Dennie Quill, Contributor

What a joyous time these last two weeks have been. I am just so grateful to be alive at this time when our athletes have demonstrated to the world that we are indeed a stout-hearted nation of talented people. Here are some of the reports carried on the Jamaicans.

The Olympian of Seattle, Washington. "When Jamaica's Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley finished one-two in the 400 metres at London's 1948 Olympics, some of their stunned competitors wondered where in the world the island was. Sixty years later, no one is asking that question."

The Chicago Tribune: "The Olympic sprints are officially Jamaica's world, and we're all just spectators at a rollicking party. Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart ran off with an unprecedented sweep of the women's 100-metre dash Sunday, an exhilarating victory that withstood American officials' protest that the field should have been called back after Torri Edwards' admitted false start.

sixth sweep

"While Fraser, Simpson and Stewart wrapped themselves in the green-and-gold flag of their homeland and celebrated the sixth sweep of a women's event in Olympic history, the Americans wondered how Caribbean rhythms had become the soundtrack of the sprints at the Bird's Nest stadium."

The Independent, London: "For 9.69 secs this 6' 5" Jamaican phenomenon had taken off and touched speeds no other human had ever before reached without technological assistance. He had done so while shutting down the engines some 20 metres from the line, glancing to his right (presumably, in the ill-founded notion that someone might be within his air space), then dropping both arms to his side, as if to say to his mother sitting up in the stands 'Hey mum, get me'. Not in the preening, arrogant manner of so many American speed merchants, but in the fashion of a 21-year-old free-flying, free spirit who is busy redefining the term 'Cool Runnings'."

The Toronto Globe and Mail: "That great sprinters come from Jamaica is no surprise. To see them succeed while still wearing Jamaican colours has been the breakthrough of the Beijing Olympics. Usain Bolt smashed the world record for the 100 metres, dropping his arms before the end as though to ask, where is everybody? In the women's 100 metres, Shelly-Ann Fraser took the gold medal and compatriots Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart tied for the silver, leaving the US women shaking their heads on the sidelines. Bolt and Fraser were the first Jamaican-born sprint athletes to bring home gold while still running for the island of their birth.

Great performance

The New York Sun says: "The staggering performance by Jamaica's Usain Bolt in the men's 100-metre finals in Beijing was not a complete shock - he arrived in China as the world-record holder.

"What was shocking were the Jamaican women, led by the youngster Shelly-Ann Fraser, sweeping the 100 metres yesterday, perhaps signalling a frightening changing of the guard in international track and field for America. Yet anyone who has attended a track meet on the East Coast in the last few years (in particular, the Penn Relays or at Icahn Stadium, where Bolt set his first world record) knew this day was coming."

The eyes of the world are on Jamaica. We are still heading for 1,000 murders this year. Our joy would be multiplied if gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser and Melaine Walker could walk in their respective communities of Waterhouse and Maxfield avenue without fear of being attacked by gunmen and knowing that their families are safe.

It would be a tremendous tribute to our athletes if the gunmen could simply take their hands off the trigger and hand those weapons of death to the nearest pastor.

Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com. Feedback may also be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com

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