Jamaica's athletics team reaped success in the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki. Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley established new world records and the team of Merlene Ottey, Jacqueline Pusey, Juliet Curthbert, and Lelieth Hodges also set a new Jamaican record.

Published Thursday, August 11, 1983

 Cameron strikes Helsinki gold for Jamaica

 BERTLAND CAMERON yesterday won the men’s 400 metres gold medal at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Cameron clocked 45.05 secs ahead of Mike Franks, of the United States, whose time was 45.22 secs. Third was Sunder Nix, also of the United States.

 Yesterday’s victory by Cameron recalls Jamaica’s greatest moment in athletic history. It was 31 years ago that the island achieved its last major 400m victory when George Rhoden won the event in Helsinki at the 1952 Olympic Games.

 Helsinki is recalled with great emotion as the venue of the island’s most distinguished athletics and sports performances. In addition to the individual gold, the mile relay including Rhoden and Les Laing, Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley not only beat the world, but also established a new world record.

 The relay victory was greatly attributed to the fantastic leg of 44.6secs by McKenley.

 Twenty three-year-old Cameron, a former St Jago student and final-year student at the University of Texas, El Paso, has been the world’s most consistent quarter-miler for the past three years. Last October, he won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

 While Cameron’s victory was the great expectation of most Jamaicans, Jamaica earned a surprise medal when the women’s 400m quartet picked up the bronze medal. The team of Merlene Ottey, Jacqueline Pusey, Juliet Curthbert, and Lelieth Hodges finished in 42.73secs - a new Jamaica record – behind East Germany, who clocked 41.76secs, and Britain.

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