This Week in NACAC: NACAC’s athletes positively impact Tokyo Olympics 2020

NACAC’s athletes positively impact Tokyo Olympics 2020

Led by newly-crowned World Sprint Queen, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, NACAC’s athletes have once more shown the sporting world that when Athletics takes centre stage at the Summer Olympics, they are consistently the very best.

“For the first time in many years, the NACAC women have made their 100m event the most attractive in the entire competition at this year’s edition of the world’s largest and most exciting sporting spectacle.” These were the words of NACAC President, Mike Sands, of The Bahamas, following the first three days of the athletics competition in Tokyo.

The lead up to the women’s 100m was simply remarkable, and this, despite the unfortunate incident that led to the suspension of the USA’s champion, Sha’Carri Richardson.

According to President Sands, “We always expected the Jamaican trio of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Thompson-Herah to make the event a major NACAC challenge for others, we never anticipated that they would claim all three medals on offer with the latter repeating her victory in Rio de Janeiro in 2016”.

With no visitors allowed into the stadium, it was left to the representatives of the National Olympic Committees, member federations and athletes of NACAC to support our athletes in the historic finals on Saturday evening.

The USA’s Teahna Daniels finished fourth to cement NACAC’s dominance in the event.

NACAC’s athletes also took two of the three top spots in the 4 x 400m Mixed Relay with the Dominican Republic claiming silver with an amazing finish, followed by the USA with bronze and Jamaica in seventh.

On Sunday 1 August, NACAC was again among the medals. USA’s Fred Kerley, continued his fine form when claiming silver in the finals of the Men’s 100m ahead of Canada’s Andre de Grasse.

US Shot Putter, Raven Saunders, took the silver medal in the Women’s Shot Put.

In Monday’s morning session, Puerto Rico claimed its first gold medal at the Games when Jasmine Camacho-Quinn literally ran away from her opponents in the 100mH. The silver and bronze medals also went to NACAC athletes, the pre-race favourite, Kendra Harrison of the USA and Jamaica’s Megan Tapper, respectively.

Cuban athletes, Juan Miguel Echevarria and Maykal Masso, both sustaining injuries during the competition, finished second and third respectively in the Men’s Long Jump, losing out on the very last jump in the finals.

NACAC Juniors look toward Nairobi

Junior athletes of the NACAC Area are now focused on their own major competition for the year, the World Athletics Championships scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya, 17 – 22 August 2021.

These Championships were originally scheduled for 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic caused their rescheduling.

World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe, eager to facilitate the continued development of both the sport and the Area Associations, has lent the organisation’s full support to Africa in general and Kenya, in particular, to realise the big event one year later.

NACAC has been encouraging member federations to participate in the World Juniors, just as it has done with its own Championships even as the pandemic rages.

NACAC also implores member federations to insist on strict adherence to the health protocols of their respective countries in order to have healthy athletes eager to compete at their very best at all times.

Updates on Athletics Qualification for Inaugural Pan American Junior Games, Cali 2021  

NACAC reminds member federations that the Inaugural Pan American Junior Games will take place in Cali, Colombia, from 25 November to 5 December 2021.

Member federations should pay special attention to the following: 

1. The deadline for achieving the qualifying standards and rankings established for the Pan American is Sunday 22 August 2021. 
2. The host country (Colombia), has the right to participate in all the events including those for which none of their athletes has qualified.
3. National Olympic Committees that do not have any qualified athlete in an event have the right to register one male and one female athlete seeking approval under the universality principle. The deadline to report universality entries is 15 August 2021. 
4. Any queries must be made to Noel Cedeño, with a copy to the international technical delegates, Martinho Nobre dos Santos ([email protected]) and Cándido Vélez ([email protected]).
5. Marcos Oviedo([email protected]), may also be approached with claims in respect of the matters relating to the aforementioned information 

Sports Post Graduate Certificate Scholarship NEW Opportunity

NACAC member federations with Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA) now have the opportunity to apply for scholarship opportunities for the World Academy of Sport’s (WAoS) Postgraduate Certificate, International Sports Management, developed and delivered in conjunction with the University of London.

Available from WAoS and the CGA are two (2) full scholarships, each valued at £3,675, and three (3) 25% scholarships valued at £918.75 each.  

The Post Graduate Certificate (PGCert) programme is a globally recognised, academically rigorous and industry-focused qualification that has been collaboratively developed by the University of London and the World Academy of Sport.

Applications must be submitted no later than 13 August 2021.

Weekly Meetings

Wednesday 4 August

10.00 am ECT – Weekly Meeting – Mike Sands, Michael Serralta, Chester Morgan, Garth Gayle and Keith Joseph