Mrs Natoya Goule-Toppin, who comfortably won her 800m heat at the Paris Olympics on Friday, is not among those athletes Jamaicans routinely think about as they dream of medals at this time of ‘Emancipendence’ celebrations.

Despite several trips to Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships she has never won a global medal.

Yet, in many respects, 33-year-old Mrs Goule-Toppin — a native of remote Top Coffee Grove in Bellefield, Manchester, central Jamaica, and a past student of Manchester High School — epitomises the true Olympic spirit.

Always aspiring to higher heights, the middle distance runner’s dedication to hard work and self-sacrifice is second to none, even as she has remained humble and respectful.

As a child, through her teenage years to adulthood, she honed her running skills, muscle memory, and endurance in relentless training — formal and informal — often criss-crossing the mountainous terrain of her community and surrounding areas.

As Mrs Goule-Toppin ran in Paris on Friday, focused on her dream of an Olympic medal, well-wishers near and far, Jamaicans and others, felt great pride knowing that whatever happens from here she will have done her very best.

Her example should inspire all our athletes, regardless of status and expectations.

Those include the celebrated and even more experienced Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who sets aim to bow out of Olympic competition with more glorious accomplishments at age 37.

Relaxed and easy, Mrs Fraser-Pryce cruised to a second-place time of 10.92 seconds in her 100m heat on Friday to advance to Saturday’s semi-final.

Inevitably, Mrs Fraser-Pryce’s fans worry: Can she overcome age and a star-studded field to advance to the final later Saturday?

Yet, such is her proven, exceptional talent and hard-core reputation for resilience under extreme pressure, only the bravest would dare bet against the “Pocket Rocket”, who many consider the greatest women’s 100-metre runner of all time.

All others who advanced from Friday on the track and in the field, and those who begin their campaign Saturday, should embrace that acclaimed, never-say-die Jamaican attitude worn like a badge by veteran ambassadors such as Mrs Fraser-Pryce and Mrs Goule-Toppin.

Sadly, there was also extreme disappointment on Friday, headed by the failure to advance of a medal favourite, high jumper Ms Lamara Distin.

Ms Distin claims a lack of appropriate support from Jamaica’s athletic administrators, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), contributed significantly to her failure to go past the first round.

According to her, it was known that she was “struggling” with technical issues, yet enough was not done to ensure her coach was accredited to be with her in the warm-up area in Paris.

From this distance it does seem strange — an opportunity missed — since we are told Ms Distin’s coach was in the French capital and accredited to be at the competition venue.

It’s yet one more of a combination of seeming administrative missteps that have combined to haunt the Jamaican effort in Paris.

In our view, all those with relevant responsibility and authority should make it their duty to sit together at the end of these Olympic Games and conduct a thorough review with the future in mind.

It seems clear that damaging errors have been made that must never be repeated.