Black Immigrant Daily News

One jump was all it took. Breaking the championship record in the first round of the final, Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert claimed the triple jump crown in superb style on the penultimate day of the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia on Friday night.

The 17-year-old secured silver at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Nairobi last year and was favourite to go one better in Cali. But the manner in which he did that left him stunned. After landing in the sand, he leapt straight back up and glanced at the pit, grabbing his head in shock as he saw how far he had travelled. Collapsing to the track, still with his head in his hands, he waited for the measurement. When it showed – a 17.27m championship record – he was overcome with emotion.

Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert celebrates. (PHOTO: World Athletics).

Understandably so. The mark – a PB by 61cm – puts him second on the world U18 all-time list and makes him the equal eighth best U20 athlete in the history of the event. Only one other Jamaican – Olympic and world long jump silver medallist James Beckford – has ever gone farther with his 17.92m national record set in 1995.

The competition for gold was all but over. Returning to the runway, Hibbert backed up that 17.27m (0.0m/s) leap with 16.82m (-0.2m/s) in the second round, and then decided to call it a day knowing that he must surely have done enough.

He won by more than a metre. With the gold decided, there was a close battle for silver – Hibbert’s fellow 17-year-old Selva P. Thirumaran of India clinching it with a 16.15m PB, two centimetres ahead of Estonia’s Viktor Morozov, the 18-year-old who also claimed European U20 bronze last year.

New Zealand’s Ethan Olivier finished fourth with 16.03m and again just two centimetres separated him from the next best, USA’s Floyd Whitaker finishing fifth with a 16.01m PB.

“Right now, I can’t even soak it up. I didn’t see this coming, I’m speechless,” said Hibbert, who will still be young enough to compete at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru. “This was a big surprise because I actually came to the competition with a knee pain and I didn’t even have a proper run up today. So, wow.”

Jamaica’s Brandon Pottinger competes in the men’s high jump in Cali. (PHOTO: World Athletics).

Prior to Cali, Jamaica had never claimed gold in a jumps event at the World U20 Championships. Now the nation has two, Brandon Pottinger dealing best with the challenging conditions to win the high jump. The 18-year-old hadn’t been among the favourites going into the championships, but that meant nothing come competition day, when the weather added another dimension to the contest.

Entering at 2.05m, the Jamaican U20 champion needed two attempts to make it over that opening height, but then soared clear at 2.10m on the first time of asking. The competition was paused at that point, as a storm passed over the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. Six athletes remained in contention – Pottinger joined by South African favourite Brian Raats, Bulgarian U20 champion Bozhidar Saraboyukov, Martin Lefevre of France, Yeh Po-Ting of Chinese Taipei and Hungary’s Matyas Guth.

The next height proved a challenge for all but Pottinger. As athletes returned to the field of play with the bar at 2.14m, one by one they knocked it down. But as he did for his opening height, the Jamaican soared over it on his second try and that would prove to be the winning clearance.

With both Raats, who has cleared 2.26m this year, and Saraboyukov having perfect records up to their eventual bests of 2.10m, they could not be separated and so shared the silver.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke hit the ninth hurdle and had to settle for bronze in the men’s 400m hurdles.

The gold medal was won by Turkey’s Ismail Nezir who achieved a national U20 record of 48.84 to make it the second gold of the day for his nation after this morning’s 10,000m men’s race walk – that’s the same number of medals Turkey had won in the entire history of the championships before this week.

Having only advanced to the final as a non-automatic qualifier, Slovenia’s Matic Ian Gucek very nearly pulled off a huge upset from lane one, the 18-year-old finishing second in a national U20 record of 48.91, having run Nezir all the way to the line. Clarke crossed the line in 49.62 for this third-place finish.

Jamaica will enter Saturday’s final day in second position behind USA in the medal table.

Jamaica have five gold, four silver and three bronze for a total of 12.

The USA are leading with five gold, four silver and four bronze for a total of 13.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

OBSERVER Newsco: Although there has been quite a buzz over the revelation of a new airways from the African continent to Antigua and Barbuda, United Progressive Party (UPP) Chairman D Gisele Isaac said she is taking the news with a pinch of salt. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP FOR NEWS UPDATES.

The airline, Antigua Airways, linking the twin island nation directly to West Africa, is expected to begin flights in mid-October.

A formal agreement was signed between the government of Antigua and Barbuda and Nigerian publishing and printing firm, Marvelous Mike Press Limited, at the office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

Tourism Minister Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez witnessed this week’s official signing and said the third week in October is the tentative date for the first flight.

He said there may be about three flights per week.

The Nigerian investors will finance the operations of Antigua Airways while the government of Antigua and Barbuda will receive 20 percent of the profits.

But Isaac who was speaking on Friday on the Observer AM show mentioned that she is taking the latest information with a grain of salt as there is not enough information to make a proper assessment of this company and the new airline.

“I would want to know whether this is an experiment by this new company or whether they have a track record in launching businesses of this type. There are lots of regulations that you have to observe. Lots of safety standards and business standards that you have to meet. Have those things been done? October is two months away. All these things have been done already? Have persons been trained? I don’t know anything about these people and I don’t know what their track record is in launching airlines,” Isaac said.

She mentioned that due to the reputation of ‘Nigerian businessmen’ as well on the international scene, we need to be cautious when going into business with them.

Isaac went on to say that due to the track record of the Gaston Browne administration who make grand announcements about developments without any of these coming to fruition, she will have to “see it to believe it” that this airline can be able to be fully operational in a matter of months.

