PARIS, France — Sprinter Kemba Nelson said, despite the absence of key athletes from Jamaica’s team for the 4x100m relay at the Olympic Games, she still expects a strong performance.

The Jamaicans are the defending champions in the event, having won the title in Tokyo, Japan. They will be without two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who pulled out of the semi-finals of the women’s 100m on Saturday due to injury, and Shericka Jackson, the reigning national sprint double champion, who also withdrew from the 100m and 200m competitions. Double-double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson Herah was also a regular member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay teams but ended her season prematurely this year, also because of injury.

Along with Nelson, the Jamaican 4x100m relay pool includes youngsters Alana Reid and Tia Clayton as well as veteran Shashalee Forbes. Despite this, Nelson said this team is talented and determined, and they are eager to prove that they can deliver for the country on the world stage.

“We are a young group of ladies, and I think that alone gives us a lot of drive,” she said. “I mean, we don’t have the big three, as you guys would say, but there is still hope, and we still have to believe in the team that we have and work together.

“We are always hungry, and we will make use of the opportunity, so just believe in us as we believe in ourselves, and we will see what happens on Thursday and Friday.”

Nelson, 24, has a personal best time of 10.88 seconds in the women’s 100m event. She joined the Jamaica delegation in Paris last week after initially being left off the team. Days before the team left for Paris, Nelson had revealed in a series of posts to
X, formerly Twitter, that she was not selected to be a part of the Paris squad. This, however, was because she was named as an alternative for the women’s 100m contingent. However, Jamaica’s team Manager Ludlow Watts said last week that she would join the country’s contingent to make up the women’s 4x100m team. Nelson said that the last couple of weeks have been among the most difficult periods of her career, but she is now grateful for the opportunity to represent her country.

“[I am] grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “It has been an emotional roller coaster, I won’t lie, but I am here, and I have a job to do, and I just have to do what I have to do.

“I think going to practice after not being named, it was like, ‘Okay, I need to train to not let this happen again.’ It was more about taking it out on the track, in a sense, and not trying to sulk in a room, but I can’t really change it. It is a great atmosphere, a great environment. I am not in the village, so I am not getting the experience a hundred per cent, but just being here is a great experience.”