标签： Jamaica

MIAMI GARDENS, U.S. – In a stunning Group E World Cup clash that shook up the tournament standings on Sunday, World Cup first-timers Cape Verde fought back from a second-half deficit to snatch a 2-2 draw against two-time world champions Uruguay, extending their unlikely fairy tale run in the competition after a shock opening draw with Spain.

The underdog African side got off to a dream start that caught Uruguay completely off guard. In the 21st minute, Kevin Pina etched his name into Cape Verde’s history books, scoring the nation’s first ever World Cup goal with a blistering long-range free kick. The effort slipped through a disorganized Uruguay defensive wall and beat goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, sending the underdog fans into wild celebrations.

Uruguay, who had already been held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia in their opening fixture, looked set to fall to another upset until they turned the game around in the final minutes of the first half. First, in stoppage time before the break, a cross into the box led to Cape Verde defender Sidney Lopes Cabral heading the ball against his own post under heavy pressure from Rodrigo Bentancur. Maximiliano Araujo was first to react, nodding the loose ball into the net past stranded Cape Verde keeper Vozinha to level the score.

Just two minutes later, in the sixth minute of first-half added time, Uruguay completed their quick turnaround. Araujo nodded a cross across the face of goal, and Agustin Canobbio connected cleanly with a volley to slot the ball home, giving the South American side a 2-1 lead going into halftime.

Uruguay dominated the opening stages of the second half and looked poised to hold onto their lead, until a costly mistake from 40-year-old veteran keeper Muslera handed Cape Verde a lifeline. In the 61st minute, Muslera inexplicably rushed far off his goal line to intercept a through ball, only to be beaten to the touch by Cape Verde substitute Helio Varela. Varela controlled the ball beautifully with one touch and rolled it into the empty net to draw the underdog side level again.

Late in the match, Cape Verde’s Vozinha – the hero of their opening draw with Spain – fumbled a shot that would have let Araujo tap into an open net, but the effort was ruled out for offside, sparing the keeper’s mistake. Real Madrid star Federico Valverde had a late chance to win the match for Uruguay, but he blazed a dangerous free kick from just outside the box over the crossbar.

The result leaves both teams heading into their final group matches with very different outlooks. Cape Verde now sit with two points from two games, keeping their knockout stage hopes very much alive. Next Saturday, they will face off against a Saudi Arabia side that suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain earlier on Sunday. A win for Cape Verde would secure their spot in the round of 16, a remarkable achievement for a debutant nation ranked far lower than both Uruguay and Spain.

For two-time champion Uruguay, however, the outcome puts their progression hopes in serious jeopardy. The draw marks the second consecutive match where they have dropped points against a lower-ranked opponent, leaving them with just two points going into their final group game against European champions Spain. Uruguay now likely need a full three points against Spain to avoid being knocked out in the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup, a hugely disappointing result for a side with such a decorated tournament history.

Before kickoff, Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa made two adjustments to the side that drew with Saudi Arabia, opting to leave star striker Darwin Nunez on the bench. Cape Verde manager Bubista made three changes to his starting lineup, all in attacking positions, as he looked to generate more offensive pressure than his side managed against Spain. Despite that attacking change, Uruguay carved out the first clear chance of the match, with Valverde drilling a left-footed effort just wide of the goal early on.

At the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/Puma National Junior & Senior Championships held at Kingston’s National Stadium on Friday, 19-year-old sprinter Gary Card delivered a career-defining performance that cemented his place among the world’s most exciting young track talents. Card clocked a blistering 9.93 seconds in the senior men’s 100m final to take second place, breaking the long-standing Jamaican junior men’s national record in the process. The breakout run also reshaped the global under-20 sprint rankings, pushing Card into the exclusive ranks of history’s fastest junior sprinters.

Finishing just behind race winner Oblique Seville, who ran a world-leading 9.82 seconds this season, Card’s new time sliced 0.10 seconds off his own personal best of 10.03 seconds, set at the prestigious Penn Relays back in April. The previous Jamaican junior record of 9.99 seconds, set by Bouwahjgie Nkrumie in 2023, now falls to Card, who also sits atop 2024’s World Under-20 100m rankings. He outpaces Australia’s Gout Gout and Nigeria’s John Caleb, both of whom have clocked 10.00 seconds this season, to claim the number one spot.

