Jamaican Women in London - My Predictions

In my last post I dealt with the men’s sprints, hurdles and relay predictions for London 2012, and with the start of track and field now underway, in this piece I will provide my thoughts and ideas as to how I believe the spoils will be shared amongst the women competing at the games of the 30^th Olympiad.

Only in a Jamaican context can a women’s squad more than double the medal haul of their male counterparts and the men get more fame, glory and adoration. In Beijing 2008 the Jamaican women contingent won 8 medals – 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze yet the men were the heroes… sorry let me rephrase that; ‘Bolt’ was the hero.  
While this may have been a justified phenomenon given the magnitude of Bolt’s performances, our women were scintillating in Beijing and deserve equal billing to their male counterparts full stop!!!

Just to refresh your memory and give you something to think about, here is how their medals were tallied.

100m - Shelly-Ann Fraser – 10.78 – Gold, 

100m - Kerron Stewart – 10.98 - Silver

100m - Sherone Simpson – 10.98 – Silver.

200m – Veronica Campbell – 21.74 – Gold

200m - Kerron Stewart – 22.00 – Bronze

400m – Shericka Williams – 49.69 – Silver

400mh – Melaine Walker – 52.64 – Gold

4x400m – S. Williams S. Lloyd R. Whyte & N. Williams-Mills – 3:20.40 - Bronze

When you think that Jamaica has a population of 2.75m people, there is no other Country in the world of comparable size that can boast these medal credentials on the global stage and if I didn’t personally and publicly acknowledged our ladies for the astonishing performances of Beijing, please forgive me, I too was caught up in the Bolt of lightening that struck the globe and has distracted us ever since.

In my male prediction last week I felt Jamaica will better its medal count from three to eight, guess what though, I also think the women will out do them yet again. Here is how I see the medals sharing in the sprints, hurdles and relays.

Women 100m

Many like me have ranked Veronica Campbell-Brown as one of the all-time best sprinters to have graced the track, her championship resume is impeccable but her team mate and defending Olympic and World Champion is stockpiling her own list of championship performances that has earned her the nick-name ‘pocket rocket”.  Include Kerron Stewart, Carmelita Jeter, Allyson Felix, Kelly-Ann Baptiste and we have a super Olympic final in the making. 
The rocket pockets another Olympic gold medal beating VCB and Jeter into second and third respectively.

Gold - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - Jam

Silver - Veronica Campbell-Brown - Jam

Bronze - Carmelita Jeter - USA

Women’s 200m

The big question in this event is whether or not Veronica Campbell-Brown is fit enough to become a three time Olympic champion at this event or will two time silver medalist Allyson Felix finally step atop the medal podium. Going by the early season form of both ladies, it is hard to pick against Allyson having run 21.69 at the US Trials. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sanya Richards-Ross and Carmelita Jeter will make the medal chase very interesting. 
I think Allyson ends her long chase for the Gold medal in this event and Shelly-Ann wins her second medal of these games.

Gold - Allyson Felix - USA

Silver - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - Jam

Bronze - Veronica Campbell-Brown - Jam

Women’s 400m

When Amantle Montsho won this event last summer in Daegu, it rounded out pretty much an unbeaten season, a season where one of the world’s premier quarter-milers – Sanya Richards-Ross just didn’t seem to be able to get it right. Fast-forward to this season and Sanya can’t seem to do any wrong. Add to that the return to form of Olympic Champion Christine Ohurougu, Novelene Williams-Mills and the Russian pair of Anastasia Kapachinskaya and Antonina Krivoshapka and we should have a tight finish first through sixth. Defending Olympic champion Ohurougu will be finishing fast but Sanya crowns herself in Olympic glory, while Williams-Mills beats Montsho to the silver medal.