She mentioned that with the failed airlines like LIAT (1974) Ltd and Allen Stanford’s Caribbean Star, the government knows how much it costs to run an airline and it is for those reasons why she cannot throw her support behind this project.

“How is this thing going to be financed? We don’t know, and I don’t think I can greet something that has so little information about it, and from the article that I read, even the minister of tourism who was there at the signing of the deal doesn’t seem to have that much details about it.

“So, when we see it happening, and when we see it last for enough time to judge it, then I will say, this could be a good thing, but as it stands now, I am going to treat it the same way I treated the hotel that was supposed to b established at Willoughby Bay, again, by some African businessmen,” Isaac added.

The news was first revealed in Cabinet notes last month which reported that the carrier would be financed by wealthy Africans wishing to open a new route between the African continent and the Eastern Caribbean.

The July 21 Cabinet notes had also alluded to a possible collaboration with regional airline LIAT.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Un hombre murió atropellado por un conductor que huyó del lugar, a eso de las 4:56 de la madrugada del sábado, en el kilómetro 55.2 de la carretera PR-01 jurisdicción de Cayey.

Según el reporte de la Policía, se recibió una llamada a través del Sistema 9-1-1 sobre una persona tirada en el pavimento. Al llegar las unidades al lugar, encontraron el cuerpo de un hombre quien al momento no ha sido identificado.

Se cree que el sujeto fue impactado por un vehículo de motor.

El agente Carlos Muñoz, adscrito a la División de Patrullas de Carreteras y Autopistas del área de Caguas, la agente Lisandra Aponte de la División de Homicidios del Cuerpo de Investigaciones Criminales y el fiscal Alfredo Carrión se hicieron cargo de la investigación.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

La procuradora de las Mujeres, Lersy Boria anunció el viernes su renuncia al puesto que ocupa.

“Es con sentimientos encontrados que, en el día de hoy, le comuniqué al señor gobernador, Pedro Pierluisi mi decisión de poner a su disposición el cargo de Procuradora de las Mujeres, con efectividad inmediata. Agradezco la confianza depositada en mí para liderar una oficina gubernamental que trabaja temas tan centrales y multifactoriales como la equidad y la violencia de género”, dijo Boria en declaraciones escritas. 

“Dejo la OPM para emprender nuevos caminos, pero siempre con la mirada puesta en la lucha en favor de nuestras mujeres y poblaciones vulnerables. Me enorgullece dejar la agencia encaminada, con un presupuesto balanceado, la academia de intercesoras legales implementada y en funciones para certificar nuevo personal en ese delicado campo y una asignación de presupuesto para las ONG que brindan servicios a sobrevivientes de violencia.Además, queda estructurada el área adjudicativa y de fiscalización, que ha sido efectiva en el monitoreo del cumplimiento con la política pública, entreotras metas cumplidas.

Así también, notifico que hemos encaminado más de una veintena de proyectos que próximamente estarán al servicio de nuestra gente. Mi trayectoria en la OPM me deja la satisfacción de haber podido aportar al cambio de percepción en torno a la violencia de género en Puerto Rico y de haber impactado de manera positiva tantas vidas. Ha sido un privilegio trabajar por nuestra isla. Seguiré laborando incansablemente en pro del bienestar de nuestra sociedad desde donde me encuentre”, añadió la ahora exprocuradora.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The organizers of Mimosa the Experience upheld their definition of the term all-inclusive.

On the morning of Crop Over Friday at Waterford Plains patrons were presented with the total hospitality package; prime cuisine, premium-drinks, skillful deejaying and ecstatic live performances. It was almost as if the two-year pandemic hiatus did not happen and the party was practically resuming from 2019 without missing a beat, note, savory explosion or vibe.

The sold-out event was a masterpiece production with flawless execution, from the decorations, organization of the fixtures and selection of entertainers, it was the perfect celebration of their fifth year of operations.

“It is significantly more expensive to produce an all-inclusive event, food and alcoholic beverage prices have doubled and tripled in some instances”

One of the producers of the event, Tibu Johnson said the Mimosa team was extremely appreciative of the support received from the attendees, despite some challenges rooted in the pandemic.

“The reception was exceptional; both the local and foreign bases came out in their numbers to support the event. There was a decline in sponsorship and a sharp increase in the prices of everything. It is significantly more expensive to produce an all-inclusive event, food and alcoholic beverage prices have doubled and tripled in some instances”, Johnson explained.

A perfectly blended audience synonymized the name of the event, and the weather provided the ideal conditions for an impeccable breakfast party.

The food village was a culinary extravaganza that featured a variety of foods from Street Pasta, Burger King, GCG Events Catering, Wibisco, Farmers Choice and Frosteez of Chefette.

Champagne was available at each of the strategically positioned bars, which allowed patrons to secure their favourite beverage quickly and return to their position to enjoy the entertainment cast.

The entertainment was spearheaded by Patrick the Hypeman and featured a DJ roster which included the Raw Gas team of Chasey the Entertainer & Sheldon Papp, Daddy Bubbles & Evolution, DJ Cardo & the Artiste Team, Jus Jay and Vibe Nation.

Mimosa offered the total package to their patrons and complimented the DJ collection with live performances from Lead Pipe & Saddis, Grateful Co, Keelz, Mole De Chief, Brucelee Almighty and Lil Rick in his now famous hoochie daddy shorts.

Happy fifth birthday Mimosa!

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