“It’s somewhat disappointing in terms of the number of medals,” were the words of Maurice Wilson, technical director of Jamaica’s track and field team, last year after the Paris Olympics. But can we blame him? After all, when your nation has owned the fast lanes of sprinting for the last decade or so, building a tough rivalry with Team USA, some expectations get built. But Paris just didn’t stand up to the mark. With just one gold and six medals in total, this wasn’t just a stumble. But what caused it?

Well, let’s take a trip down to Paris. Now, even before the event reached the finals, some major players were out. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulled out moments before her semi-final, injured during her final warm-up. Shericka Jackson didn’t even make it to Paris, sidelined by nagging injuries. Meanwhile, Elaine Thompson-Herah was battling an Achilles setback and had to watch from afar. The injuries also extended to the men, with Antonio Watson failing to even qualify.

That’s a whole generation of gold gone missing. And it has not been a year; another storm has brewed as a former Jamaican track and field legend has given a bold admission, which left the track and field community stunned, coming four years after Usain Bolt’s admission of the current sprinting state in Jamaica. But there he was, Asafa Powell, the former 100m world record holder, dropping a truth bomb that stunned the Jamaican athletic world.  He stated that his children will not represent the country unless changes are made to the existing system.

In a candid social media post, Powell responded to public excitement after a video of his son winning a school race went viral. Many Jamaicans celebrated the performance as a sign of future promise for the island’s sprinting legacy. However, Powell pushed back on that optimism. “Honestly, guys, if the support system doesn’t change, my kids not running for Jamaica,” he said, noting that his wife is Canadian and Ghanaian.

For the unversed, Powell married Ghanaian-born Canadian model Alyshia Powell in 2019. His words highlighted that alternative options are available. “I’m sorry to say that… but it’s just facts.” The 100m veteran also revealed that in 2006, he was offered a multi-million-dollar deal to compete for another country. “I didn’t know what the future holds,” Powell admitted. “But if I knew [then] what I know now, I would have taken up that opportunity.”

Last year, Nine-time national champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd, who failed to qualify for the shot put final, also called the shot at the system. She openly criticized the JOA and JAAA, saying, “Field events do not get support in Jamaica, and the only gold medal we have so far has come from field events. We don’t get the respect; we don’t get the support that we need to ensure that we throwers and field event athletes in general,” continuing further, she said

“Two and a half weeks without a coach because they didn’t deem me important enough to give me that privilege?” Her emotional comments highlighted what she described as a lack of support for field athletes. But the JOA was quick to push back. In a response aired on Nationwide News Network, JOA president Christopher Samuda said, “I can quite understand why Danniel is disappointed. It’s twice now that she hasn’t made the final, so I understand the surrounding emotion, but we have to understand the facts.”

He continued, “Danniel has been the beneficiary of an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship for four years now, by virtue of the JOA supporting her. Well, it is still developing news, but one thing is for sure, Usain Bolt hasn’t liked what he has seen from Jamaica’s track performance.

Track and Field legend Usain Bolt is disappointed with the current crop of Male Sprinters

Asafa Powell’s latest remark about his son not possibly competing for Jamaica doesn’t do much good to the problem Usain Bolt has with Jamaican men’s sprinting. But instead, it added quiet worry to what Usain Bolt bluntly called out back in 2021. At the Tokyo Olympics, Jamaica’s male sprinters failed to qualify for the 100m final, a shocking reality for a nation that once owned that track. No finalists. No presence. Just memories of golds once won.

Back in 2021, as Jamaica’s male sprinters failed to qualify for the Olympic 100m final for the first time in over two decades, Bolt didn’t mince words. “It really bothers me to know that this is where we are right now,” he told ESPN, visibly frustrated. It improved at the Paris, with Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville making it to the finals, and Thompson even clinching silver.

But the island nation, which used to see at least three or more presences consistently in multiple events, is just not that good. Usain Bolt is visibly disappointed and claims that all of this is due to the lack of seriousness, and the young athletes are just not taking their training as seriously as the generation before did. While we don’t know if Usain’s claims have substance, one thing is for sure: the gold ain’t simply being delivered like before.