Jamaican women top athletics world in 2022
Published:Wednesday | December 21, 2022 | 1:43 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
WITH THE calendar year coming to a close, Jamaica’s women finished as the best track and field nation in 2022, according to World Athletics.
The governing body released its placing table on Monday which saw Jamaica finish on top with 75 points, ahead of the United States who had 74 and Ethiopia who were ranked third with 60 points. The rankings were based on the placing table for last summer’s World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon. The point system ranged from eight points being awarded for first-place finishes in the final, all the way to a point for eighth place.
Jamaica’s surge to the top was fueled by five-time world 100-metre champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who led another Jamaican sweep of the medals in a championship record of 10.67 seconds. Shericka Jackson was second while double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson Herah got bronze, her first world championship 100-metre medal. Jackson would return to grab a famous individual title, winning the 200m in a championship record of 21.45, the second-fastest time in history with Fraser-Pryce getting silver. They also scored heavily through performances from World Championship 100m hurdles silver medallist and national record holder, Britany Anderson, and World Championship triple jump silver medallist, Shanieka Ricketts.
The women also grabbed valuable points in the 4x100m and 4x400m events, with both teams taking silver medals. There were also top-eight finishes in the finals of the 400m, 400m hurdles and the 800m.
Fraser-Pryce and Jackson would go on to make the shortlist for World Athletics Woman Athlete of the Year with Fraser-Pryce being named among the three finalists
Meanwhile, Jamaica finished fifth among the men with 20 points. The Jamaicans were well beaten by the United States, who accumulated 118 points. Kenya were second with 46, while Great Britain were third with 28, and Canada fourth with 24.
Jamaica’s only medal came in the 4x400m relay team, where the team finished second. The best individual performance came from Oblique Seville, who was fourth in the 100m final, the first major global final of his career.