Hilly and steamy from humidity
Commuting, Jamaican style
Kingston Independence Park
Track and field stars
Track and field stars
Many Jamaicans live in the hills and work in the resorts
Smoking Kills 
jamaica sports
° Kingston ° Montego Bay ° Negril ° Ocho Rios
° Jamaican Coffee and Rum ° Sports
° Real Estate
What many Americans would consider strife is helping to raise world-class athletes. Once off the hotel strips along pristine beaches, you see thousands of the modest homes of Jamaica's citizens. The children walk long distances to school in the closest city centers. 2-4 miles each way is not uncommon. When we grew up, we also walked 2-3 miles to/from school and never thought anything about it. We were phenomenally healthy children.
Due to television, most poorer countries thinks absolutely everyone is driven to school; not so. There are many places in America where people walk to/from everything, and they are the stronger for having to do so.
This "enforced exercise" has help create some of the best athletes in the world: Jamaica people excel in Olympic track and field events just as do Kenyans and Ethiopians in long-distance running. It isn't only training; it's built-in life-long healthy movement that creates these superstars. If you had to walk several miles a day or run from village to village (as Africans have done for centuries), you would have a leg up (so to speak) on your health and performance possibilities.
National Stadium, Independence Park, Kingston
The National Stadium in Kingston's Independence Park is primarily used for football (soccer), but is also considered the apex of Athletic competition in the West Indies as it is home to Jamaica's national Athletics team for the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. It opened in 1962 and holds 35,000 people. It served as the main stadium for the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, when it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, track and field events, and cycling events. (Left are images of track and field stars outside of the stadium.)
Jamaica's Olympic Stars
Jamaica first participated at the Olympic Games in 1948, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. In 1960, Jamaican athletes competed as part of the West Indies Federation team. Jamaica has also participated in the Winter Olympic Games since 1988, with the Jamaica national bobsled team achieving some fame.
Jamaican athletes have won a total of 55 medals, with all but one medal won in athletics, and the large majority of those in the individual and relay sprint events.
In 2008, Usain Bolt was reported to be the world's fastest man having beat fellow countryman Asafa Powell's world record in the 100-meter dash.
Usain Bolt's performance in this training session is less than lighting-fast, however, and it fails to impress his coach, Glen Mills. "Make sure you do them good, otherwise you'll do them tomorrow morning – early," he barks.
A month ago, Mr. Bolt lived up to his name by breaking countryman Asafa Powell's world record in the 100-meter dash. The two held the five fastest recognized times in the event and will go head-to-head this weekend in Jamaica's Olympic trials.
Yet these men are just two of dozens of top-flight Jamaican sprinters who are poised to put the tiny island nation on the map in the same way Kenyans and Ethiopians are known to dominate long-distance running. Jamaica's Olympic track team is so deep in talent that these trials will be like watching American NBA stars vie for a spot on ™basketball's famous Dream Team.
How does a poor Caribbean country of less than 3 million people produce such athletic riches? Improved coaching and a new system to develop raw talent at home have combined with a tradition of seeing sprinting as an inexpensive ticket out of the poverty in many areas of Jamaica.
It All Starts With A Dream
The Jamaicans' attitude is such that they believe they will conquer. It's a mindset. The country is small and poor by many standards, but they are proud, believe in themselves, and stay close to God and prayer. They also sing. Everyone sings as they go about their daily chores!
A little more than 30 years ago, former world-record sprinter Dennis Johnson decided to take what he'd learned at San Jose State University in the 1960s and set up a competitive, US-style college athletic program in Jamaica, his home country. The goal: produce world-class athletes, especially track stars.
The result: Jamaica had long produced some of the world's top high school track athletes, but then they left the island. There was no place in this former British colony's college system for them. Johnson started a sports program at what to become UTECH, a four-year college which led to 31 track and field championships over the years. Prior to giving athletes opportunity in Jamaica, they had been leaving to attend colleges in other countries and running for other Olympic teams: Donovan Baily of Canada and Linford Christie of Britain are Jamaican-born Olympic champions. Then came Stephen Francis, who founded the Maximizing Velocity and Power (MVP) team in 1999 after getting his MBA from the University of Michigan.
