Anderson, Powell ready to help conclude memorable summer
Published:Tuesday | August 15, 2023 | 12:08 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
BUDAPEST, Hungary:
The exploits of the national senior women’s football and netball teams did not go unnoticed by national 800 metres record holder Navasky Anderson and former national 400m champion Jevaughn Powell. And they are not just determined to give Jamaica an unforgettable summer, but have charged their countrymen to get the pot covers ready as they prepare to lead another World Championships charge.
On the back of a historic Women’s World Cup campaign by the Reggae Girlz and the Sunshine Girls at the Netball World Cup, Jamaican athletes will go into this year’s World Championships hoping to keep the momentum of success that the latter gave to the island weeks ago.
The Girlz advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in their history, knocking out Brazil in the process, while Jamaica won its first Netball World Cup medal, a bronze, since 2007.
With the spotlight already on the country for these remarkable achievements, Powell said that he is ready to meet the high expectations of his countrymen as the fans look to them for a dream end to what has been a landmark summer.
“This year, Jamaica is out there (in the spotlight). Everybody is watching, so you don’t want everybody on social media saying, ‘Oh, you didn’t do your best’,” Powell said. “So the mindset that I have going in is that I can’t mess up.”
Additionally, Jamaica’s senior women’s volleyball players were also in the spotlight, winning their first ever Caribbean title, ending the winning streak of their rivals Trinidad and Tobago.
With a mindset of helping Jamaica win that elusive World Championship 4x400m gold Powell wants to use the momentum developed by both the Reggae Girlz and the Sunshine Girls.
“So I want to make sure we keep up the trend of what everybody is doing with the football and netball teams. So everybody is looking for the athletes on the track to perform, and that is what I am going to do,” Powell said.
Anderson, who embraces the moniker as the “people’s champion”, shares the same sentiments, and he is urging Jamaicans to back them in the fashion that has made them iconic.
“Mostly definitely. We are going to keep this energy going. I know that Jamaica has the pot covers out, so we are going to turn it up,” Anderson said.