[Yohan Blake], who will be defending his 10Om crown in Moscow next summer, is widely known to be an avid fan of the sport. Several decent showings in local cricket competitions were expected to be a precursor to his appearance at the massive Big Bash Twenty20 league in Australia in a few weeks. However, it seems Blake and his coach, Glen Mills, have struck a deal of sorts. "Coach (Glen) Mills had a talk with me and he told me that I have the (100m World) title to defend, so I should focus on that and then the other year (2014) is going to be an off year, so I can play my cricket and also run, so I am just going to wait until next year to look at the cricket," Blake told The Gleaner.
"I am feeling confident more than ever and I think next year it's going to be really hard for anybody coming up against me because I will be stronger, I will be much fitter and I will be much faster. Each year I grow day by day," said [Yohan Blake], nicknamed The Beast' for his work ethic. During an interview on local television in late 2008, [Bolt] named Blake as "a potential threat" to his reign. "My true potential was not at the Olympics because if you look back at my races after the Olympics I was running really fast. I was really nervous. If you touch me I would have fallen. That's how nervous I was but I covered it up pretty well," said Blake.
Bolt will be part of a star-studded cast that includes compatriot Veronica Campbell-Brown in the women's 100, as well as LaShawn Merritt and Oscar Pistorius in the 400, Christian Cantwell and Dylan Armstrong in the shot put, Dayron Robles at 110m hurdles, and Barbora Spotakova in the javelin.
The world's fastest man had expressed some doubt regarding his participation at the Rio showpiece, which will take place in four years' time. Bolt, after emulating his performance in Beijing four years ago and London, a few weeks ago, the sprinter admitted to being uncertain about the future and a possible target. It seems, however, that the sprinter is now a bit more certain. While admitting that he is likely to be past his prime at the next Olympic Games, in which the sprinter will turn 30 years old, he will certainly compete.
Jamaica's Usain Bolt and [Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pruce]-Pryce, along with Jessica Ennis, Missy Franklin, Andy Murray, Michael Phelps, Ye Shiwen, Bradley Wiggins and Serena Williams, are among those who received nominations when the shortlist was announced in Rio de Janeiro Monday, December 17. With the exception of Lindsey Vonn, who won her fourth overall skiing World Cup in five years, the nominations for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award are all dominated by the Olympics. Jamaica's Shelly- Ann Fraser-Pryce, the fastest woman on earth after successfully defending her 100m Olympic title, and Britain's Jessica Ennis, who won the heptathlon gold in front of an ecstatic home crowd, are also among the six nominees.
The annual event is a celebration of the second principle of Nguzo Saba, 'Kujichagulia' which means 'self determination'. Providing musical entertainment for the night was the Anthem Band along with saxophonist, Jerry Johnson and roots reggae singers Ossie Dellimore, Major Daps and Noel Jones. Cater Van Pelt was the selector for the evening and food was catered · by Totally Delicious Restaurant.
"The team that Jamaica currently has, I am confident will make us all very proud," [Horace I Burrell]- said, while speaking at a sponsorship announcement cere^ mony for the local coaching school held at the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) head office, Wednesday, April 4. "I was speaking with the President of the United States Football' Federation and he tells me that the US are now trembling because they know that Jamaica has a strong front line and of all the teams in CONCACAF, they are afraid of two teams. Jamaica and Mexico." Burrell said.
An exhibit, curated by well-known photographer Michael Chambers, entitled "Bathurst Stripped" is celebrating the history of a street in Toronto that was home to many immigrants from the Caribbean. Chambers has produced a photo-based installation of a barrel. This piece recognizes the contributions and sacrifices of the new immigrants and "The Barrel Children." A recent photo of Linda Carter who was the first black model in Canada to achieve prominence in the 1970s wraps the barrel which is filled with items such as corned beef, books and toys - things sent back to families in the Caribbean.
[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce] burst on to the scene as a fresh-faced youngster in 2008, winning the local national trials before going on to shock the nation and the crown by claiming the title at the Beijing Olympic Games. Fraser-Pryce clocked an impressive 10.78 seconds to lead a Jamaican sweep of the event finishing ahead of compatriots Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.
"We do it in the rural areas more than we do it in Kingston and I think events such as Kingston Pon Di River really need to happen more. It's a way of giving people a voice. I really congratulate the organisers, and it's one of those events that people should put on their calendar," she said. "I thought the audience reception was very positive. It's encouraging me to write some more stories. Kingston Pon Di River buss me as a creative writer, so mi haffi go through," she told The Gleaner.