Miramar Invitational 2024: USA Track and Field Athletes Successfully Redeem Themselves of Jamaican Curse in the 100m Event

USA has finally broken the Jamaican curse at the Miramar Invitational 2024. For the last few years, track and field and Jamaica have become synonymous. While the American athletes tried their best to oust the Jamaican competition, they have failed to do so so far. However, that changed when several USA athletes proved their worth and clinched pole position at the recently concluded event. 

Among all the performances, the most notable one came in the men’s 100m category. With a headwind of -2.4, the athletes had a tough challenge reaching the finish line. However, in the end, it was Courtney Lindsey who came out on top, giving the USA a reason to be elated ahead of the Paris Olympics. 

When Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake clocked 9.91s and 9.93s, respectively, things looked bleak for the USA last year. Their only glimmer of hope turned out to be Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100m category. Since then, a year has passed, and as it stands, the fortunes have reversed as well. Running an incredible 10.28s, Courtney Lindsey clinched the gold, thus breaking the year-old Jamaican curse. 

The results were updated on X via a post by Travis Miller. It read, “10.28 100m win for 🇺🇸Courtney Lindsey running into a -2.4 headwind.” Last year’s runner-up, Ackeem Blake, had no change in his position as he took second place yet again. Blake’s Jamaican countryman, Andre Ewers, came in third place to complete the podium. Interestingly, while the Americans might rejoice, the top eight may just be a tad bit concerning for them. 

As many as four Jamaican athletes were featured in the top eight, with Yohan Blake and Rohan Watson being the other two. However, there were only two American athletes, and Ronnie Baker missed a podium finish by 0.01 seconds. Meanwhile, the 100m was not the only category with interesting results. The 2024 Miramar Invitational saw quite a few upsets as well. 

Christian Coleman finishes second in a shocking 200m miss at Miramar Invitational 2024

Regarded as one of the best modern-day 100m and 200m sprinters, Christian Coleman was expected to wipe out the competition at the Miramar Invitational. Unfortunately, the reality did not pan out as expected. In the biggest upset of the tournament, Coleman got beaten in his own yard by fellow American Kenny Bednarek. Clocking an incredible 20.35s, Bednarek was way ahead of Coleman, who could only muster a time of 20.43s. 

Such a performance would surely be a cause of concern for his fans. Coleman is being touted as one of the probable Olympic gold medal winners in Paris. But in order to achieve glory, he has to be somewhere near his personal 200m best of 19.85s, if not break the time. As things stand now, a lot is happening in the track and field realm, and things are getting all the more interesting ahead of Paris 2024.

Read More: Paris Olympics 2024: Why is Shericka Jackson Delaying Her Track and Field Season Opener at the Miramar Invitational?