Not sure why they say it was once a staple, it is a mainstay of Jamaican diet.
Smh. Here we go again….these people never stop!
Other countries in the Caribbean and elsewhere also produce fast runners! The primary difference is the emphasis given on the sprints in Jamaica’s high school system, culminating in the annual high school nationals (Boys & Girls Champs). In the Caribbean, the large Jamaican population -- combined with the sprinting emphasis in schools -- also gives Jamaica a distinct advantage.
Other countries also have fast runners! In the Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago, the Bahamas, Grenada, and St. Kitts & Nevis are now producing world-class athletes as well. (To cite just one example, look at the performance of the St. Kitts & Nevis men in the recent 4x200-meter relay at the IAAF World Relays.)
We in Jamaica have been experiencing phenomenal sprinting success at the senior level particularly since the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Prior to that, we only occasionally won global gold medals; for example, after the Olympic Games success of 1952 we did not win a single other Olympic gold medal until the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Then, it was a 20-year painful wait between Quarrie’s 1976 victory and Deon Hemmings’ 1996 Olympic Games gold. I guess the breadfruit was not around then?
How long will our sprinting supremacy at the senior level last is anybody’s guess.
Historian. I am sorry. You have me to blame on this, I just thought it was another funny reason on why Jamaicans are so fast!
Even funnier is if you have to eat yampie, breadfruit and green banana to get fast then we are going to dominate forever.
Believe it or not, I do have a well-developed sense of humor, Stoni my friend. This time my sense of humor let me down (lol) as I didn’t realize you were simply making light-hearted comments.
Prior to reading your reply above, I was going to add that the work of visionaries like Dennis Johnson and MVP’s Stephen “Franno” Francis was also a game changer. Then, we later had the outstanding results from the male athletes at Racers Club.
Actually, the appearance of the immensely talented but much-maligned Asafa Powell marked a positive turning point in Jamaican sprinting, much like what Merlene Ottey did in the late 1980s!
Stoni, don’t be surprised if our (that is, Jamaica’s) dominance as a sprint power doesn’t begin to decline soon. The Commonwealth Games begin in a few days from now, and so we’ll see.
And speaking of the Commonwealth Games, I expect great things from our netballers, following up on our women’s recent Caribbean Basketball victory.
Haha, funny stuff, when Jamaican women netballers win something call me, I am not expecting any calls ever. Sprint dominance is a strong concept, I am more than happy with sprint competitiveness, dominance of anything doesn't last very long.
Haha, funny stuff, when Jamaican women netballers win something call me, I am not expecting any calls ever. Sprint dominance is a strong concept, I am more than happy with sprint competitiveness, dominance of anything doesn't last very long.
Our netballers have been performing impressively, more than our soccer players, bobsledders, swimmers, volleyball players, etc.
Stoni, my friend, I will defend our netball players forever! Have you ever checked out their results against other national teams? Yes, admittedly, our ladies still need to beat Australia and New Zealand, and we only occasionally beat England, but we are consistently right up there!!
Wi lucky netball is a commonwealth ting. Call mi when Germany and USA start tek it serious.
Interesting point!
Now, Mosiah, you call me when the WORLD begins to take seriously the popular USA sports of baseball and softball. Just in case you didn’t realize, both baseball and softball were not so long ago dropped as Olympic Games sports!!
A recent effort to get them re-installed turned out to be a failure! So, who the hell cares if the USA and Germany take netball seriously!!
By the way, there is the small matter of American football, one of the most popular sports in the USA.
Love the net ballers but good grief can we beat the Australians and Kiwis in an important game. Call me when they do that, tired of seeing them beat up Trinidad etc oh hold on maybe not Trinidad I actually enjoy that.
Lest we forget, T&T was once world champions in netball, something we have never accomplished!
You are correct, Mo. In fact, I sometimes reflect on this fact, especially when I see how vastly superior our netballers are today compared to Trinidad. In the final analysis you and Stoni are correct: our netballers have, to a great extent, disappointed (almost as much as our Reggae Girlz soccer teams, who win everything -- as long as its Caribbean).
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