Tanya Lee | Ja’s World Champs by the numbers

The IAAF World Championships gets under way today until October 6, and according to trusted track-and-field site Track And Field News, Jamaica is likely to finish with a 13-medal haul from the championships. This would tie with our record achievements in Berlin 2009, where Jamaica finished second with seven gold, four silver, and two bronze.

Jamaica has a rich legacy at the championships, which dates back to the inaugural staging in Helsinki 1983 when Bertland Cameron struck gold in the men’s 400m.

The black, green, and gold have done well since, with our women accounting for 71 medals, while our men have contributed 44 to the final count of 115.

On the list of combined all-time performances, Jamaica occupies three of the top four spots. Allyson Felix tops the list with 15 medals, followed by the legend himself, Usain Bolt, with 14 medals from individual and relay events. Bolt has 11 gold, two silver, and a bronze. Sprint queen Merlene Ottey’s 13 medals put her in third place, followed by Veronica Campbell Brown with 11.

Jamaica boasts both the top male and female athletes in World Champs history. Usain Bolt’s nine Individual medals put him ahead of Great Britain’s Mo Farah, and Merlene Ottey’s 10 individual honours put her ahead of compatriot Veronica Campbell Brown, with seven individual medals.

Per capita, the sprint factory is the most successful country in World Champs history. Jamaica is currently in sixth place on the all-medal table, below the likes of USA, Germany, Russia, Kenya, and Great Britain. The smallest of these nations in terms of population is Kenya. That country’s population is 16 times that of Jamaica’s. The top-ranked USA is a whopping 237 times more populous than Jamaica.

Our younger talents have shone brightly at the championships. Yohan Blake became the youngest 100m World champion ever when he won in Daegu 2011 at just 21 years old. Nineteen-year-old Nikole Mitchell remains the world’s youngest 100m finalist when she lined up for the starter’s gun in 1993. Merlene Frazer is the youngest gold medalist to date. At 17 years old, she was part of Jamaica’s winning 4x100m relay squad in 1991.

Appearance Records

In terms of World Champs appearances, Jamaica’s Danny McFarlane has made a record nine teams, competing from 1993 to 2009. He has stepped unto the podium five times at the championships.

Usain Bolt has made seven teams between 2005 and 2017 and has completed 44 rounds, the most by any male athlete in history. Sprinters Ray Stewart, Davian Clarke and Dwight Thomas have all made six appearances apiece. Long and triple jumper James Beckford has also competed in six Championships.

On the women’s side, Merlene Ottey has been to eight Championships between 1983 and 2007, albeit her two final stints were for Slovenia. She has completed 59 rounds of competition, the most by any athlete, male or female. Aleen Bailey, Debbie-Ann Parris, and Sandie Richards have each made six teams.

World Championship records are made to be broken, and some are likely to go over the next few days, but for now, Jamaica has six event records on the books. Usain Bolt’s 100m (9.58) and 200m (19.19) wins from Berlin 2009 are legendary. The men’s 4x100m quartet that ran 37.04 in Daegu 2011 are yet to be matched.

On the women’s side, Melaine Walker’s 52.42 in the 400m hurdles is the World Championship record, set in Berlin, 2009. Our 4x100m relay team’s 41.07 from Beijing, 2015 is still the best performance over the distance.

Let’s hope more records are set to close the 2019 season, where temperatures in the stadium are ripe for great performances.

One love.