Jamaicans groaned in unison when the result of Sunday’s Olympic Games 100-metre men’s final was announced.

As it turned out, American Mr Noah Lyles had won the gold medal by the slimmest of margins, a digitally-determined 5,000th of a second, ahead of Jamaican silver medal winner, 23-year-old Mr Kishane Thompson who is at his first global championship.

Until earlier this year, the great majority of Jamaicans had never heard of Mr Kishane Thompson, a native of Mitchell Town, southern Clarendon. Yet, the manner in which he ruthlessly self-critiqued his race a few minutes after the event suggests he is an athlete with a sharp mind and is going places in the years ahead.

Importantly, we think, even as Mr Thompson declared that he was “not really satisfied” with his performance, TVJ’s interviewer Mr Jordan Forte told the simple, basic truth that, “Not many people do as well as you just did…”

Mr Thompson’s silver medal followed “history-making” performances by warrior-like, 32-year-old triple jumper Mrs Shanieka Ricketts, and shot putter, 28-year-old Mr Rajindra Campbell.

Mrs Ricketts, who placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, used that disappointment as part of her motivation to win the silver medal in Paris, becoming the first Jamaican Olympic medallist in the triple jump.

Mrs Ricketts was second to another Caribbean woman, Ms Thea LaFond of Dominica.

And Mr Campbell also broke new ground for this country, his shot put throw of 22.15 metres earning him the bronze medal — becoming the first Jamaican to medal in the throws at an Olympic Games.

We can only applaud Mr Campbell’s ambition. Says he: “I definitely believe that I can be amongst the greats, and right now the threshold is 23 metres and I believe that I can get there.”

It is testament to the performance of our athletes down the decades, and more especially over the last 20 years that, notwithstanding medals won thus far in Paris, there is a general air of disappointment — undoubtedly fuelled by prior high expectations.

That sense was underlined in the 100-metre men’s final when Mr Oblique Seville, sublime in the semi-finals, finished eighth, largely, he said, because he was negatively affected by recurrence of an injury. Incredibly, we hear that his 9.91 seconds was the fastest of any eight-placed finisher at an Olympic Games.

Mr Seville’s disheartening experience followed other even more depressing happenings, such as the legendary Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — at her last Olympic Games — withdrawing from the 100-metre Women’s final reportedly because of injury.

And the equally heartbreaking withdrawal, also reportedly caused by injury, of the highly decorated Miss Shericka Jackson from the 200m, an event she was favoured to win.

The happenings in Paris remind us all that we must always prepare for, and accept the bitter with the sweet, the rough with the smooth.

Finally, we too extend our congratulations to Caribbean neighbours and Caricom partners Dominica and St Lucia for historic gold medals — their first-ever Olympic medals.

Understandably, Jamaicans are especially proud of the hugely talented St Lucian sprinter Miss Julien Alfred, who spent part of her high school years at St Catherine High here.

Track and field in the Caribbean is alive and well.