In the all-time global under-20 100m rankings, Card now shares third place with American sprinter Christian Miller, running just fractions behind the top two: Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who set the current world junior record of 9.91 seconds in 2022, and American Maurice Gleaton, who ran 9.92 seconds earlier this year. The teen sprinter credits his consistent preparation and elite training environment for the breakthrough, saying his daily work had long signaled that a fast time was on the horizon.

“Based on training times and how I felt overall, I knew that I could go where I’ve never gone before — and I was excited to do so,” Card explained after the race.

This season, Card made the deliberate choice to skip the high-profile ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships to enroll at the University of Technology, Jamaica, and join the elite MVP Track and Field Club, a decision that has already paid dividends. Lining up against far more experienced senior competitors in the final did not phase the young sprinter, a reality he attributes to training alongside some of the fastest athletes on the planet. He is a regular training partner of Kishane Thompson, an Olympic and World Championships medalist widely regarded as one of the top sprinters in the world today.

“It’s not unusual to me because I train with the fastest man in the world. Every day I get beat up at training, so it just shows that it’s worth something,” Card added.

With the 2024 international athletics season now hitting its stride, Card says he is ready and willing to compete at any championship he is selected for, regardless of scheduling conflicts. Two major events on the horizon are the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, though the Commonwealth Games concludes just days before the start of the World Under-20 Championships. For Card, the selection does not matter — he is focused only on putting forward his best performance wherever he gets the chance.

“I don’t have a preference. As long as I do the best I can anywhere, it’s really anything for me so I just have to run, to be honest,” Card said.

LONDON — Just one week out from cricket’s most high-stakes encounter of the England-New Zealand Test series, head coach Brendon McCullum has confirmed that star all-rounder Ben Stokes will reclaim his position as captain for the series-deciding third Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

Stokes was forced to sit out England’s lopsided 253-run second Test defeat at the Oval earlier this week, after he violated the team’s agreed curfew in the wake of England’s opening series victory at Lord’s earlier this month. Though benched for the international clash, the 35-year-old was cleared to represent his domestic side Durham, and turned in an eye-catching 95-run innings against Northamptonshire in the County Championship on Saturday.

Early Sunday, before the start of domestic play, both Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson — the Surrey seaman also dropped from the England squad for his role in the curfew violation — were withdrawn from their respective domestic matches. The move immediately sparked speculation of an impending international recall, which McCullum confirmed to reporters at the Oval on Sunday afternoon.

“Ben will be back. He’ll be back and he’ll be captain,” said McCullum, a former New Zealand national captain himself. “I think everyone is excited about that, especially after seeing him hit some form for Durham. I’ve been speaking to Ben every single day since we had the incident and my assessment was that I was worried about him. To see him go out there and play some cricket and look like he was enjoying himself is really positive.”

Hours after McCullum’s announcement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officially confirmed both Stokes and Atkinson had been named in the 15-man squad for the third Test. However, the governing body also made clear that the pair had breached contractual rules requiring all England players to uphold strict standards of conduct at all times, acting in the best interests of English cricket. Both players received formal written warnings for their violation of team rules.

The ECB also released the findings of its full disciplinary investigation into the curfew breach, which ultimately led to a violent altercation at a London nightclub involving Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa. According to the ECB’s official statement, Auvaa was the aggressor who attacked Atkinson, and an England team security officer sustained injuries during the clash.

Crucially, the investigation cleared both Stokes and Atkinson of any wrongdoing connected to the confrontation. The ECB confirmed that “no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub. Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident. The evidence the ECB has seen demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion.” A separate review by England’s independent Cricket Regulator reached the same conclusion, finding the pair did nothing to provoke the incident.

The announcement also addressed ongoing speculation surrounding a reported rift between McCullum and Stokes in the wake of England’s underwhelming 4-1 Ashes series defeat in Australia back in January, when questions emerged about whether the successful leadership partnership could continue. The pair have worked together as captain and head coach since 2022, delivering a number of historic upset victories for the national side alongside underperforming runs in major tournaments.

