Kelly’s silver medal triggers hope of greater things to come
BERLIN, Germany — The members of the Special Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) camp were on a high on Monday after Kayanna Kelly won silver in the standing long jump at Olympiapark to give the country its first medal at the 2023 World Games.
“It’s truly a joy for both the athlete and the coaches,” Lori Scott-Moore, the team’s assistant coach of athletics, told the Jamaica Observer.
“Kayanna has shown bravery and determination throughout the competition. Winning this silver after just one training session in the sand pit back home shows her talent and shows the capabilities of our athletes,” Scott-Moore said.
The 17-year-old Jamaican had a best jump of 1.80m to finish behind Ayse Basaran (1.84m) of SO Turkey. Samantha Walsh of SO Canada was third with 1.77m.
SOJ Executive Director Roy Howell said Kelly’s accomplishment provides a lift for the entire delegation for the remainder of the Special Olympics Games in Berlin.
“It’s a glorious moment because the World Games have been so competitive. To win a medal is so encouraging and it is a significant motivation for the rest of the competition. I’m very excited about this and we are looking to see other disciplines achieving even more,” he explained.
Jamaica’s Kadian Ingleton, who clocked 41:55.9, missed a medal when she placed fourth in the women’s F02 open water swim meet final at Grünau. The event was won by Germany’s Patrizia Spaulding (34:34.7), with Stephanie Barrera Acosta (35:32.4) of Puerto Rico and Anita Greco (37:15.4) of Italy finishing second and third, respectively.
On the field of play at Olympiapark, division assessments continued with mixed results for the Jamaica women’s and the men’s unified seven-a-side football teams.
The women rebounded from their 1-4 loss to Germany on Sunday to draw 2-2 with Isreal ‘1’ as Aaliyah Trevelen scored twice. Later in the day Jamaica beat Bharat (India) 2-0, with Micahlia McKoy and Trevelen getting the goals.
Women’s coach Karen Darby said the team has shown growth.
“Overall today was a good day… with each game the players have improved significantly, as was evidenced by the draw and a win. Each individual’s dedication and commitment to the team as a whole is what keeps us together and I know my girls are hungry for victory. The team is more cohesive than ever right now and we’ll continue to keep our eyes on the prize,” she said.
The men’s team, riding high after beating Germany 3-1 on Sunday, were brought to earth in a 0-3 loss to South Korea.
Head Coach Shane Richards conceded his team was not at its best and expects improvement at the business end of the competition.
“The match against Korea was a good one… Korea played a rough game and did not let us settle. It was a tactical game, but we should have at least got a point from the game. We are not out of the competition, we know that we are going to be in contention [for a medal],” he said.
In mixed unified volleyball at Messe Berlin, Jamaica lost 17-24 to Poland and 13-22 to Serbia.
Jamaica’s volleyball Head Coach Loran Grant said his team battled courageously but lost concentration.
“I would first like to congratulate my team for putting out the effort, but I think they lost focus for a while, which is all in the game. I want them to get their heads and hearts back in the game and not to be too disheartened… I believe in them 100 per cent,” Grant told the Observer.
In singles’ badminton at Messe Berlin, Jamaica’s Kile Ford lost 12-21 to Shuhei Ikai of Japan.