We are now well and truly underway in the 2023 track and field season, with various national trials for the upcoming World Championships in Budapest in August, commencing in a couple weeks. By this time we have had several meets at various levels, ranging from the small track club invitational to the Diamond League level, and thus have had several chances to see who are emerging as the favorites’ in various disciplines. Jamaican sprinting seems to be on the up again, even with many of the nation’s standout performers so far this season being in the field events.
On the men’s side, the 100m resurgence seems to continue to slowly progress, led by the joint 4th fastest man in the world this year; Ackeem Blake at 9.89. The man considered Jamaica’s top sprinter, Oblique Seville (9.95) has ran more sparingly so far this year but has looked excellent in each outing. Sadly, after that, only recently minted National junior record holder Nkrumie has broken 10 seconds(9.99), and he has only recently started his recovery from an injury suffered at the CARIFTA games. The relay team therefore does not look too promising, as Yohan Blake continues to try to fight a futile battle against father time. It is not all doom and gloom however, as a second schoolboy standout, Deandre Daley, just recently ran a new PB of 10.08, competing against senior athletes for the first time and is certainly one to watch. Beyond that however, there sadly seems to be little to no hope of any other Jamaican male sprint medalist in the flats as of yet. Our only threat over 200m, Andrew Hudson, has raced sparingly thus far in 2023, but his PB of 19.87 set late last year should at least see him able to make the final. Sean Bailey, a cousin of the legendary Veronica Campbell-Brown is currently the 7th fastest 400m runner in the world, but after such a breakthrough performance, simply an appearance in the final would be an excellent result. There is hope however, in the sprint hurdles. Jamaica has a lot of strength in depth, even without former world champion Omar Mcleod and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Ronald Levy on the scene over the past couple of seasons. Newly crowned NCAA champion Phillip Lemonius will be looking to join Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, and the consistently excellent Rasheed Broadbell on the plane to Budapest. Giano Roberts, the runner up to Lemonius in the NCAA final, is also Jamaican. Look for Broadbell to possibly break Omar Mcleod’s Jamaican record of 12.90 seconds this year. He is in excellent form and ran 13.08 into a gale force headwind at the Rabat Diamond League earlier this year, beating a star-studded field. Finally, in the men’s 400m hurdles, Jaheel Hyde is a finalist from last year, and would do well to make the final in this golden age for the event, with a personal best outside of 48 seconds. Assinie Wilson is one of two talented upstarts in the Jamaican camp, impressively breaking 49 seconds for the first time this year. However for him, a semi final exit would probably be a good season. The other of the upstarts is the one with the biggest potential for a Jamaican spot in the final. Roshawn Clarke recently tied the world u20 record in the event with a time of 47.85 when beating Hyde and Wilson to become Jamaican champion. He is only the second Jamaican male to break 48 seconds, after national record holder Winthrop Graham, who set the record of 47.60 all the way back in 1993. Look for Clarke to make the final and potentially break Graham’s record, if not challenge for a medal as well.
On the women’s side, the 100m remains extremely deep and talented, even if not as much as in the previous couple years. Five time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has had an injury hit season, but says she is in good shape ahead of her 100m season opener and should at the very least make the podium. Shericka Jackson has lowered her PB to 10.65 this season and is also a favorite to medal. Sadly, the chances of a third successive sweep seem very unlikely as the third member of the triple threat, Elaine Thompson-Herah, has had an even more injury hit season than Fraser-Pryce, and is yet to break 11 seconds. Shashalee Forbes, and Natasha Morrison however, have run 10.9 this season and have outside chances of making the final. The 200m is not as deep, as only Jackson seems to have a real shot at medaling, muchless making the final, as Fraser-Pryce seems increasingly unlikely to contest the distance. In both the 100m and 400m hurdles, Jamaica has a very strong presence and should have multiple finalists in both. With the 400m hurdles being more open this year with the seemingly unbeatable Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone opting for the 400m flat, Jamaica has 4 of the top 10 runners this year in Shiann Salmon, Janieve Russell, Andrenette Knight and Rushell Clayton. Whichever three make the Jamaican team are likely to make the global final and challenge for a minor medal at the very least. The 100m hurdles are a bit more open, but as with the 400m hurdles, whichever three athletes make the team are good candidates to make the final, and that’s without the new national record holder and last year’s global silver medalist Britany Anderson, who will miss the season due to injury. Danielle Williams, Ackera Nugent and Megan Tapper are expected to make the team. Finally, in the flat 400m, Jamaica seems to be undergoing a slight changing of the guard, with most of their medalists from previous relay squads either retiring, or in bad form. In fact, no Jamaican woman has broken 50 seconds this year, and only two have broken 51, namely the reliable Candace McLeod, and the upcoming Nickisha Pryce. Charokee Young, another upcoming 400m runner, broke 50 seconds last year but has had a difficult season thus far, and has yet to rediscover the previous year’s form.
Jamaica should still expect 5-10 medals from the sprints alone, so in conjunction with the field events, they should be right near the top of the medal table once again.