When asked if the pair could still continue their leadership partnership effectively, McCullum pushed back on claims of tension. “We’ve worked together intimately for four years, we’ve achieved some cool things and we’ve let ourselves down in other things. We have robust conversations all the way through and that’s to be expected when you’re in positions of leadership. There’s mutual respect there. I’ve been very clear and very supportive of Ben throughout and particularly this week as well. I anticipate we’ll be able to work together really well with the week coming and I’m sure both of us still have that same vision for this cricket team.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica – On the closing Sunday of the JAAA National Senior and Junior Championships held at Kingston’s iconic National Stadium, 26-year-old hurdler Demisha Roswell turned years of consistent training and quiet perseverance into a career-defining victory, clocking a blistering new personal best of 12.40 seconds in a 0.7m/s tailwind to take home the women’s 100m hurdles national title.

Roswell’s winning performance shaved 0.04 seconds off her previous personal best set earlier in the season, catapulting her to fourth place in the 2024 global world rankings for the event. The mark also ties her with fellow Jamaican hurdler Janeek Brown for fifth on the country’s all-time women’s 100m hurdles list, cementing her status as one of Jamaica’s top sprint hurdle contenders ahead of upcoming international competitions.

Going into the championships, pre-race favorite Megan Tapper Simmonds was widely tipped to claim the top spot, but Roswell maintained flawless technique and explosive power from the first hurdle to the finish line, holding off Simmonds who crossed the line second in 12.47 seconds. Rising teenage star Kerrica Hill rounded out the top three with a solid time of 12.67 seconds, showcasing the depth of talent in Jamaican sprint hurdling.

The men’s 110m hurdles final delivered another surprise first-time title win, as Demario Prince surged past a stacked field to claim gold with a season-best time of 13.13 seconds in a 0.2m/s wind. This marks Prince’s first ever national senior title, finishing well ahead of Jerome Campbell who took silver in 13.35 seconds, with Sharvis Simmonds claiming the bronze medal in 13.39 seconds.

In the age-group competition, St Jago High’s Marquies Page delivered a thrilling late-stage burst to overtake competitors down the final stretch, winning the Under-20 boys’ 110m hurdles title in 13.34 seconds with a 1.8m/s tailwind. Kingston College’s Tajoneil Gordon finished just 0.03 seconds behind to take silver, while Noel Wright claimed third place in 13.55 seconds.

The Under-20 girls’ 100m hurdles final ended in a one-two sweep for Wolmer’s Girls’ School, with Tiana Marshall taking gold in 13.10 seconds (1.7m/s) and teammate Akeelah Bell following close behind for silver in 13.33 seconds. Edwin Allen High’s Tashana Godfrey rounded out the podium with a third-place time of 13.40 seconds.

On the concluding day of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Senior Championships held at Kingston’s iconic National Stadium, track and field star Romaine Beckford delivered a standout performance to secure his third consecutive national men’s high jump crown. Entering the competition as one of the world’s top-ranked high jumpers—currently tied for fourth globally with a personal best clearance of 2.30 meters—Beckford navigated early pressure to claim the top spot with a winning jump of 2.25 meters. After successfully clearing the winning height, Beckford pushed for a new personal best, first testing 2.28 meters where he fell short on two attempts, before raising the bar to 2.31 meters in a bold final attempt that he ultimately could not convert. Finishing behind Beckford in the podium standings were Lushane Wilson, who took silver with a 2.20-meter clearance, and two-time world indoor medalist Raymond Richards, who rounded out the top three with a jump of 2.15 meters. Beyond the high jump, the final day of the national championships delivered several other exciting title finishes across field events. In the men’s shot put competition, Florida State University athlete Despiro Wray claimed his first ever Jamaican national senior title, throwing a winning mark of 16.98 meters to edge out the competition. Silver medalist Moses Parkinson posted a solid throw of 16.62 meters, while Tio-Josh Mowatt took third place with a 16.35-meter effort. The men’s javelin throw title went to Elvis Graham, who came just one centimeter short of the 70-meter benchmark with a winning throw of 69.99 meters. Graham held off challenger Zaavan Richards, who recorded a 67.54-meter throw for silver, while Santino Anglin claimed bronze with a 62.10-meter effort. On the women’s side of the javelin competition, Laquay Harrison took home the national title with a winning throw of 39.45 meters. She outperformed silver medalist Angel Robinson of Edwin Allen High School, who threw 38.19 meters, and bronze medalist Princess Dunn, who recorded a 37.43-meter throw to round out the top three.