KINGSTON, Jamaica — Talented Jamaican sprinter Sanjay Seymore of William Knibb High was shown a yellow card and cautioned for unsportsmanlike conduct after winning the Under-20 200m at the Carifta Games Trials on Sunday.

Seymore won in 20.95 but earned the wrath of the officials after showboating near the end, where he looked across twice to his right at Deequan Maragh of Camperdown, who was second in 21.06.

President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Garth Gayle, told Observer Online that the yellow card is a warning that would only help Seymore in the future, as he could face sanctions while representing Jamaica on the international scene.

“Yes, his action would have been deemed unsportsmanlike and we do not want any of our juniors, especially at this critical stage of their athletic development, to be sanctioned at a track and field meet while representing Jamaica,” said Gayle.

“So, I thought it was more than necessary for me to go through the referee, bring it to his attention,” Gayle added.

“While I understand he was happy and elated, having lost the 100 and showing a little emotion is not bad. Nothing is wrong,” Gayle explained.

He continued: “Usain Bolt led the world and became a superstar, not only by his athletic performance, but also a little of his showmanship.”

“But what we want to do is to make sure they understand and ensure, because we don’t want, again, at Carifta, he does a similar situation, he could also have gotten injured because he had to pick up speed again when the young man joined him about 20 metres to the finish,” Gayle pointed out.

“And we don’t want him to get injured. He is a prized athlete, an athlete who can go on to do us well. So, we wanted to ensure that he is developing in the right and proper way,” he added.

Unsportsmanlike conduct refers to actions by players, coaches or team members that violate generally accepted rules of fair play, sportsmanship and respect. It includes taunting, verbal abuse, fighting, excessive celebration, or taunting officials. Penalties often result in in-game penalties, fines, ejections, or suspensions.

The 17-year-old Seymore will represent Jamaica at the Carifta Games in Grenada between April 4-6, as he was also second in the 100m in a personal best of 10.20.

He is the reigning Class One 200m champion and is seen as the next big thing dropping off the conveyor belt of Jamaican sprinting.