分类： sports

KINGSTON, Jamaica – A historic milestone is on the horizon for Jamaican women’s football this Friday, as Chantelle Swaby is set to earn her 50th senior cap for the Reggae Girlz when they kick off their Concacaf Women’s World Cup qualifier against Antigua and Barbuda at Kingston’s National Stadium.

Coming off a hard-fought 3-2 away win over Nicaragua in Managua back in March, the Jamaican technical staff has reshaped their starting eleven for this home fixture, making five total changes to the starting side that secured three points on the road. One of the most notable new inclusions is central defender Tianna Harris, who will make her senior home debut for the Reggae Girlz in the match.

Joining Harris and milestone-chasing Swaby in the revised starting lineup are winger Olufolasade Adamalekun, defender Kalyssa Van Zanten, defender Allyson Swaby – Chantelle’s teammate and sister – young forward Kameron Simmonds, and attacking midfielder Atlanta Primus, all of whom earned starting nods from the coaching staff.

The two sides last met in international competition back in 2018, when Jamaica dominated the fixture to secure a lopsided 9-0 victory over Antigua and Barbuda. Friday’s match will give fans a chance to see how Lorne Donaldson’s side has progressed in the years since that encounter, as they push toward qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The full starting lineup named by the Jamaican coaching staff is as follows: Rebecca Spencer (goalkeeper), Tianna Harris, Chantelle Swaby, Shania Hayles, Khadija Shaw, Kalyssa Van Zanten, Deneisha Blackwood, Allyson Swaby, Kameron Simmonds, Atlanta Primus, and Olufolasade Adamalekun.

Fresh off a dominant, eye-catching debut performance at the track on April 6, 2026, three-year-old American-bred bay filly Imjustagirl has emerged as one of the most promising young prospects in Jamaican thoroughbred racing, leaving her trainer cautiously optimistic about what the future may hold for the young champion.

Coming into her first official outing after a string of exceptional morning training sessions, the long-striding filly lived up to every bit of the pre-race hype, delivering a masterclass performance that left onlookers impressed. Competing over a 6-furlong (1,200-meter) distance in the Restricted Allowance II race — an event open to non-winners with two races under their belt among native-bred three-year-olds, and maidens aged three and up for imported runners — Imjustagirl crossed the finish line a full seven lengths ahead of her nearest competitor, posting a blistering overall time of 1:11.3, with split times of 21.4 seconds for the opening quarter, 45.2 for the half-mile, and 58.1 for the five-furlong mark.

In a post-race interview with Jamaica Observer’s *The Supreme Racing Guide*, trainer Jason DaCosta shared that he had been tracking Imjustagirl’s development through training and had never seen a horse post such remarkable morning gallops on Jamaican tracks. He entered the debut with high hopes, and the young filly far exceeded even his lofty expectations. DaCosta revealed he had simple instructions for jockey Robert Halledeen ahead of the race: avoid overworking the young horse early on, and conserve her energy for the stretch run, a strategy that paid off dividends.

“She did it effortless, very impressive time, basically jogging around, and I couldn’t be happier,” DaCosta said. “She beat a good horse and she did it effortless.”

The race unfolded exactly according to plan for Imjustagirl and her team. The filly broke cleanly from the starting gate and grabbed the early lead within the first few strides, holding the top spot through the half-mile mark as second-place finisher Army Tank, ridden by Dane Dawkins, worked to recover from a slow start out of the gate. As the field entered the final stretch, Imjustagirl was still cruising comfortably, and Halledeen only needed to give her a light cue to accelerate before she powered away from the competition to secure the landslide victory. Purosangue, ridden by Clive Lynch, rounded out the top three.

While the debut performance has put the racing world on notice of Imjustagirl’s talent, DaCosta emphasized that the filly is still early in her development, and his team plans to take a patient, measured approach moving forward. The trainer’s top priority is keeping the three-year-old healthy and happy as she prepares for future races, with the goal of a strong full season ahead. “It is early days and so we are going to take it step by step, one day at a time,” he added.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A dominant individual performance from star forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw carried Jamaica’s national women’s football team, the Reggae Girlz, to a convincing 4-0 victory over Antigua and Barbuda in Friday’s Concacaf W Championship Group B qualifying match at Kingston’s National Stadium.

Shaw’s three-goal haul, which pushed her career international goal tally to an impressive 66, combined with a late second-half penalty conversion from defender Deneisha Blackwood, locked in three more points for Jamaica. The result stretched Jamaica’s perfect start to the qualifying campaign to three matches, leaving them atop Group B with a maximum nine points. They now enter their final group fixture against Guyana next week needing only a single draw to secure the group’s top spot.

Despite the lopsided final scoreline, the Reggae Girlz faced a far more stubborn test than the scoreline suggests. The Jamaican side dominated possession and attacking opportunities, firing a staggering 36 shots toward the Antigua and Barbuda goal without the opposition registering a single attempt on target. Even so, Jamaica hit the woodwork four times and were repeatedly denied by a standout performance from Antiguan goalkeeper Anik Jarvis, who pulled off a string of spectacular saves to keep the scoreline down early in the match.

