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Mills has suggested drastic changes about Team Jamaica which need urgent implimentation following an abysmal Paris 2024 Olympics campaign for the country.
Jamaica's performance at the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics has sparked concern and introspection among the nation's track and field community.
The Caribbean powerhouse, known for its rich tradition of sprinting excellence, managed to secure only six medals—its lowest tally since the 2004 Athens Games. This decline is particularly striking when compared to the four gold medals won at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The sole gold medal for Jamaica this year came from Roje Stona in the men’s discus throw, a rare highlight in an otherwise challenging Olympics for the island nation.
Alongside Stona's triumph, the Jamaican team brought home three silver medals and two bronzes. Shanieka Ricketts claimed silver in the women’s triple jump, Kishane Thompson sprinted to silver in the men’s 100m, and Wayne Pinnock secured silver in the men’s long jump. The bronze medals were won by Rajindra Campbell in the men’s shot put and Rasheed Broadbell in the men’s 110m hurdles.
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Despite these achievements, the overall performance fell short of expectations, placing Jamaica 34th in the overall medal count—a significant drop from their usual standings.
The disappointment was further amplified by injuries to key athletes like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, who have historically been reliable medal contenders for Jamaica.
A particularly disheartening moment for the Jamaican team came during the women’s 4x400m relay. Entering the finals with one of the quickest qualifying times, the team saw their medal hopes dashed when the baton was accidentally knocked from a runner's hand, leading to their disqualification. The male counterparts never even qualified for the tournament.
For the first time in two decades, Jamaica's 4x100-meter relay team also failed to qualify for the Olympic final, marking a significant setback for a nation celebrated for its sprinting dominance.
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Glen Mills, the head coach of the Racers Track Club in Jamaica and former coach of sprint legend Usain Bolt, offered a candid analysis of what went wrong for Jamaica at the Paris Games.
Speaking on SportsMax TV, Mills expressed concern about the country's overreliance on athletes produced by both his club and Steven Francis’ MVP Track Club to deliver at major championships.
"There are a number of things to be concerned about. When you quote the numbers earned at the Olympic games, it is interesting to note that 75 percent of those medals come from MVP and Racers combined," Mills said.
Mills highlighted the stark difference in medal production between the two clubs in recent years. "For the first time, Steven only got one medal and maybe for the second time, Racers got no medals. The last Olympics, Steven got six."
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Mills pointed to the need for a more diverse and widespread development of talent across Jamaica, rather than relying on a few elite clubs.
"The point I am alluding to is, there has to be a development of greater impact and more diversity by other clubs and individuals, overseas athletes and more because the impact has been so concentrated on one era, and if it suffers a setback, it leads to a colossal drop in numbers."
The coach also reflected on Jamaica's uncharacteristic struggles in the relay events, where the nation has traditionally excelled.
"What hit me hard was that for the first time in 24 years, Jamaica got no medal in a relay. That is a fiasco that should never repeat itself. It shows that the way we go about relays does not work anymore and is not usual and something has to be done to correct it."
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Mills emphasized the need for Jamaica to adopt strategies employed by other nations, such as Japan, China, and Canada, who have invested heavily in their relay teams despite not producing individual event medalists
"A number of nations have now stepped up. They have squads preparing year after year. They are pouring money into them. If they do not have individual sprinters for individual events, they have very formidable relays, and if you look at the time and depth of quality in there, you realize that just putting individuals to go compete does not work anymore."
Mills concluded with a stern warning for Jamaica's track and field community, "Having six of the top 12 sprinters in the world for women and yet we couldn't get the gold medal says ‘wake up Jamaica and do something about what is happening’."
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