Brigitte Foster-Hylton is one of Francis's first success stories. When she started working with him in 1999, most didn't see her potential. But she's cut more than half a second off her time in the 100-meter hurdles and won bronze in the event at the 2005 World Championships.
Powell – who says in a matter-of-fact manner that he is still the world's fastest man despite Usain Bolt's record run – is another Francis success story. Powell struggled as the youngest of six siblings growing up in the Jamaican countryside. He was a good sprinter in high school, but not among Jamaica's very best. A few years ago, one brother was shot to death in a New York cab and another died of a heart attack. The tragedies might have derailed some athletes. Both of his parents are pastors and he credits a strict upbringing for his focus. "I couldn't miss one day in church and my mom and dad still call to see if I'm going to church," he says. "None of this would've been possible without God, and I pray to him each and every day. But I know that God helps those who help themselves, so I try to help myself."
Ndamukong Suh
Suh was not born in Jamaica, but Suh’s mother, Bernadette (née Lennon) was -- in Spanish Town, which is one of the roughest parts of Kingston. When we got out of the tour bus, I wandered off as I tend to do to catch a few unusual shots. Our tour driver freaked; he was very unhappy when he found me around a corner taking shots of lots of men who had immediately turned their back to the camera. Including Suh here is a bit of a reach, but his grandfather was 7 feet 3 inches tall; Africans used to hold many sports records; Jamaicans now hold several Olympic golds in track and field.
Suh, an elementary school teacher, was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica and is a graduate of Southern Oregon University. His father, Michael Suh, is from Cameroon and played semi-pro soccer in Germany while working as a machinist. They met and married in Portland, Oregon in 1982, after Michael Suh was admitted to a Portland trade school. Although his father is only 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m), Suh's grandfather, also named Ndamukong Suh, stood 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m). In the Ngemba language of Cameroon, Ndamukong means "House of Spears." Suh has three sisters; he is the second oldest of the children. His older sister, Odette Lennon Ngum Suh, played soccer collegiately at Mississippi State University and is currently a midfielder on the Cameroon women's national football team.
List of Olympic Medalists from Jamaica
| Medal | Name | Games | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Wint, Arthur | 1948 London | Men's 400 metres |
| Silver | McKenley, Herb | 1948 London | Men's 400 metres |
| Silver | Wint, Arthur | 1948 London | Men's 800 metres |
| Silver | McKenley, Herb | 1952 Helsinki | Men's 100 metres |
| Gold | Rhoden, George | 1952 Helsinki | Men's 400 metres |
| Silver | McKenley, Herb | 1952 Helsinki | Men's 400 metres |
| Gold | Wint, Arthur Leslie Laing Herb McKenley George Rhoden |
1952 Helsinki | Men's 4×400 metre relay |
| Silver | Wint, Arthur | 1952 Helsinki | Men's 800 metres |
| Silver | Miller, Lennox | 1968 Mexico City | Men's 100 metres |
| Bronze | Miller, Lennox | 1972 Munich | Men's 100 metres |
| Silver | Quarrie, Don | 1976 Montreal | Men's 100 metres |
| Gold | Quarrie, Don | 1976 Montreal | Men's 200 metres |
| Bronze | Quarrie, Don | 1980 Moscow | Men's 200 metres |
