THIS WEEK IN NACAC
5 December 2021
NACAC’s Elaine Thompson – World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year
What a year!
That must be the thinking of all Jamaicans and all of NACAC in respect of the successes of Elaine Thompson-Herah as she was a ‘runaway’ champion on the evening of the World Athletics Annual Awards Ceremony in Monaco.
Since completing the 100m/200m double at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, in 2016, Thompson-Herah has experienced mixed fortunes. At the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, 2019, she was disappointed. In the 100m final she could only achieve a fourth pace in 10.93 and had to withdraw from the 200m at the semi-final stage due to an achilles tendon injury.
2020 was the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and while she was doing well, she was nonetheless bothered by the one year postponement of the Summer Olympics scheduled for Tokyo, Japan.
In 2021, Thompson-Herah, supported the NACAC initiative, the New Life Invitational, where she contested and easily won the 100m and 200m, serving notice that she was committed to achieving the Rio 2016 feats.
At the Jamaica national championships and Tokyo trials, her compatriot, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, showed remarkable form and poise, defeating Thompson-Herah in both the 100m and 200m respectively.
Unperturbed by the home defeats, Thompson-Herah stayed focused on the prize and in Tokyo, easily turned the tables on Fraser-Pryce in both the 100m and 200m respectively, repeating her 2016 Olympic victories. The gold medal victory in the 4 x 100m in Tokyo was a welcomed bonus. But the 2021 season had not ended with the Tokyo competition and neither was Thompson-Herah’s amazing performances. While she succumbed to the evergreen Fraser-Pryce in the 100m while in Europe, she reclaimed her leading role in the 100m with a remarkable 10.54 victory at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League before closing off the season by winning the event at the Diamond League finale.
NACAC is extremely proud of Thompson-Herah’s amazing year in our sport and congratulates her and all of Jamaica.
More than anything else, NACAC is enthused that the Jamaican trio of Thompson-Herah, Fraser- Pryce and Shericka Jackson would probably go down in history for having created a women’s 100m final that was more attractive than that of the men at an edition of the Summer Olympics.
NACAC Sweeps majority of World Athletics Awards 2021
NACAC’s Elaine Thompson-Herah was not the only winner at the annual prestigious World Athletics Ceremony this year.
Our achievers took home one award after another with NACAC resident, Mike ands, feeling justly proud as the winners were announced at a Gala event in Monaco, last week.
Those who have been following her development have all been amazed by her achievements and a running style that makes is all look so easy. We are here referring to this year’s winner of the World Athletics Female Rising Star Award for 2021, Athing Mu of the USA.
Not to be outdone, NACAC and USA’s Erriyon Knighton captured the World Athletics Male Rising Star Award for 2021. This phenomenon has been impressive and has serve dnotice that he will be among the best male sprinters for some time.
Long-serving US coach, Bobby Kersee, captured the World Athletics Coach of The Year award while the President’s Award, went to Peter Diamond, NBC’s Executive Vice President of Olympic Programing.
NACAC Member Federation, Costa Rica, copped the top award for Member Federation of the Year, a fitting tribute to the work and leadership provided by Geen Clarke.
NACAC President, Mike Sands, extended congratulations to all winners. “I was totally elated at our achievements at this year’s World Athletics Awards Ceremony. We are perhaps the most powerful of all of the Areas and this is a feat that we must continue to achieve, going forward”.
Sands also stated, “While we acknowledge and applaud the winners, let us be very clear that we have done excellent as an Area in the World Athletics Family and the successes at the Awards Ceremony must be seen as deserving of all of our member federations. We have all contributed, in one way or another to the achievements of those who received their most deserving awards”.
Other Awards for NACAC
NACAC personnel were also in receipt of awards from World Athletics for their outstanding service to our sport.
The recipients were:
Veteran Pin
- Maria de la Caridad Colon Ruenes (Cuba)
- Michael A. Serralta (Puerto Rico)
- David Weicker (Canada)
Plaque of Merit
- Alberto Juantorena Danger (Cuba)
Meetings this Week
Sunday 5 December 2021
7.00pm AST – Closing Ceremony, Inaugural Junior Pan American Games, Cali, Colombia
Friday 10 December 2021
10.00 am ECT – Weekly Meeting, Sands, Serralta, Joseph and Morgan World Athletics Athletes of the Year Awards 2021, Monaco
Keith Joseph
P.O. Box 680, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines
Tel: (784) 457 9062 (H); (784) 457 2970 (O)
