Jamaican pride fuels U20 ambitions in Oregon

For Jamaica’s athletes, the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 is about more than competing for medals. With the championships coinciding with the country’s 64th anniversary of independence, there is an added sense of pride in representing the Caribbean nation on the global stage.

That was clear when members of the World Athletics Media Academy spent time with the Jamaican team at their accommodation in Eugene during the opening stages of the championships, hearing about their journey to Oregon, their ambitions for the competition and what it means to represent their country at such a significant time.

Team coach Inez Turner knows what it means to help guide the next generation, having represented Jamaica at the 1990 World U20 Championships, where she reached the 800m semi-finals and earned silver in the 4x400m.

“It gives me tears of joy knowing that I was one of the very same athletes that was in their roles right now,” said the 1994 Commonwealth 800m champion. “It’s always a pleasure to give back to my country.”

Jamaica celebrated the 64th anniversary of its independence on 6 August, coinciding with the second day of competition in Eugene. After reaffirming that the team’s focus remained firmly on the championships, Turner enthusiastically described the celebrations taking place back home.

“You have reggae music and you have the drums and you have fireworks, all the big stuff,” she said. “We are happy people, especially that day. August 6 is huge.

“We know they are celebrating at home and we are celebrating here, and we’re going to celebrate even more with more golds.”

Turner was equally clear about the team’s determination.

“We are here to win gold and we let nothing bother us,” she said. “We are a very humble group and all they do is get ready, go to sleep and get ready for business.”

Jamaica is no stranger to U20 success on the global stage. From Usain Bolt, who won 200m gold at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston at just 15 years old, to the women’s 100m winning streak that stretched across the previous four editions of the championships, Jamaican athletes have long made their mark at this level.

That winning streak may have ended this week, but Jamaica still added to its world U20 sprint medal haul. Gary Card and Shanoya Douglas both claimed silver in their respective 100m finals and will have further opportunities to add to their medal collections in the 4x100m, where they will look to repeat the victories they both enjoyed in Lima in 2024.

There has also been success elsewhere. Able Deborah Mills qualified for both the women’s shot put and discus finals, while Michael-Andre Edwards secured his place in the men’s triple jump final on Jamaica’s Independence Day.

Speaking after his qualification, Edwards expressed his excitement for the occasion and the pride he feels when wearing Jamaica’s gold, black and green.

“It is a great day in general, celebrating a lot, not just me qualifying,” he said. “It is always special wearing my country’s colours. These colours, they don’t hide.”

For Jamaica’s young athletes in Eugene, representing their country on the world stage has carried an added significance this week, with the celebrations back home providing an extra source of pride.

Colin Ernst for the World Athletics Media Academy