Jamaica was third overall and, as expected, led the Caribbean charge in a total 18 medal-haul for the region at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Qatar, Doha 2019, the games that decide global sports supremacy between Olympics.
Jamaica copped 12 medals that placed it third among the 31 countries that medalled, falling behind the United States at first place with 29, and Kenya second with 11.
Though Jamaica’s total was more than that of Kenya, the African nation pipped the Caribbean powerhouse by having five gold medals to three for the regional stars.
Along with the three golds Jamaica registered five silver medals, and four in bronze.
The Cubans, 12th overall, took home three medals, one each of gold silver and bronze.
The Bahamas at 15th overall had one gold and one silver.
Grenada at 17th overall had one gold.
The indomitable Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce ran 10.71 seconds in the 100 metres dash to claim the first of her country’s golds. This is the fourth time that Fraser-Pryce beat the field for a World championships gold.
The 32-year-old said after the race, “my secret is just staying humble and just know who you are as a person and athlete and just continue to work hard”.
The diminutive sprinting powerhouse then joined colleagues Natalliah Whyte, Jonielle Smith and Shericka Jackson to destroy a star-studded field to win the Women’s 4X100 gold.
Competing in his first World Championships, Tajay Gayle broke Jamaica’s national record with a leap of 8.69 metres in the long jump, the longest leap with a legal wind in the world for 10 years to round off the island’s three golds.
Cuba’s Yaime Perez emerged as a model in persistence as despite winning nothing in her three previous championship appearances in the discus throw. She threw for 69.17 metres to best the field for the island’s lone gold.
The Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner managed to put out of mind his country’s recent destruction by Hurricane Dorian for at least 43.48 seconds to win the men’s 400 metres. That gold-winning time set a new Bahamas national record.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters shocked observers with an 86.89 javelin throw to best a field of world stars and earn the island’s lone gold.
The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported Championships head coach, Maurice Wilson, saying that the Caribbean athletics lead country has, “proven to the world that we are not only a global power in track, but in track and field. We are a global power because we have garnered final positions in different disciplines, the 800m, the short sprints, the throws, the jumps, we could not ask for more in terms of all-round performance from our athletes.”
