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Why do we fail to support our athletes like Junelle Bromfield when they need us the most?

Junelle Bromfield has hit her saturation point. And she made that clear during her appearance on the show SIM Soul Sessions. Junelle spoke candidly about the toll the cyberbullying has taken on her mental health. Her honesty and vulnerability went on to receive a lot of love after the episode aired. Many around the world went on to praise her for having spoken about an issue that is often swept under the rug. The mental toll of online abuse. This love, however, was fleeting.

Junelle is back on the troll hit list, and it is looking worse than ever because, this time, it is not just another person commenting. It is a member of the Jamaican police force. The comment? “Smaddy tag her mek she see dem comments yah,” basically encouraging more people from her homeland to pile on the hate. But Junelle, finally saying enough is enough, went on to respond.

Junelle took it to X and wrote, “Police officers who are supposed to make you feel safe in Jamaica encouraging the bullying, and yet I am exaggerating not feeling safe?” The outburst is coming after relentless trolling for months. Junelle has been, since Paris, termed with atrocities, ranging from a “traitor” to a “backstabber,” by those from her homeland itself, with many accusing her of leaking team drama to her boyfriend, Noah Lyles. Bromfield, however, despite it all, has not shied away from posting about her life. And why would she? The power of her haters only extends to the edges of a keyboard.

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Junelle Bromfield, amidst it all, has also refused to return to Jamaica after the Paris Olympics and continued to be open about her struggles. This has put her in the spotlight. And the spotlight, as we know it, calls for scrutiny. Unfortunately, Bromfield has no choice but to carefully navigate the precarious double-edged sword of the spotlight.

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Trolls are so awful, even Noah Lyles is in tears!

The online abuse that Junelle Bromfield has endured is the kind that would have broken even the strongest of hearts. The hate has been relentless, to say the least. During Junelle’s appearance on SIM Soul Sessions, things got emotional fast. And while Lyles has stood by her through all odds. Soul Sessions and Junelle’s story got him emotional. “I did cry. I was fine, then suddenly, in the middle of it…” The emotions caught Lyles off guard. But Lyles’ tears weren’t just for that moment; they were also an acknowledgment of Junelle’s story and the years of pressure she has dealt with—one of the causes of the pressure being Noah himself.

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Why do we fail to support our athletes like Junelle Bromfield when they need us the most?

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Being Noah’s girlfriend is a task that comes with stress of its own kind. The same was on display when Noah defeated Kishane Thomas at the 100m Paris finals, and the hate toward Junelle worsened. Talking about the same, Lyles said, “Junelle being Jamaican and having trained in MVP, I’ve been getting the drama from Jamaican camps for at least five years.” Despite it all, the two have stayed together, proving that their relationship is more than all the noise around them.

Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield have a relationship stitched together with unconditional support. Back in 2019, too, when Junelle lost her brother, Noah Lyles was “her rock.” Lyles stepped away from celebrating his World Championship win in Doha to comfort her. That’s the kind of relationship they share. The kind that supports each other even when the world is trying to tear them down. But despite having the support of Lyles by her side, the battle against the trolls rages on.

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