beating Mexico, they have also shown that they are no fluxe and that we could come away with a nice medal. Very importantly, that also says a lot about our future in football.
The point of this editorial? That yes, we have every reason to expect great things of our athletes, but that we should not measure everything by the medal count. In other words, we cannot live by medals alone.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Much had been made in the media of the fact that Jamaica, up to Monday, had not yet medalled from competition in these 15th Pan American Games underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The one medal Jamaica achieved up to then was that awarded to welterweight boxer, Ricardo Smith, who is assured of at least a bronze, under the rules of Amateur Boxing, because his Cuban opponent failed to show for their bout on Sunday. Smith was still in the running for a silver, if he beats Brazilian Pedro Lima, or even gold after that.
That perceived drought has, however, been broken by Maurice Smith's courageous gold-winning performance in the gruelling 10-event decathlon, for which we offer him, along with our silver and bronze medallists, our heartiest congratulations.
Of course, the expectation that Jamaica would have garnered more medals by this time in the competition shows how much we take it for granted that once we compete, we must come away with medals in any world games.
In a way, that often takes away from the sterling performances of our athletes who reach many finals but don't win a medal. In this case, one good example is Miss Alia Atkinson, our national swimming sensation who ended the meet without silverware, as they say.
But that would not have been the full story. Miss Atkinson, the seven-time 2005 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games gold medallist, reached three finals in Brazil. This is by no means anything to scoff at.
The reality though is that Jamaica has not done well traditionally at non-track events, and these (track events): are just starting in Brazil. We expect to shine on the track, no less than in previous Pan American Games, for which we have 104 medals to show - not counting the most recent one - and a ranking of 11th overall among the 40-odd countries which take part in the Games.
Naturally, Jamaica entered the 15th Pan American Games with great plans. We took the largest contingent among the English-speaking Caribbean, with 175 persons - just over 60 per cent being athletes - participating in 11 disciplines. We boast teams in mens and women's football and women's basketball; and representatives in boxing, badminton, taekwondo, swimming, tennis, equestrian, cycling and track and field where, as customary, the most medals are expected.
It could, conceivably, be argued that our expectation of medals comes from the rich heritage established by our great athletes over the years, and being continued by the current group. Perhaps this is a time to mention Herb McKenzie, Arthur Wint, Les Laing, George Rhoden, Donald Quarrie and Merlene Ottey, among the impressive constellation of athletic stars produced by this country.
And there is every reason to expect that this legacy will continue, with current successes like Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson, Tricia Smith, Usain Bolt and Michael Frater at the top of the long list.
The under-20 football team has already made history by qualifying for the finals of the Games. By beating Mexico, they have also shown that they are no fluxe and that we could come away with a nice medal. Very importantly, that also says a lot about our future in football.
The point of this editorial? That yes, we have every reason to expect great things of our athletes, but that we should not measure everything by the medal count. In other words, we cannot live by medals alone.
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