Glorious Moscow Round-Up!!

 Day after day, as we watched the Moscow IAAF World Championships, our Jamaican athletes had us cheering and screaming as they proved themselves to the the Sprint Kings and Queens of the world.  We had the same number of Gold Medals - SIX! - as the USA, and were Third on the Medal Tables.  According to reports, Jamaica was second only to the hosts Russia in popularity and the Black-Green-Gold was even painted on Russian faces!  A huge thank you to the athletes, coaches and organisers for a campaign that brought pride and joy to their country.

Jamaica's 4x100 metres women's team display their gold medals during the presentation ceremony at the World Championships of Athletics in Moscow, Russia, yesterday. The athletes are (from left) Kerron Stewart, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Schillonie Calvert and Carrie Russell. - Ricardo Makyn for Gleaner

Below are excerpts of reports and photos from the Gleaner and the Observer - with links to the full reports.

FROM THE GLEANER
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
MOSCOW, Russia

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130819/sports/sports1.html

The debate is dead! In the fight to determine the official sprint capital of the world, Jamaica scored a decisive knockout over arch-rival United States (US) and the rest of the globe at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics (WCA) here, adding an exclamation point yesterday (August 18) with two more gold medals in the relays.
With a perfect haul of six out of six gold in men's and women's 100, 200 and 4x100 metres at the WCA, Jamaica left no doubt who's boss in track and field's glamour events.
"We continue to (dominate)," said Usain Bolt, who won gold in the 100 and 200 and also anchored the relay. "We really stepped up our game."
None here could contest that argument. While reluctant to exclude the 100 and 110 metres hurdles, plus the 400 from the sprint classification, events in which the US excelled here, former Trinidad and Tobago star sprinter Ato Boldon conceded Jamaica is an overwhelming force.
"No question," said Boldon. "Jamaica has become dominant in the 100 and 200."
But the road to the sprint pinnacle required shaking off an ominous red, white and blue shadow.

Jamaica's 4x100 metres men's team display their gold medals during the presentation ceremony at the World Championships of Athletics in Moscow, Russia, yesterday. The athletes are (from left) Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole, Nickel Ashmeade and Usain Bolt. - photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

"A time before a lot of persons thought it was all about the United States, and other teams lining up in races with the United States got nervous," said Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, like Bolt a triple sprint gold medallist here. "But for us, you know, we realised that from 2008, when we started to win, we know that we are good as well ... . We recognise that we within ourselves are champions as well. It doesn't matter who or what country lines up in any lane."
The significance of Jamaica's emergence over the last decade, to stand alone atop the sprint podium, was not lost on competitors here.
"Jamaicans are far ahead," said Martin Keller, who anchored the German team in the 4x100 final.

Fastest in the world
The US has failed to dominate the sprints at global championships - Olympics Games and WCAs - for a while. Since the 2000 Olympics, Jamaica has swept by the Americans in total medals in the sprints, which decide who's the fastest in the world.
In the Olympics, staged every four years, Jamaica has accumulated 26 sprint medals overall to 20 by the US since 2000.
In the WCA, every two years, the overall margin has favoured the US - 34 to 32 - since 2003. However, Jamaica, including this year's WCA, have dominated recent clashes. The US won five of six sprints at WCA 2005 and 2007, but Jamaica has won the gold medal battle 15 to three since.
Now US prospects of bouncing back anytime soon appear slim. Jamaica boasts a strong stable of young male and female sprinters. Bolt and Fraser-Pryce are both 26 and still at their peak. Yohan Blake, 23, is the 100 metres champion at WCA 2011.
Read more at http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130819/sports/sports1.html

FROM THE JAMAICA OBSERVER

Jamaicans cap World Champs with two relay gold medals - Jamaica Observer

PAUL REID covers the 14TH IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in Moscow, Russia

MOSCOW, Russia — (From left) Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey- Cole, Nickel Ashmeade and Usain Bolt stand at attention for the playing of the Jamaican National Anthem at the medal presentation for the men’s 4x100m relay.

MOSCOW, Russia — The strains of the Jamaican National Anthem should still be ringing in the ears of the thousands who attended yesterday's final session of the 14th IAAF World Championships inside the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. The anthem was played three times in close succession as the Jamaicans ended the championships in a blaze of glory with two sprint relay victories.

In addition to the relay medal ceremonies, the medals for the men's 200m, from a day earlier, that saw both Bolt and Warren Weir take gold and silver were also presented.

The women's 4x100-m team of Carrie Russell, Kerron Stewart, Schillonie Calvert and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce managed to overshadow the all-conquering men's team with a magnificent National Record and Championships Record of41.29 seconds, bettered only by the United States' World Record 40.82 seconds set last year at the London Olympic Games, and beating the one-year-old Jamaican 41.41 seconds record also set in London last year.

The previous Championship Record was 41.47 seconds set in Athens, Greece, in 1997.

The men's team of Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole, Nickel Ashmeade and Usain Bolt won in a world leading 37.37 seconds as Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt, who anchored their respective relay teams, both won a third gold medal at the championships.

Jamaica finished with nine medals — six gold, two silver and a bronze — the total matching the haul from Daegu, South Korea, two years ago. Jamaica finished third in the medal tables from 33 countries that won medals of the 206 territories that took part in the nine-day extravaganza.

Hosts Russia topped the medals tabled with seven golds in their total of 17 while the USA won the most, 25.

MOSCOW, Russia — Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (left) receives the baton from Schillonie Calvert in their 4X100m relay gold medal run at the IAAF World Championships yesterday. (PHOTOS: AP)

Yesterday's unexpected win by the women's team was the third time in the history of the World Championships, adding to gold medals won in 1991 in Tokyo, thanks to an outstanding anchor leg run from Merlene Ottey and again in 2009 in Berlin, Germany, and was the 13th medal being won by Jamaica in the event in its 14 stagings.

Russell, though she did not make the team in an individual category, gave the team a strong start, while the veteran Stewart then handed over to Calvert, who while the American team were having issues handling their batons, made a smooth change to Fraser-Pryce who streaked away from the pack to win by 1.44 seconds the largest-margin ever in the history of the championships, and it was the first time that the champion would win by over a full second.

Sherri-Ann Brooks a 100m semi-finalist had anchored the team in the first round which, Jamaica won in 41.87 seconds beating France and Holland to the line.

MOSCOW, Russia — Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates after anchoring Jamaica to victory in the 4x100m relay here, yesterday.

The USA, who finished third in 42.75 seconds, were promoted to the silver after France, who crossed the line second were disqualified —after being presented with the medal — with Great Britain promoted to third place.

With the absence of Veronica Campbell Brown and Sherone Simpson and an injury to Anniesha McLaughlin in the semi-finals of the 200m earlier in the week, the Jamaican team was not expected to come away with gold.

The United States, which won just one relay gold medal here, also had their issues, which were compounded by the absence of Allyson Felix — who was injured in the final of the 200m — and 100m bronze medallist Carmelita Jeter.

MOSCOW, Russia — Usain Bolt (2nd right)) takes off after receiving the baton from teammate Nickel Ashmeade (3rd left) in the men’s 4x100 gold medal-winning performance at the IAAF World Championships yesterday.

It was, however, business as usual for the men, as they racked up the fifth straight win in a major global championship and third straight at the World Championships despite — the changing of the faces with Bailey-Cole and Ashmeade running in the final for the first time.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/4-goodness-sake_14908048#ixzz2cSTO4jny