Athletics in Jamaica - Chronology - Early 2000s

Early 2000s

There was a lot of controversy before the Millennium Olympics in Sydney which almost resulted in Jamaica being thrown out of the competition. The reason was that there were protests in the Olympic village because they believed Merlene Ottey had bullied herself into the team as she had finished fourth in the trials but made the team ahead of Peta-Gaye Dowdie who finished ahead of her in the trials. Jamaica won no gold medals at the 2000 Olympics but Lorraine Fenton in the 400 m, defending Olympic champion Deon Hemmings in the 400 m hurdles, the women’s 4x400 m relay team with Sandie Richards, Catherine Scott, Deon Hemmings, and Fenton, and the women’s 4x100 m team featuring Tanya Lawrence, Veronica Campbell, Beverly McDonald and 40 year old Merlene Ottey, all won silvers. This made Ottey the oldest ever athletics medallist. Greg Haughton and Lawrence won bronzes in the 400 m and 100 m respectively while the mens 4x400 m team (Michael Blackwood, Greg Haughton, Christopher Williams, Danny McFarlane, Sanjay Ayre, and Michael McDonald) also copped a bronze medal. Jamaica ended that games with a tally of 4 silver and 3 bronzes. A year later Ottey started competing for Slovenia because of the 2000 controversy. The controversy continued after them 2000 Olympics after it was revealed that America's Marion Jones had taken performance enhancing drugs. All her medals were stripped. This gained Lawrence a 100 m silver medal, Merlene Ottey a 100 m bronze and 200 m bronze for Beverly McDonald. This made Jamaica's revised medal total 5 silvers and 4 bronzes.

The 2001 World Championships was next and Jamaica won gold thanks to the women’s 4x400 m team of Sandie Richards, Catherine Scott, Debbie-Ann Parris, and Fenton's world leading run. Christopher Williams and Fenton both won silvers in the 200 m and 400 m respectively, while Greg Haughton in the men's 400 m, the men's 4x400 m team (Brandon Simpson, Christopher Williams, Greg Haughton, and Danny McFarlane), and the women's 4x100 m team (Juliet Campbell, Merlene Frazer, Beverly McDonald, and Astia Walker) won bronzes. Here Jamaica finished with a tally of 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze.

2002 was a record breaking year for Jamaica as they won a record haul of medals at the Commonwealth Games . In total they won 4 gold medals 6 silvers and 7 bronzes. Claston Bernard won the Decathlon gold. Elva Goldbourne leaped to long jump gold. Blackwood sped to 400 m gold and Lacena Golding-Clarke glided to 100 m hurdles gold.

2003 was disappointing for Jamaican athletics; they won no golds at the world championships but James Beckford in the long jump, Fenton in the 400 m, Brigitte Foster-Hylton in the 100 m hurdles and the men’s 4x400 m team (Brandon Simpson, Danny McFarlane, Davian Clarke and Blackwood) all won silver. Blackwood's bronze in the men's 400 m and the 4x400 m women's team (Allison Beckford, Fenton, Ronetta Smith, and Sandie Richards) also won bronze to round out the medal haul of 4 silver and 2 bronze.

The 2004 Olympics in Athens was lit up by Jamaican golden girl Veronica Campbell, first she won bronze in the 100 m, next she won gold in the 200 m to become the first Caribbean woman to win an individual sprint event at the Olympics, then she anchored the 4x100 m team that included Lawrence, Aleen Bailey and Sherone Simpson to a famous victory. Danny McFarlane then won a surprise silver medal in the 400 m hurdles, and the 4x400 m women's team (Novlene Williams, Michelle Burgher, Nadia Davy, Sandie Richards, and Ronetta Smith) got bronze, for a total of 5 medals - 2 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze to Jamaica.

In 2005 at the world championships, Jamaica received a record haul of medals they won 1 gold medal 5 silvers and 2 bronzes. Trecia Smith won the gold in the triple jump. Veronica Campbell in the women's 100 m, Michael Frater in the men's 100 m, Delloreen Ennis-London in the 100 m hurdles, and the women's 4x100 m (Daniele Browning, Sherone Simpson, Aleen Bailey, and Veronica Campbell) and 4x400 m (Shericka Williams, Novlene Williams, Ronetta Smith, and Fenton) teams, all won silver medals. Brigitte Foster-Hylton finished behind Ennis-London for bronze in the 100 m hurdles, and the men's 4x400 m team (Sanjay Ayre, Brandon Simpson, Lansford Spence, and Davian Clarke) also finished with bronze. With an overall tally of 8 medals, Jamaica finished 5th in the medal table ahead of Great Britain and Germany.

More records were broken at the 2006 Commonwealth Games as Jamaica got 10 golds more than double the previous record. In total they won 10 gold medals 4 silvers 8 bronzes. Gold medallists were the then World 100 m record-holder Asafa Powell in the men's 100 m, Sheri-Ann Brooks in the women's 100 m, Maurice Wignall in the 110 m hurdles, Trecia Smith in the triple jump, Tanto Campbell in the Men’s seated discus throw, Omar Brown in the 200 m, Brigitte Foster-Hylton in the 100 m hurdles, Men’s 4x100 m team of Ainsley Waugh, Asafa Powell, Chris Williams and Michael Frater, and the Women’s 4x100 m team of Daniele Browning, Peta Dowdie, Sheri-Ann Brooks and Sherone Simpson.

2007 was yet another record breaking year for Jamaican athletics as there was another record haul at the 2007 World Championships Veronica Campbell won gold in the 100 m but had to settle for a silver in the 200 m. This championships also saw the emergence of a young Usain Bolt achieving a silver in the Men's 200 m while Asafa Powell could only manage a bronze medal in the Men's 100 m. Maurice Smith won silver in the Decathlon, and both the 4x100 m Men's (Marvin Anderson, Usain Bolt, Nesta Carter, and Asafa Powell) and Women's (Sheri-Ann Brooks, Kerron Stewart, Simone Facey, and Veronica Campbell) sprint relay teams finished with silvers, as well as the 4x400 m women's team (Shericka Williams, Shereefa Lloyd, Davita Prendagast, and Novlene Williams). Delloreen Ennis-London and Novlene Williams copped bronzes in the 100 m hurdles and 400 m respectively. In total the team won 1 gold medal 6 silver and 3 bronze.

In 2008, 21-year old Usain Bolt proved Jamaica's dominance in the 100 m - not his favoured event - first running 9.76, becoming second on the all-time list and then on 1 June 2008 he ran 9.72, breaking the 100 m world record held by compatriot Asafa Powell (9.74 secs) by two hundredths of a second. This meant that the two fastest men in the world were Jamaicans and it set up a thrilling contest between World 100 m and 200 m Champion, Tyson Gay of the United States, and the two fastest men in history.