Sport in Jamaica

Merlene Ottey, former 200 World Champion

The early nineties was a successful time for Jamaican athletics with Merlene Ottey on top form. The decade started with the Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Ottey won the sprint double just like Quarrie had done 26 years before her. Both men’s relay teams won bronzes. The 4x100 m team featured Clive Wright, John Mair, Raymond Stewart and Wayne Watson. The 4x400 m team featured Wright, Devon Morris, Howard Burnett and Mair. Next up was the 1991 World Championships in Japan the only gold was the women’s 4x100 m team of Dahlia Duhaney, Juliet Cuthbert, Beverly McDonald and Merlene Ottey. Winthrop Graham managed silver in the 400 m hurdles and Merlene Ottey once again won two bronzes in the 100 m and 200 m, and the men's 4x400 m team of Patrick O'Connor, Devon Morris, Winthrop Graham and Seymour Fagan also won bronze giving Jamaica a record World championship medal tally of 1 gold 1 silver and 3 bronzes.
The next Olympics were in 1992 in Barcelona and Jamaica had many athletes capable of winning the Olympic Gold medal but none rose to the occasion. Juliet Cuthbert came close but could only manage two silvers (in the 100 m and 200 m) and Winthrop Graham won silver in the 400 m hurdles behind record breaking Kevin Young. Merlene Ottey won two more Olympic Bronzes (that was in the 100 m and 200 m behind younger team mate Juliet Cuthbert) and many were starting to say she should retire.
A year later at the 1993 World Championships, Ottey proved the critics wrong by becoming World 200 m Champion at the age of 33. She then won silver in the 100 m. She would return to earn a bronze medal on the women's 4x100 m team (Michelle Freeman, Juliet Campbell, Nikole Mitchell, and Merlene Ottey). Also Winthrop Graham in the 400 m hurdles and Sandie Richards in the women's 400 m, won bronze medals.
At the 1994 Commonwealth Games two young athletes were the only gold medallists 25 year old Michelle Freeman won gold in the sprint hurdles and 22 year old Inez Turner won gold in the 800 m. Merlene Ottey retained her 200 m crown at the 1995 world championships in Gothenburg. Once again she won 100 m silver. At this championships Jamaica achieved another record haul of 1 gold 4 silvers and 2 bronzes. This included silvers for James Beckford in the Long Jump, the men's 4x400 m team (Michael McDonald, Davian Clarke, Danny McFarlane, and Greg Haughton), and the women's 4x100 m team (Dahlia Duhaney, Juliet Cuthbert, Beverly McDonald, and Merlene Ottey), as well as, bronzes for Greg Haughton in the men's 400 m and Deon Hemmings in the women's 400 m hurdles.
Many believed the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta would be Ottey’s last as she was then 36. Ottey won silver in the closest women's Olympic 100 m in history as her and Gail Devers were given the same time of 10.94 but the judges gave it to Devers on the photo finish. Like Herb Mckenley 44 years before her this was the closest Ottey ever was to an individual Olympic Gold medal. She also won a silver in the 200 and showed no signs of stopping. At this Olympics Ottey’s achievements were overshadowed by Jamaica’s first Olympic champion since Donald Quarrie and first female Olympic champion. Her name was Deon Hemmings and she won the 400 m hurdles in a new Olympic record of 52.82. James Beckford also managed a long jump silver medal. The women's 4x100 m team (Michelle Freeman, Juliet Cuthbert, Nikole Mitchell, Merlene Ottey, Gillian Russell, and Andrea Lloyd) and the men's 4x400 m team (Michael McDonald, Greg Haughton, Roxbert Martin, Davian Clarke, Dennis Blake, and Garth Robinson) both won bronze medals as well, so that Jamaica ended with 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.
The next year at the 1997 world championships, Jamaica won no golds but managed 3 silvers and 4 bronzes. Alexandra "Sandie" Richards won silver in the 400 m. Olympic champion Deon Hemmings won silver in the 400 m hurdles and the women’s 4x100 m team of Beverly McDonald, Merlene Frazer, Juliet Cuthbert and Beverly Grant won silver. The ageless wonder Merlene Ottey won bronze in the 200 m, Michelle Freeman also won bronze in the 100 m hurdles, while both 4x400 m men's (Michael McDonald, Greg Haughton, Danny McFarlane, and Davian Clarke) and women's (Inez Turner, Lorraine Fenton, Deon Hemmings, and Sandie Richards) teams won bronze medals however after USA's gold was stripped because it included drug cheat Antonio Pettigrew. Jamaica were promoted to silver medal position making there revised total 4 silvers and 3 bronzes.
In Kuala Lumpur for the 1998 Commonwealth Games Jamaica managed 4 golds Gillian Russell set a new commonwealth record of 12.7 seconds in the 100 m hurdles. Sandie Richards won gold in the 400 m with a new commonwealth record of 50.17. Dinsdale Morgan won gold in the 400 m Hurdles and the men’s 4x400 m team of Davian Clarke, Gregory Haughton, Michael McDonald and Roxbert Martin won gold in a new Commonwealth record to cap off a successful games.
The 1999 World Championships were the last championships before the new millennium. Jamaica won no golds but Beverly McDonald won silver in the 200 m. The rest of the team won 5 bronzes including Deon Hemmings in the 400 m hurdles, Lorraine Fenton in the 400 m, Merlene Frazer in the 200 m, the women's 4x100 m team (Aleen Bailey, Merlene Frazer, Beverly McDonald, and Peta-Gaye Dowdie), and the men's 4x400 m team (Michael McDonald, Greg Haughton, Danny McFarlane, and Davian Clarke). The bronze awarded to the Jamaican men's 4x400 m team was later upgraded to a silver medal after the US team, that originally won the event, admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.