Streak Ends: No Jamaican representative in men’s 200m final at Paris Olympics 2024

Jamaica, an in-house production for the men’s 200m event, will not be a participating in the final frame of this year’s Paris Olympics, putting an end to the long-stretched streak of 20 years.

Jamaica had a streak to have athletes participate in the finals at Olympic games since the Athens Olympics 2004, but the Paris Olympics 2024 had things to turn otherwise with no Jamaican athlete to compete in the final of men’s 200m.

This is rather unexpected especially following Bryan Levell, the only competitor from the country that was in the semifinals, exited rather early after coming seventh in his heat in a time of 20.93 seconds. It was still a long way from his personal best, which is 19.97 seconds, that ruled out any possibility of proceeding to the finals.

Levell who had achieved the position among the best sprinters of the world after winning the repechage round, could not match his previous best. This mishap in the semifinals was a shift from the previous glorious years of Jamaica in the 200m events, especially the heir that made Usain Bolt so formidable.

Jamaica has recorded the 200m final’s participation since Athens 2004. The year 2004 was a debut for young Bolt, who had his first Olympic defeat leaving the competition prior to the medal round. But to amaze, Bolt proceeded to rule the event in the subsequent three Olympics in Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016, thus emerged as the first man in history to do so.

Thus, in Tokyo 2021 Rasheed Dwyer who had the honour to carry the Jamaican flag competed in the 200m final and finished seventh. This year, Jamaica missing the last show is a picture for the new generation noting that the country is not going to dominate the world as before.

On the other hand, Letsile Tebogo, one of the fierce sprinters from Botswana relying on the fastest qualification time of 19.96 seconds, trailed by two American sprinters namely, Kenneth Bednarek timing 20.00 seconds, and Noah Lyles who recorded 20.08 seconds.

Lyles, having secured the 100m title two times at the Olympic games, is looking forward to being the first man since Bolt to reach the height at times and return with three gold medals at a single Olympics chapter.