Gold - Sanya Richards-Ross - USA

Silver - Novelene Williams-Mills - Jam

Bronze - Amantle Montsho - Bot

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Ever so often there are a few events at the Olympic games that you can all but write the winners name on the medal and wait to play their national anthem and that’s that!!! Sally Pearson of Australia has put herself in that awesome position and unless something catastrophic happens the Gold medal should be hers to lose. Let me hasten to add a caveat to the above, this is an obstacle event and anything can happen at anytime; Dawn Harper the defending Olympic champion and Kelli Wells both of the USA must not be messed with and could upset if Pearson stumbles.

Gold - Sally Pearson - Aus

Silver - Dawn Harper - USA

Bronze - Kelli Wells - USA

Women’s 400m Hurdles

This is the hardest event to predict this year, most of the ladies been running half masked all year long, kind of playing hide and seek waiting to see who is going to show first. Well all the fun are over let the games begin. Melaine Walker, Kaliese Spencer, Lashinda Demus, Peri Shakes-Drayton, Natalya Antyuhk forms the crème of the crop and it should be a dandy of a race in the finals.

Walker is my choice for the gold medal and I have a real sneaky feeling Spencer will be right there for the silver. Shakes-Drayton and Demus will battle for the bronze.

Gold - Melaine Walker - Jam

Silver - Kaliese Spencer - Jam

Bronze - Peri Shakes-Drayton - GBR

Women’s 4x100m Relay

In 2008, Jamaica had arguably a team that might have re-written history as the first women’s team to run sub 41 seconds but as the saying goes with relays, the stick must get around the track.  This time around, if the stick does get around both the US and Jamaica could go under 41 seconds.

Gold - Jamaica

Silver - USA

Bronze - GER

Women’s 4x400m Relay

Newspaper Headline: “Sanya anchors USA to Victory in Women’s 4x400m relay!!!”

Gold - USA

Silver - Jam

Bronze - Russia

Well those are my picks all of nine (9) medals for the Jamaican ladies, which is one (1) more than Beijing. Enjoy the games it’s already been awesome!!!

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Will Bolt Re-Write History...?

The euphoria of the games of the 30^th Olympiad is upon us and it seem like it was only yesterday the Jamaican athletes were the toasts of Beijing, China and Usain Bolt was the emperor of the world, winning the men’s 100m thumping his chest a good 20 meters before crossing the finish line in world record time – 9.69secs, and in equally emphatic style, erasing Michael Johnson’s 12 year old 200m – 19.32 with a new world record 19.30. Before the games of the games were done, Bolt had teamed up with Nester Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell to rewrite yet another record in the sprint relays.

In between then and now, Bolt has beaten those records and just about all who dear to challenge him… save and except for one loss to Tyson Gay in 2010, a false start in 2011 and two losses to Yohan Blake earlier this year, he has been Mr. Untouchable!

Jamaica’s other gold medalists from the Bird Nest in Beijing, China were; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Melaine Walker along with the sprint relay team are all back and ready for more glory and the opportunity to pour salt on the open wound of the US sprinters… for those who have never tried the salt thing, it burns!!!

So onto London 2012, where the Jamaicans have been the buzz in Birmingham since arriving for their camp at the University of Birmingham, and there has been much talk about this team’s ability to better the 11 medals from Beijing to a possible 16 medals… at least by my count anyway. Let’s examine where I think the medals will come from:

Men’s 100m

Considered the most nerve-racking event of the entire Olympic games, this event will set London Bridge ablaze with the sparks that will fly from the sparks off the track. By his own standards, Bolt has had an average season thus far but by the sounds of it (coming from his camp) all appears to be well again in Bolt-Land. Not too far away though, Yohan “The Beast” Blake, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Justin Gatlin, Christophe Lemaitre and Ricardo Thompson will all be licking their chops having smelled Bolt’s blood in the water.

