“They still motivate us”
Jamaican field events athletes drawing inspiration from Paris Olympic showing
Published:Friday | September 12, 2025 | 12:11 AM
TOKYO, Japan
A number of Jamaica’s top field events stars have made the decision to switch allegiance to Turkiye, but the current crop of athletes who are set to compete at the World Athletics Championships said they are still drawing inspiration from their outgoing teammates.
At the Paris Olympic Games last year, Jamaica enjoyed a series of impressive performances in the field events, with four of the nation’s six medals coming from various field event disciplines.
What seemed a bright future, however, hit a major hiccup as several athletes would, soon after, make the decision to switch allegiance.
They include Olympic men’s discus throw gold medallist and record holder Roje Stona, men’s long jump silver medallist Wayne Pinnock, men’s shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, and world under-20 triple jump record holder Jaydon Hibbert.
Despite the departure of these athletes, Jamaica will still field a number of competitive athletes in Tokyo, and they are hoping to build on the momentum of the Paris Games. One such athlete is reigning triple jump national champion Jordan Scott, who has been enjoying an impressive season.
Scott has broken his personal best three times this year, with a new mark of 17.52 metres, which sees him enter the championships ranked third globally. He said he would be drawing inspiration from his former teammates as he considers their success as motivation.
“Despite the switch of allegiances, these are all people I look up to, people I consider friends, and it’s still motivation for me to go out there and do my best,” Scott said.
“They still motivate me to do my best out there. So I think that you see how other people are successful and you see what success does for other people. I think that in itself is motivation to just go out there and do my best.”
GETTING OUR SHINE
Discus thrower Chad Wright believes Jamaica’s performance at the Olympics was a platform for field events to gain more support.
Speaking ahead of the championships’ start, he believes more focus has been shifted towards the field events, a trend he hopes will continue.
“It’s very important because we don’t really focus on field events in Jamaica. But now, it’s a huge focus for us,” he said. “I’m glad to see the field events getting their shine.”
The World Athletics Championships starts tomorrow (today Jamaica time) at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo before closing on September 21 after nine days of action.