The first breakthrough finally came for Jamaica in stoppage time at the end of the first half, when Antigua defender Jessica Powell was called for a foul on Atlanta Primus inside the 18-yard box. Shaw stepped up to convert the resulting penalty, opening the scoring for the hosts just before the halftime whistle.

Shaw doubled her personal tally and Jamaica’s lead just four minutes into the second half. A perfectly weighted through ball from Kalyssa Van Zanten found Shaw in space behind the Antigua backline; she turned away from her marking defender, fired a low, hard left-footed strike past Jarvis, and put Jamaica up 2-0.

Six minutes after her second goal, Shaw completed her hat-trick with a well-executed diving header, once again set up by a pinpoint cross from Van Zanten. The goal put the result beyond any doubt for the hosts, who continued to create chances for the rest of the half.

The scoring wrapped up in second-half stoppage time, when Antigua substitute Kamiellia Hughes was called for a handball inside the box while attempting to block a shot from Blackwood. Blackwood took the penalty herself and converted to cap the 4-0 win, extending Jamaica’s lead at the top of the group heading into the final matchday.

A wave of standout performances from Caribbean-born collegiate track and field athletes competing across the United States this weekend delivered historic milestones, long-standing record breaks, and career-best results that have turned heads across the NCAA circuit.

In Knoxville, Jamaican thrower Cedricka Williams of the University of Tennessee etched her name into the program’s history books at the annual Tennessee Invite on Friday. Claiming victory in the women’s discus event, Williams landed a 60.57-meter throw – a new personal season’s best – that pushed her past a nearly half-century-old school record. The previous mark of 60.56m had stood untouched since it was set by Jane Haist back in 1974, 49 years prior. Williams hit her record-breaking launch in the second round of competition, and her result currently ranks as the second-best discus throw posted by any NCAA athlete so far this outdoor season. A former standout at Jamaica’s Holmwood Technical and Barton County College, Williams’ breakthrough has cemented her status as one of the top throwers in collegiate track this year.

Down in Waco at the Baylor Invitational, two Louisiana State University athletes put up strong results in the women’s 200-meter dash. Freshman sprinter Skyler Franklin clocked a new program freshman record of 22.99 seconds with a 0.7m/s tailwind to claim third place overall, while fellow LSU competitor Kemba Nelson finished sixth with a time of 23.28 seconds into a 1.7m/s wind.

Over in Tampa at the South Florida Invitational, Zachary Cox, a former ISSA Champs finalist from Jamaica’s Cornwall College now competing with Boston University, notched two new outdoor personal bests in just his second collegiate outdoor meet. Cox first took fifth place in the men’s 100-meter dash with a 10.36-second run (1.2m/s wind), which marks the second-fastest 100m time in Boston University program history. Shortly after competing on BU’s second-place 4x100m relay team that finished in 40.49 seconds, Cox returned to the track to win the men’s 200m with a 20.98-second run (1.4m/s wind). That result shaved 0.08 seconds off his previous personal best and now ranks as the ninth-fastest 200m in Boston University history.

At Dartmouth College, former Jamaica College Champs gold medalist J’Voughn Blake notched a solid second-place finish in the men’s 800-meter run, crossing the line in a season-best 1 minute 48.54 seconds. The race marked only Blake’s second competitive outing in nearly a year, after he last competed at the NCAA East Regional in late May of 2023.

Rounding out the weekend of Caribbean success, Fabrienne Foster of the University of North Texas set two new personal bests at the 44 Farms Invitational hosted by Texas A&M University. Foster placed seventh in the women’s hammer throw with a 51.84m toss, and followed that up with an eighth-place finish in the discus throw, hitting a personal best 48.87m.

LONDON — Ahead of Manchester City’s critical Premier League fixture against Chelsea this Sunday, manager Pep Guardiola opened up about the lingering uncertainty surrounding the future of captain Bernardo Silva, confessing he has been left completely in the dark about the 31-year-old Portugal midfielder’s plans.

Silva, who is currently in the final six months of his existing contract at the Etihad Stadium, has been at the center of swirling transfer speculation in recent weeks. The talk of an impending exit gained major traction after assistant manager Pep Lijnders, speaking to the media following City’s dominant 4-0 FA Cup quarterfinal victory over Liverpool last week, seemingly all but confirmed the star would be leaving the club at the end of the current campaign.

“Every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months — because there is only six weeks — and has a good farewell,” Lijnders said in his post-match remarks.

But Guardiola, who was speaking to reporters for the first time since Lijnders’ comments, pushed back on any suggestion that the club already knows Silva’s decision, revealing he has even grown frustrated with the midfielder for not sharing his intentions sooner.

“I’m so grumpy with Bernardo because a month ago I said, ‘If you take a decision, I have to be the first to know’,” Guardiola told reporters. “And he didn’t say to me anything yet, so I don’t know what’s going on. It has to be Bernardo who tells us what he wants to do next.”