It is my opinion that Blake, Gay and Powell are good enough to upstage Bolt if things are not quite right in Bolt-Land, but that’s a big IF and Powell is yet to prove his mettle in championship events under the bright lights while Gay will be flying like a freight train at the end but too late shall be his cry, Bolt defends his Olympic crown and becomes only the second man since Carl Lewis (’84 & ’88) to do so.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 100m	Gold	Usain Bolt	JAM
	Silver	Tyson Gay	USA
	Bronze	Yohan Blake	JAM

Men’s 200m

Ever since September 2011 in Brussels when Yohan Blake ran an eye opening 19.26secs it’s quietly mumbled in some quarters that he will beat his much-vaunted training partner Bolt. Beyond these two, 19.8 appears to be the ceiling for everyone else in the event so it should be a battle royal between both to the tape assuming Blake shows up ready to repeat his astonishing feat in Brussels. Bolt completes the double and writes his name in the Olympic games history books forever, as the only man to have repeated as sprint double champion, Wallace Spearman rounds out the medal table with the bronze.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 200m	Gold	Usain Bolt	JAM
	Silver	Yohan Blake	JAM
	Bronze	Wallace Spearman	USA

Men’s 400m

Much respect must be paid to the defending Olympic champion Lashawn Merritt in this field with a PR of 43.75secs for the event; whether or not he is in that sort of shape this time around only time will tell. If he is not, the youngster out of Grenada – Kirani James is as raw and as hungry as they come with the upside of youth in his favor. Add into the mix Luguelin Santos – Dominica Republic, Jermaine Gonzalez – Jamaica, Dane Hyatt – Jamaica, Kevin Borlee – Belgium, Rondell Bartholomew – Grenada and Renny Quow – Trinidad & Tobago and this event stacks up nicely. Kirani James surprises Lashawn Merritt by hanging on in the straight with Gonzalez finishing fast for the bronze.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 400m	Gold	Kirani James	GRN
	Silver	LaShawn Merritt	USA
	Bronze	Jermaine Gonzalez	JAM

110m Hurdles

If all report to the games fit and ready to race, the top contenders Xiang – CHN, Robles – CUB, Merritt – USA and Richardson – USA should occupy the middle four lanes of the finals all things being equal. The other four lanes ought to have two Jamaicans – Riley and Parchment along with Andy Turner – GBR and Jeff Porter – USA. The 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang wins again beating Merritt and Richardson.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 110mH	Gold	Liu Xiang	CHN
	Silver	Aries Merritt	USA
	Bronze	Jason Richardson	USA

Men’s 400m Hurdles

In this event is quite possibly the only man that could upstage Bolt if he doubles by winning. Angelo Taylor if he pulls it off will be the only man in the modern Olympic era to win the same event three consecutive games. This field will be no brush over though with Javier Culson – PUR, David Green – GBR, Jacob Van Zyl – SA, Michael Tinsley – USA and Kerron Clement – USA a great race beckons. The Puerto Rican – Javier Culson spoils the party beating Taylor into second and Green the World Champion in to third.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 400mH	Gold	Javier Culson	PUR
	Silver	Angelo Taylor	USA
	Bronze	Dai Green	GBR

Men’s 4x100m Relay

Let me make this short and sweet… if the stick goes around the track, Jamaica wins hands down with USA second and the speedy soca boys from Trinidad third.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 4x100mR	Gold	Jamaica	JAM
	Silver	United States of America	USA
	Bronze	Trinidad & Tobago	T&T

Men’s 4x400m Relay

Equally sweet for the USA, even if the stick were to fall I still believe they could pick it up and still win; such is their depth at this event. Caribbean neighbors Jamaica and Bahamas share the medal spoils.

Event	Medal	Name	Country
Men's 4x400mR	Gold	United States of America	USA
	Silver	Jamaica	JAM
	Bronze	Bahamas	BAH

If my predictions prove correct, the Jamaican men would have improved from three (3) medals in Beijing to seven (7) in London, a massive improvement by any standard and a record haul our men at an Olympic games. Just to note, my brethren Teddy Bailey (find him on Facebook) did his own prediction and has Jamaica sweeping both the 100m and 200m for Men, and while I don’t share the same sentiment, it is possible.

Keep checking this spot for more insights on how I see the women performing in the same events.

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