Jamaica snubbing 16-year-old who beat Usain Bolt's record for Olympics speaks volumes
Jamaica have left Nickecoy Bramwell, 16, out of their Olympic team - despite him claiming a record of Usain Bolt's earlier this year.
Jamaica's wealth of sprinting talent is highlighted by their Olympic omission of 16-year-old prodigy Nickecoy Bramwell. The youngster made global headlines earlier this year when he toppled Usain Bolt's under-17 400m world record at the Carifta Games in Grenada, a record that had stood unbroken since 2002.
Bramwell beat it by seven-hundredths of a second, clocking in at 47.26 seconds. Despite his promising future, he will have to wait another four years for his Olympic debut.
For the 400m event in Paris, Jamaica have chosen Sean Bailey, 27, Jevaughn Powell, 23 and Deandre Watkin, 21, who boast personal bests of 44.43, 45.35 and 44.48 respectively. However, none are predicted to be in medal contention, with Team GB's Matthew Hudson-Smith tipped as the favourite for gold.
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Bramwell, like Bolt, also competes in the 100m and 200m sprints. Yet again, Jamaica has a plethora of options before considering him, despite his impressive youth records.
The Caribbean nation is expected to dominate the 100m race, with Kishane Thompson being the fastest man over that distance this year, having run a personal best of 9.77 in June. His team-mate Oblique Seville also stands a good chance, having achieved his personal best of 9.82 earlier in 2024, reports the Mirror.
Ackeem Blake completes their 100m soloists, with Jehlani Gordon set to join the trio in the 4x100m relay. Antonio Watson would likely have made the cut if not for an unfortunate injury.
Jamaica's 200m prospects are Andrew Hudson and Bryan Levell, with Bramwell likely securing a sprint spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics if he maintains his excellent form.
Bolt, who retired in 2017, has acknowledged that Jamaica's male sprinting talent pool has dwindled since his departure. "After me, it kind of went down because of who I was as a person, and how big my personality was," he previously said.
"But I think over time it will be better. I think young athletes are coming up and I see a few personalities that are needed in sport, hopefully in the upcoming years it will change."
