RJRGLEANER SPORTSMAN & SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

THE RJRGLEANER National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony will be held on Friday, January 20 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Eight women have been nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year title and three men for Sportsman of the Year. The female nominees are Lamara Distin, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Britany Anderson, Shericka Jackson, Shanieka Ricketts, Elaine Thompson Herah, Janieve Russell and Jhaniele Fowler. Male nominees: Rasheed Broadbell, Jaheel Hyde and Rovman Powell.

Ahead of Friday’s ceremony we are publishing short features on each nominee. Features on Distin, Fraser-Pryce and Broadbell appeared in Monday’s publication.

Yesterday, there were features on Britany Anderson, Jhaniele Fowler, and Rovman Powell.

Janieve Russell

Janieve Russell completed a strong season in 2022. In the 400-metre hurdles, achieving success in the latter part of the year.

Russell won the national title for the fourth time at the National Senior Championships in June. However, at the World Athletic Championships in July, she finished third in her semi-final heat, her time of 54.66 not enough to make the final. She would not leave the championships empty-handed, however, helping the women’s 4x400m relay team to a silver medal.

At the Commonwealth Games in August, she had a more profitable showing, retaining the Commonwealth Games title in 54.14, as well as helping the women’s 4x400m relay team to gold for the second straight staging.

With those victories, Russell increased her total medal tally at the Commonwealth Games to four. She would add silver medals at the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay and would finish ranked fifth in the world.

Shanieka Ricketts

After narrowly missing out on the Olympic podium in Tokyo in 2021, triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts rebounded with a strong 2022 campaign.

Ricketts completed a season where she did not finish below third at any meet. She won the national title at the National Senior Championships in June, before securing her second consecutive World Championships silver medal in Eugene, Oregon, with a leap of 14.94 metres.

She would label the achievement redemption after the Olympic final where she finished fourth, 0.03m away from the top three.

Later that month, she would win the Commonwealth Games title, the first of her career in a Games record and season’s best of 14.94. She would complete her season ranked number two in the world and finished third in the Diamond League final in September.

Elaine Thompson Herah

Despite a season where she struggled with injuries, double sprint Olympic champion Elaine Thompson Herah still had some strong performances in 2022 in her first year under her new coach, husband Derron Herah.

She would finish third and second in the 100m and 200m at the National Championships in June. At the World Championships the following month, she would secure her first World Championship medal in the 100m, a bronze in 10.81 seconds. She was seventh in the 200m but added to her medal count after helping the 4x100m team to silver.

At the Commonwealth Games in August, she rebounded, completing the sprint double, clocking 10.95 in the 100 and winning the 200m title in a Games record 22.02. She would finish the year ranked third in the world in the 100m.