Rich medal haul expected »

AT A small send-off function for seven local-based Olympians last Tuesday at the National Arena, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, told the athletes she expected them to outdo what gad been done in the past.

"And so, I think, we will do extremely well and we are going to show the world that little Jamaica is awesome," Grange said.

Earlier, on the same day, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Mike Fennell said: "We undoubtedly have great expectations about a good bunch of medals coming from our athletes, but we must be very careful not to have such expectations that we put on too much pressure."

In their own way, both were optimistic that Jamaica's track and field athletes would ensure a rich bag of medals at the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics. The expected haul should easily surpass Jamaica's best - seven, at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.

Athletics will not be the only sport in which Jamaica will compete at the Games but it is the only one in which there are realistic chances of gaining medals.

The island will have competitors in three other sports - equestrian, cycling and swimming.

"The swimmers are young and have done very well to meet the qualifying standards, which are quite high," Fennell said. "We all expect them to do their best although I don't think anybody would quarrel if I say they are not in the medal potential range," Fennell said.

He added that Samantha Albert, who will compete in equestrian's eventing, should "given good breaks" put on a fine performance in Hong Kong.

highly ranked cyclist

Fennell added: "Our cyclist Ricardo Lynch has been highly ranked in the keirin, a new event, and he has received special training in Europe. We expect him to do very well. Again, not knowing the level of competition, it being a new sport, it is difficult to forecast whether he will be in medal contention."

Nobody is in any doubt that medals will come in track and field. It's a matter of how many. Projections vary, but the conservative estimate is that the island will capture at the minimum eight and as many as 12 medals at the Games.

The record total is predicted to dwarf previous hauls in terms of quality. The Sydney seven did not include a gold medal. This time, Jamaica's delegation is firmly on target to win a possible six gold medals, four more than the island has ever taken at a single Games.

By far the biggest gold medal favourite is world 100 metres record holder Usain Bolt. Former Trinidad and Tobago star Ato Boldon, now an NBC track and field analyst, expects Bolt to take the Olympic sprint double and become the first man to do so in 24 years. The last to achieve the feat was American Carl Lewis in 1984.

Bolt, the world junior record holder over 200m, burst on to the 100m scene on May 3 at the Jamaica International Invitational meet, clocking a stunning 9.76 seconds. Less than a month later, he was the world record holder, courtesy of a scorching 9.72 in New York on May 31. He left in his wake none other than World Championships double gold medallist Tyson Gay of the United States.

Bolt's main rivals in the 100m will be Gay and former record-holder Asafa Powell, whose season best and third-fastest time of the year, 9.82, at Monaco last Tuesday showed he has recovered well from early season injuries and is ready to conquer the world again. The top three should decide the medals with Bolt and Powell tipped to give Jamaica its first 100m one-two at the Games.

final decision

The world's best time this year over 200m also belongs to Bolt who, as of now, is still not confirmed for both events at the Games. The final decision, he has repeatedly said, belongs to his coach, Glen Mills.

The 21-year-old has the three fastest 200m times of the year, 19.67, 19.76 and 19.83, and with his main rival, Gay, failing to qualify for the Games in this event, it appears that Bolt only has to turn up healthy in Beijing to collect Jamaica's second ever gold in the half lap event.

With a team comprising the two fastest men, Jamaica's sprint relay quartet is also highly fancied for gold ahead of the US.

Other likely male medallists are the evergreen self-styled strongman Danny McFarlane, who is in his best hurdling form since taking silver in Athens four years ago. McFarlane goes into the Games with a 48.39 season best and his flat 400m speed and strength can get him on the podium again at the age of 36.

Last year's World Championships decathlon silver medallist Maurice Smith, 28, will have to be at his very best to repeat his medal. American Brian Clay is the big favourite for gold while a number of young guns have emerged. They include 23-year-old American Trey Hardee, Andrei Krauchanka, 22, of Belarus and Russia's 23-year-old Alexey Sysoev.

Jamaica's men have tradition to uphold in the 4x400m and with four even runners, led by the improving Ricardo Chambers, who has clocked sub-45 seconds times in his past three outings, can challenge for at least a bronze medal.

Like the men, Jamaica's women are strong in the sprints and will be defending the 4x100m gold medal they won four years ago in Athens. With good baton changing, a team with Shelly-Ann Fraser starting, Sherone Simpson on her customary second leg, Kerron Stewart on the third leg and Veronica Campbell-Brown, again on the anchor leg, should not be beaten. Jamaican women have four of the top five times in the world over 100m and the top five times in 200m and should gain as many as four of the six medals on offer in both sprints.

Campbell-Brown was not an automatic qualifier for the 100 but has the two fastest times for 200m and it will be a battle royal between herself and the 2004 runner-up, American Allyson Felix. Felix humbled the 200m field at last year's World Championships but was listless in her most recent 200m, clocking a slow 23.00. That event went to Jamaica's Simpson who, it appears, is approaching the form, which made her the fastest woman over 100m and 200m in 2006.

warm favourite

The hurdles are two other big events for Jamaica's women. In the 400m hurdles, Melaine Walker has emerged as a warm favourite for gold following a personal best 53.48 to win the event in Monaco last Tuesday. Americans Tiffany Williams (53.54) and Sheena Tosta (53.58) were not far behind. This event could be one of the highlights of the Games as China's Xiaoxiao Huang, with a season best 54.50, has home advantage while Jamaica's Nickiesha Wilson was outstanding at last year's World Championships and ran Walker close at Jamaica's National Championships.

In the sprint hurdles, American Lolo Jones, with a 2008 best of 12.45, leads the way but will have to contend with Jamaica's experienced pair of national champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Delloreen Ennis-London. Foster-Hylton ran a superb season-best 12.49 last Tuesday, one-hundredth of a second better that her previous mark. Ennis-London has also clocked a good 12.54 this season.

Jones is running well but the experience of the Jamaican veterans could prove decisive after the rounds.

vast experience

Novlene Williams-Mills faded to third after a gallant run in the 400m at last year's World Championships in Osaka. She has vast experience in this event but will be hard pressed to get among the medals as her main rivals - American Sanya Richards and the Britons Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders will again be in the event. Richards should not be beaten. In a race that will need some good tactics Williams-Mills' teammate, Shericka Williams, the former national champion, and current national champion Rosemarie Whyte can be right there if they play the waiting game and pounce after the others have run themselves into the ground chasing the very fast Richards.

Like the men's 4x400m, Jamaica will parade four even runners in the 4x400m and can get among the medals. The Americans will be favourites along with the Russians. Jamaica should fight for the bronze medal with a fairly strong British team led by Ohuruogu and Sanders.

Twelve medals, including six gold, are definitely possible. The men's 100m, 200m and 4x100m should definitely go Jamaica's way. One of three Jamaica women can win the 100m while Walker is now in top form and ready to emulate Deon Hemmings in the 400m hurdles. Then there is the sprint relay where Jamaica's women will be full of confidence following a win four years ago and where two of the women from Athens will be replaced by a faster duo.

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