| Bronze | Ottey, Merlene | 1980 Moscow | Women's 200 metres |
| Bronze | Weller, David | 1980 Moscow | Men's 1 km time trial |
| Bronze | Ottey, Merlene | 1984 Los Angeles | Women's 100 metres |
| Bronze | Ottey, Merlene | 1984 Los Angeles | Women's 200 metres |
| Silver | Lawrence, Albert Greg Meghoo Ray Stewart |
1984 Los Angeles | Men's 4×100 metre relay |
| Silver | Jackson, Grace | 1988 Seoul | Women's 200 metres |
| Silver | Davis, Howard Devon Morris Winthrop Graham Bert Cameron |
1988 Seoul | Men's 4×400 metre relay |
| Silver | Cuthbert, Juliet | 1992 Barcelona | Women's 100 metres |
| Silver | Cuthbert, Juliet | 1992 Barcelona | Women's 200 metres |
| Bronze | Ottey, Merlene | 1992 Barcelona | Women's 200 metres |
| Silver | Graham, Winthrop | 1992 Barcelona | Men's 400 metre hurdles |
| Silver | Ottey, Merlene | 1996 Atlanta | Women's 100 metres |
| Silver | Ottey, Merlene | 1996 Atlanta | Women's 200 metres |
| Gold | Hemmings, Deon | 1996 Atlanta | Women's 400 metre hurdles |
| Bronze | Freeman, Michelle Juliet Cuthbert Nikole Mitchell Gillian Russell Andrea Lloyd |
1996 Atlanta | Women's 4×100 metre relay |
| Bronze | Haughton, Greg Michael McDonald Roxbert Martin Davian Clarke Dennis Blake Garth Robinson |
1996 Atlanta | Men's 4×400 metre relay |
| Silver | Beckford, James | 1996 Atlanta | Men's long jump |
| Silver | Lawrence, Tayna | 2000 Sydney | Women's 100 metres |
| Bronze | Ottey, Merlene | 2000 Sydney | Women's 100 metres |
| Silver | Hemmings, Deon | 2000 Sydney | Women's 400 metre hurdles |
| Bronze | Haughton, Greg | 2000 Sydney | Men's 400 metres |
| Silver | Graham, LorraineLorraine Graha | 2000 Sydney | Women's 400 metres |
| Bronze | McDonald, Beverly | 2000 Sydney | Women's 200 metres |
| Silver | Frazer, Merlene Tayna Lawrence Veronica Campbell Beverly McDonald |
2000 Sydney | Women's 4×100 metre relay |
| Bronze | Michael Blackwood Greg Haughton Christopher Williams Danny McFarlane Sanjay Ayre Michael McDonald |
2000 Sydney | Men's 4×400 metre relay |
| Silver | Richards, Sandie Catherine Scott Deon Hemmings Lorraine Graha Charmaine Howell Michelle Burgher |
2000 Sydney | Women's 4×400 metre relay |
| Bronze | Campbell, Veronica | 2004 Athens | Women's 100 metres |
| Gold | Campbell, Veronica | 2004 Athens | Women's 200 metres |
| Silver | McFarlane, Danny | 2004 Athens | Men's 400 metre hurdles |
| Gold | Lawrence, Tayna Sherone Simpson Aleen Bailey Veronica Campbell Beverly McDonald |
2004 Athens | Women's 4×100 metre relay |
| Bronze | Smith, Ronetta Novlene Williams Nadia Davy Sandie Richards Michelle Burgher |
2004 Athens | Women's 4×400 metre relay |
| Gold | Bolt, Usain | 2008 Beijing | Men's 100 |
| Gold | Fraser, Shelly-Ann | 2008 Beijing | Women's 100 |
| Gold | Bolt, Usain | 2008 Beijing | Men's 200 |
| Gold | Walker, Melaine | 2008 Beijing | Women's 400 m hurdles |
| Gold | Campbell-Brown, Veronica | 2008 Beijing | Women's 200 m |
| Gold | Carter, Nesta Michael Frater Usain Bolt Asafa Powell Dwight Thomas |
2008 Beijing | Men's 4x100 metre relay |
| Silver | Simpson, Sherone Sherone Simpson | 2008 Beijing | Women's 100 m |
| Silver | Stewart, Kerron | 2008 Beijing | Women's 100 m |
| Silver | Williams, Shericka | 2008 Beijing | Women's 400 m |
| Bronze | Stewart, Kerron | 2008 Beijing | Women's 200 m |
| Bronze | Williams, Shericka Shereefa Lloyd Rosemarie Whyte Novlene Williams Bobby Gaye-Wilkins |
2008 Beijing | Women's 4×400 metre relay |
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude