Caribbean Sports News

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Ottey Eye's 8th Appearance At The Olympic Games

Jamaican-born sprinter Merlene Ottey is reportedly trying for an astounding eighth appearance at an Olympic Games.   Ottey, who turned 48 years old in May, will attempt at two meets over the next week to make Olympic qualifying marks for the 100 meters.   If she succeeds, she will become the first athlete in history to compete in eight Olympic Games. It is reported that Ottey, who has competed at every Olympic Games since her first as a 20-year-old in Moscow 1980, is scheduled to run at meetings in the Slovenian city of Maribor in an attempt to achieve the Olympic 100-metre qualifying time by the deadline on Wednesday, July 23rd.   Beijing has listed 11.32 and 11.42 seconds as A and B qualifying standards respectively for the women's 100 meters.   Ottey collected eight Olympic medals for Jamaica between 1980 and 2000, but switched allegiance to Slovenia and ran for her adopted country at the Athens Olympics in 2004.   She became a Slovenian citizen in 2002.   Ottey is the third fastest woman of all-time running the 200 meters in 21.64 seconds and No.4 all-time running the 100 meters in 10.74 seconds.

Curacao Sprinter Seeks Gold  To Match Gold Tooth

Anyone closely watching the starting line of the Beijing Olympics 100-metre sprint may notice the flash of a gold tooth emblazoned with the letter "C."   Churandy Martina's smile surrounds the "C" that stands for his name, his island home of Curacao and his ambition -- champion.   The 23-year-old believes he is a medal contender even against the might of titans such as the United States' Tyson Gay and Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who in May broke the 100-metre world record with a time of 9.72 seconds.   Martina placed fifth in the 100 and 200 meters at the 2007 world championships and has set personal bests this year of 10.00 and 20.17 seconds in the two events.   A medal would bring fame to his native Curacao, an island with some 130,000 residents, whose famous scuba diving and quaint Dutch architecture draw thousands of tourists each year.
 

Puerto Rico Head In Basketball Semis

Puerto Rico produced a major surprise when they beat Slovenia 81-70 to book their place in the semi-finals of the Olympic qualifying tournament on Friday, July 18th.   Puerto Rico took the early advantage over the fancied Slovenians but the sides were tied 34-34 at half-time.   The crucial period came late in the third quarter when Puerto Rico, superbly led by Orlando Magic point guard Carlos Arroyo who scored 17 points, eased into a 59-52 lead and then held on in the final quarter to prolong their Olympic hopes.   The winners of the semi-finals will qualify for Beijing along with the winner of the play-off between the two losing semi-finalists.  Angola, Argentina, Australia, China, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Spain and USA have already qualified.

Montserrat Has More Athletes In Regional And International Competitions
Montserrat’s Sports Department is currently training 24 athletes for participation in regional and international track meets.  Five athletes competed in the Leeward Islands Junior Championship in Tortola. Omane Allen, Arlen Skerritt, Alan Farrar, Lester Ryan, and Delroy Allen competed in the 100, 200, and 500-meter races. 
Another of Montserrat’s athletes, Peter Semper, represented Montserrat in the 200 and 400-meter races at the World Junior Championship in Poland.   Additionally, seven athletes will be selected from the secondary and primary schools on Montserrat to compete in the Caribbean Union of Teachers Track and Field meet this month, in Tortola.   According to Montserrat’s Sports Department, athletes train on a daily basis and are anxious to represent their country in these athletic competitions.
 

Reggae Boyz Supporters Asked To Pay More For Home Games.  

Jamaican football supporters hoping to see the Reggae Boyz in action for the remainder of their World Cup campaign, will have to dig deeper into their pockets for matches at the National Stadium.   According President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, the programme had been hit by a $300,000 deficit and the increase in ticket prices is necessary if the team is to qualify for finals in South Africa in 2010.   Seating in the bleachers prior to the announcement was only 500 Jamaican dollars (US$7.17), but will now cost patrons $1,500. There were increases for seat places in the Grandstand area also. The category two areas jumped to $3,500, while the number one category increased by $1,500 to a whopping $5,000.   "Support the Reggae Boyz," was the plea of Burrell made during the FA Presentation Ceremony in Westmoreland on Thursday. "This is the plea that I am throwing out to the entire country.   "I am calling on every Jamaican to dig a little deeper into their pockets to support the Reggae Boyz program and our quest to qualify for the World Cup Finals in 2010.   Jamaica qualified for the world cup ten years ago in France, but failed in their last attempt in 2006. But after a compete change in leadership, Burrell is confident the Reggae Boyz can live the dream again, but only with the support of the nation.