DAVEON NUGENT TOK
T he
2025 Tokyo World Championships are just
around the corner, and Jamaica’s athletes are gearing up to make their mark on the global stage. With a talented squad of sprinters, jumpers, and throwers, Jamaica is poised to bring home a haul of medals. The men’s 100m event is expected to be a highlight, and my expectation is that Jamaica’s sprinters will dominate the competition and take both the gold and silver medals. Olympic champion Noah Lyles (USA) has had to play second fiddle to the Jamaican 1 2 punch of Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville all season and while Lyles should get on the podium, I don’t see him getting the better of either Jamaican if all goes to plan. In addition to the men’s 100m, the men’s 200 should also see a Jamaican male sprinter walking away with a medal. This is an event where a Jamaican has not won a medal since 2016, when Bolt won gold in Rio.
But with the emergence of Bryan Levell this season, I
believe that is about to change. Since his main rivals will also compete in the 100 meters while Levell watches and waits, I am predicting that his newfound 19.69 speed will take him to a global silver medal for the half lap. The men’s 4x100m relay will also see a rekindling of Jamaica’s once lost speed and with Thompson, Ackeem Blake and Levell all setting 100m PBs this year – plus Seville close to his own – there is no need to doubt the potential foot speed of this squad. The line up is pretty much set in stone, with Ackeem leading off, Oblique in the engine room taking on the backstretch, Bryan running that curve and Kishane bringing it home. I do believe this quartet is good enough for gold but
I will be conservative and predict a close second place for them.
The men’s discus throw is a strong contender for a gold medal, with Ralford Mullings emerging as a genuine top of the podium contender. The former Kingston College man has already twice defeated the world record holder and world leader Mykolas Alekna this season, including at the recent Brussels Diamond League meet where Mullings got the better of a tough field that included the likes of Kristjan Ceh and Matthew Denny. The men’s long jump and 4x400m
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