Since joining Manchester City from AS Monaco back in 2017, Silva has cemented his legacy as one of the club’s most decorated and consistent signings of the modern era. Across his seven-and-a-half seasons at the Etihad, he has racked up 450 senior appearances, helped deliver six Premier League titles, and was a key part of the squad that lifted the club’s first ever UEFA Champions League trophy in 2023.

Guardiola made clear he would be delighted to see Silva end his legendary playing career at Manchester City, even as he stressed that the final call is entirely the player’s to make.

“I would love it if he could stay and finish his career here,” Guardiola said. “I don’t know. He’s going to decide what he’s going to decide, announce to the club, the media, the fans and everyone. It’s his decision. But it has been an incredible, incredible signing. If you look at the numbers, the minutes he’s played, the titles he’s won, especially how he shows up in bad moments.

“I always judge players by how they perform when everything is difficult. Time after time, when we’ve needed him most, Bernardo has stepped up and said, ‘I’m here to help’. That’s what makes him so special to this club.”

Off the back of winning the League Cup last month, City is still in the hunt for an unprecedented domestic treble this season. Currently, the club sits second in the Premier League table, nine points behind runaway leaders Arsenal, though Guardiola’s side hold one game in hand over the Gunners. The two title favorites are set to face off in a highly anticipated clash at the Etihad on April 19, a match that could ultimately decide who lifts the league title in May.

Speaking about City’s title challenge, Guardiola acknowledged his side have left themselves with too much ground to make up after a series of inconsistent results earlier in the campaign.

“We need to win a lot of points,” Guardiola said. “We were not consistent enough during the season. We dropped points that we should have taken and that’s why we’re in the position that now we cannot do it differently. The only thing we can do is keep winning and see what happens.”

Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, one of the most decorated track and field athletes in history, has been appointed as a new Global Ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good movement, the organization confirmed in an official statement.

Fraser-Pryce, who claimed the 2023 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award, brings a decades-long legacy of athletic excellence and community impact to the role, aligning perfectly with Laureus’ core mission to transform young lives through the power of sport. Off the track, the five-time Olympian founded the Pocket Rocket Foundation, a non-profit organization that delivers academic scholarships, one-on-one mentorship, and targeted support to emerging Jamaican student-athletes facing barriers to opportunity.

In its announcement, Laureus emphasized that Fraser-Pryce’s lifelong commitment to lifting up her local community through sport directly mirrors the organization’s foundational goals, a shared values alignment that has drawn hundreds of top global athletes to join the Laureus Ambassador network in recent years.

Fraser-Pryce’s first official assignment in her new post will be a public appearance at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, scheduled to take place in Madrid on April 20. The appearance will mark her return to the iconic Laureus red carpet, six years after her first nomination for the World Sportswoman of the Year award – a honor she went on to win in 2023, capping a career that includes six total nominations for the award.

The 2026 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year shortlist features three standout stars from the 2025 World Athletics Championships: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who swept gold in the women’s 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay; Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who clocked the second-fastest 400m time in human history to claim gold; and Faith Kipyegon, who secured her fourth consecutive world title in the 1500m event.

Speaking on her new appointment, Fraser-Pryce noted that Laureus has long been a key part of her professional journey, and that she is deeply honored to step into the ambassador role. “This moment reflects a continued commitment to the sport and to the athletes coming behind me,” she said. “My experience has given me a deep understanding of both the opportunities and challenges athletes face today, and I’m passionate about using that perspective to guide, uplift, and empower the next generation to rise to even greater heights.”

Sebastian Coe, a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy and president of World Athletics, praised Fraser-Pryce’s addition to the network, calling her one of the most dominant and enduring athletes in modern sports. “For nearly 20 years she set extraordinary standards on the track, not only through her unmatched performances but through the grace and resilience she brings to everything she does,” Coe explained. “Her commitment to education and expanding opportunity for young people – in particular in her home country of Jamaica – is deeply aligned with the values of Laureus. We are delighted to welcome her as a Laureus Ambassador and I know she will play a huge role in helping Laureus continue its mission of improving young lives through the power of sport.”

Over a 20-year elite career, Fraser-Pryce has claimed three Olympic gold medals and 10 World Championship titles, making her the most globally decorated sprinter in the history of track and field. One of her most iconic achievements came at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, where she won the 100m gold after becoming a mother in 2019, breaking records to become the oldest athlete ever to claim a global sprint title. She has inspired millions of sports fans across the world with her longevity, skill, and consistent commitment to giving back.

Fraser-Pryce joins a global roster of more than 200 Laureus Ambassadors, all elite athletes who volunteer their platforms, voices, and passion to advance the Laureus Sport for Good mission. Since the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards, other high-profile athletes to join the volunteer ambassador network include freestyle skier Eileen Gu, football stars Jude Bellingham and Thiago Alcântara, and gymnastics legend Simone Biles.