Jamaica's Sherone Simpson (left) and England's Emma Ania finish the women's 4x100 relay final at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on Saturday. Jamaica's team of Daniele Browning, Sheri-Ann Brooks, Pete-Gaye Dowdie and Simpson (running order) took the gold medal in 43.10 seconds ahead of England (43.43) and Australia (44.25). - REUTERS
MELBOURNE, Australia:
MANAGER OF Jamaica's track and field team to the XVIII Common-wealth Games in Melbourne, Australia Garth Gayle, has heaped praise on the athletes who won a record 22 medals to lift Jamaica to its best ever haul at the 72-year-old Games.
Gayle said the fact that the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) was able to put together such an array of world-rated athletes at this time of the competitive season played a big part in getting Jamaica up to seventh overall and second on the athletics table behind hosts Australia.
HARD WORK
"We started out on the first day with Olivia McKoy showing grit, determination and courage to land our first female bronze medal in javelin. The team's performances continued to surge as the days went by and we have now seen the full fruits of the labour of these athletes," Gayle said on Saturday night.
He added: "The team itself embodied one vision of hard work and determination and it has been a real pleasure working with such a dedicated group of men and women."
Gayle said that a conscious effort was made to make the athletes feel at home.
"My approach was a simple one. I allowed our athletes to feel comfortable and to understand that this is something they have been doing on a continuous basis. I asked them to enjoy it and with this enjoyment will come relaxation, team spirit and good performance. The Australians also provided excellent conditions in which to compete. That also assisted our team in their performances.
"I am very happy to say we have overachieved in some areas as we had a Games record in the case of sprint hurdler Brigitte Foster-Hylton, a national record by Kenia Sinclair and personal best times."
DETERMINATION
In describing the grit and determination showed by many athletes, Gayle singled out high jump bronze medallist Karen Beautle for special mention.
"In Karen Beautle's case there was a clear determination to see the flag flying and she was justly rewarded with a joint third place. Dorian Scott also lost out on gold in the men's shot put by just a centimetre. We are now launching into and getting medals in these areas, it all augurs well for track and field in Jamaica.
The bulk of the local-based members of Jamaica's delegation is due to return to the island on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m.
- E.T.
