Barbados’ Jones
on a mission BRIDGETOWN, Barbados
By George Alleyne
Twenty-year-old Barbadian
middle distance runner,
Jonathan Jones, is rapidly
setting new bars for his country
in the event and determinedly
blazing his own path towards
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After thrashing the national
400 metres record a few
weeks ago in the US collegiate
2019 meeting, the youngster
blazed to a faster timing last
weekend at the London leg of
the international Diamond
League.
He clocked 44.63 seconds
behind race winner, Jamaica’s
Akeem Bloomfield who finished
at 44.40 seconds.
During the American
National Collegiate Athletic
Association 2019 Outdoor
Track and Field Championships
last month Jones signalled that
he is a man on a mission by
clocking 44:64 seconds to wipe
out Barbados’ national 400-
metre record that was held by
Elvis Forde since 1984
Forde’s 35-year record of
45:32 had appeared unassailable
for local athletes until young
Jones came along.
With the national record
already under his belt, Jones
was not among the fastest as he
sprang out of Lane Eight in the
Diamond League London 400-
metre final but began asserting
himself just as he passed the
100-metre mark.
The young Bajan then
moved up from fourth position
easing past Jamaica’s Nathan
Allen and eclipsed the US’ Obi
Igbokwe in the homestretch to
claim silver.
Allen was third in 44:85
seconds.
Jones, a freshman at
University of Texas, qualified
for the Tokyo Olympics since
his NCAA national recordbreaking
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run, which was below
the 44:90 standard set for the
2020 games.
Barbadian athlete Jonathan
Jones. Photo by George Alleyne
(July 9, 2019) – The
Caribbean Football Union
(CFU) will host the 2019
Girls’ Under 14 Challenge
Series from Aug. 5-13,
2019 across five venues in
the region. A total of 22
teams will take part in the
competition.
The developmental
tournament will be played
in Jamaica, Cayman Islands,
Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and
Nevis and the Dominican
Republic.
“This competition
follows last year’s Women’s
Challenge Series and
drills down on the CFU’s
commitment to grassroots
football generally and the
advancement of the women’s
game specifically. Just
under 400 girls from across
the Caribbean will get the
chance to pit their skills
against their counterparts,
and this will also foster their
growth and development
both on and off the football
pitch,” CFU President,
Randolph Harris said.
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