Jamaican sprinters Mario Forsythe and Nesta Carter were born the same month of the same year: October 1985. Seven years ago, they left the island’s 2003 Boys and Girls Track & Field Championships virtually on the same footing. Mario was 2nd in 11.00 secs in heat 5 of the Class 1 boys (16 – 19 years old) 100m preliminaries that advanced the first two, as well as the next 10 best times. Nesta was also 2nd in heat 6 with 11.03. The next day, Nesta was 5th with 11.01 in heat 1 of the semi-final qualifiers that advanced the top two and next best two times to the final. Mario was 6th in heat 3 with 11.08. Both failed to advance. Full Story »
When it comes to honoring its star athletes, Jamaica has a way to do it with bold statements. It showers them with praise, bestows them with national honors that carry titles before their names, designates them sporting ambassadors or ambassadors-at-large and show them off in motorcades. But the island also has a much less common but iconic way of recognizing their great achievements: monuments that depict the honorees in frozen motion, installed on the grounds where their journey began. Full Story »