Jamaican runners show their gold medals during the awards ceremony for the women’s 4x100m relay. AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA

The recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, were extremely successful for Jamaica. The Jamaican team to the Commonwealth Games claimed seventh place overall, with ten gold medals, four silvers, and 8 bronzes for a total of 22 medals.

The team dominated in the sprint events, claiming the men’s and women’s 100 metre events, the men’s and women’s 200 metre events, as well as the men’s and women’s 4x100 metre relays and the men’s and women’s sprint hurdles events. Olivia McKoy claimed the first medal for Jamaica when she took bronze in the women’s javelin on Sunday 19 March.

Jamaica’s first gold medals came on Monday 20 March, with the men’s and women’s 100 metre sprints falling to Jamaican athletes. Asafa Powell proved that he had well and truly recovered from the injury that kept him out of the World Championships last year, as he claimed an easy win in the men’s 100 metres.

Powell could well have dipped under 10 seconds in the final, but with the race already won, he eased up 10 metres from the line to celebrate, and came in with a time of 10.03 seconds. Sheri-Ann Brooks claimed gold in the women’s 100-metre sprint, taking it in a new personal best time of 11.19 seconds.

In the men’s shot put, Dorian Scott did well to claim the silver medal. Jamaica took another gold medal haul on Tuesday 21 March, as Trecia Smith continued her dominance of the women’s triple jump. Smith was the only athlete able to go beyond 14 metres, and took a comfortable win with her jump of 14.39 metres.

Maurice Wignall claimed another gold for Jamaica when he won the men’s 110-metre hurdles in a time of 13.26 seconds, almost five metres clear of the field. Maurice Smith also claimed silver in the gruelling men’s decathlon, as did Novolene Williams in the women’s 400 metres.

On Wednesday 22 March, Tanto Campbell gave Jamaica another gold, this time in the men’s seated discuss for elite athletes with a disability, while Jermaine Gonzales took bronze in the men’s 400 metres. Thursday 23 March was yet another good day for Jamaica, as the team dominated the men’s and women’s 200-metre sprints.

Oman Brown claimed the men’s 200 metres in 20.47, the same time as Stephan Buckland of Mauritius, but just managed to out-dip his opponent for the gold. Chris Williams of Jamaica claimed the bronze medal. In the women’s 200 metres, it was expected that Jamaica would claim the gold. However, it was the ‘wrong’ Jamaican who won.

With all eyes watching Olympic champion Veronica Campbell, it was Sherone Simpson who claimed a brilliant win in a time of 22.59 seconds, with Campbell claiming second in 22.72. Success was not limited to the track, as Karen Beautle claimed bronze in the women’s high jump. Kemel Thompson claimed the bronze medal in the men’s 400-metre hurdles.

 Continuing Jamaica’s run of golden days, Brigitte Foster-Hylton claimed gold in the women’s 100-metre hurdles on Friday 24 March, winning in a time of 12.76 seconds. Lacena Golding-Clarke also held on to claim bronze for Jamaica. Kenia Sinclair also added to Jamaica’s medal haul, claiming silver in the women’s 800 metres.

With Jamaica’s dominance in the sprints, the relays on Saturday 25 March almost seemed a formality. In the men’s 4x100 metres, the Jamaican foursome of Michael Frater, Ainsley Waugh, Chris Williams, and Asafa Powell, claimed gold in 38.36 seconds. Their closest challengers, Australia, made their job much easier when they fluffed a baton change, handing the win to Jamaica on a silver platter.

In the women’s 4x100 metres, Daniele Browning, Sheri-Ann Brooks, Peta Dowdie, and Sherone Simpson took the win in 43.10 seconds, beating England and Australia to the tape. The 4x400 relays were not quite as successful for Jamaica, as the women’s team dropped the baton, and the men claimed bronze.

It was the best showing ever for Jamaica in the Commonwealth Games, and certainly establishes the country as one of the top nations in the Commonwealth.