President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) Christopher Samuda has praised experienced diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, following his qualification to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The JOA boss added that his administration is working hard to ensure that athletes from other disciplines also qualify for the sporting spectacle and build on the country’s diverse showing at the last instalment.

Knight-Wisdom booked his ticket to his third-straight Olympic Games despite finishing 14th in the semi-finals of the 3 metre springboard event at the World Aquatics Championship in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old’s qualification means that Jamaica will at least be represented in two disciplines in Paris, with the island’s track and field athletes, as usual, leading the way in terms of participation.

That number could still increase with competitors in several other sporting disciplines still actively involved in their qualification efforts.

“Our Olympic journey is a sport for all…transforming Jamaica’s sporting landscape into a fiesta of sporting prowess across many disciplines,” said Samuda. “It’s a journey that Yona Knight-Wisdom understood and now has an appointment with destiny as he deep dives into Olympic history.

“It is a journey that our gymnasts, judo, taekwondo and karate athletes understand and have embraced and wish to make it historic. It is an adventure inspired by history makers that our swimmers, archers and female rugby players aspire to become and to be in that hallowed category. Those are our campaigners for Paris,” Samuda added.

Jamaica competed in six sporting disciplines at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021, the country’s largest representation at the Games.

The island had competitors in athletics, swimming, judo, diving, gymnastics and boxing, winning nine medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze), which all came from track and field athletes.

The JOA boss highlighted that the administration has invested heavily in the local sporting associations and underlined that they will continue to do so, in their efforts to chart a path of experience for Jamaica’s sportsmen and women at the highest level.

“The JOA’s investment of millions of dollars in our sportsmen and women is intentional for we believe in Jamaica’s talent and are dreaming the reality with them,” Samuda said.

“Paris must be a landmark experience for not only our sportsmen and women but for a nation celebrating excellence on and off the field. The JOA is in the vanguard for change and transformation and Paris historically has been a seat of revolutionising humanity. We are drawing inspiration from history and motivating our men and women to be standard-bearers,” he pointed out.

In Doha, Knight-Wisdom ended the competition with a score of 368.95 points, as he failed to make the final of the competition by the slimmest of margins, with two spots separating him and the finalists.

The Pan American Games silver medal winner had scores of 65.10 points, 66, 67.50, 34, 71.75 and 64.60, which ultimately left him short of the best competitors on the day.

Despite missing out on the final, a performance which would have secured an automatic quota spot at the Olympics, the British-based Knight-Wisdom was allocated one of the additional quota places for the Paris Games.

After becoming Jamaica’s first Olympic diver after qualifying for and competing at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Knight-Wisdom will be looking to continue to push history for the sport in Jamaica.

In 2016, he finished 14th overall at the semi-final stage in the 3m springboard competition and failed to advance to the medal round. He had a similar result at the 2020 Games where he placed 15th in the semi-finals.