Tanya Lee | The 2018 Year of the Girls

So the curtain has closed on 2018, and what a fabulous year it was globally in the world of sports! France won the men's World Cup, Ronaldo headed to Italy after three successive Champions League titles, and the Golden State Warriors once again denied LeBron James his fourth title.

But as the curtain closed in 2018 and I examined the local scene, it was our Jamaican women who made impressive strides on the global stage.

The Bobsled Team

Our women's bobsled duo of Carrie Russell and Jasmine Fenlator-Victorian made a historic debut in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in February, some 30 years after our men made the first trek on ice in 1988. Unfortunately, they finished second from the bottom of the pile, but the glass is half full here as we're still one of the few tropical nations on ice. With experience in the bag and a sled of our own, the hope is that preparation will start early for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

Alia Atkinson

The year undoubtedly belongs to Jamaica's veteran swimmer, Alia Atkinson, who bettered her previous 50m world record and further distanced herself from the competition in a sport that severely lacks racial diversity. To put her achievements better into perspective, Alia stands tall at the top of the podium as the first and only black woman in history to both hold a world record and win a world swimming title! There is a stereotype that 'white men can't jump,' and 'black people can't swim,' but Alia makes it look oh, so easy. It's awesome to be a pioneer and World champion, but it's even more special to do so three years in a row!

The Reggae Girlz

In the world's most popular sport, it's the Reggae Girlz that stole the headlines in 2018 by qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup as we return to France this summer. And all eyes are on emerging talent and star striker Khadija Shaw, who was named The Guardian's Footballer of the Year. She scored a remarkable 11 goals in nine appearances for the Reggae Girlz and a whopping 13 goals in 15 appearances for the University of Tennessee, while sadly losing four of her seven brothers, three to gang-related violence in Jamaica. Playing through such adversity must have been difficult.

The Sunshine Girlz

In netball, the Sunshine Girlz started on a winning note by copping the historic Tani Jamison Trophy in New Zealand, bronze in Australia at the Commonwealth Games, and then silver in the Fast5 Netball World Series. Only a point separated Jamaica from the Fast5 trophy, which New Zealand won 34-33. Coincidentally, New Zealand sits in second place in the current netball world rankings, just one point ahead of Jamaica. I challenge our Girls to go all the way this year in Liverpool as we mount a solid campaign for the 2019 Netball World Cup.

Athletics

On the track, things were relatively quiet in the sprints. Elaine Thompson cruised home to defend her national title in 11.01 seconds despite a persistent Achilles injury, while the Mommy Rocket, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, returned to fine form after a one-year hiatus.

Jamaica had success in unlikely quarters at the Commonwealth Games as Danniel Thomas Dodd and Aisha Praught-Leer struck gold in the shot put and steeplechase, respectively. Natoya Goule had to settle for bronze behind Caster Semenya and Margaret Wambui, but the six-time national champion went on to set a new national record over the middle distance twice in the summer.

It was the junior sensation Briana Williams who shone brightest on the track in 2018. The breakout star became the fastest 15-year-old in track and field history, running a fantastic 11.13 seconds in March. Williams was relatively unbeatable over 100 and 200m all season and copped the golden double over 100 and 200m at the World Under-20 Championships. Her personal best, 22.50 seconds over the 200m, sent the Under-20 national record tumbling. It was no surprise when the Ato Boldon-coached junior lined up beside the world's best at the national senior trials, where she was fifth behind a world-class field. The future is limitless for Briana.

And so we wait to see what 2019 has to offer. All the very best to our women.

One love.

- Tanya Lee is a Caribbean sports marketer, author, and publicist. Follow her @tanyattlee on Instagram.