Asafa Powell purportedly dumps Nike

June 10, 2010

KINGSTON, Jamaica – REPORTS out of Rome have indicated that elite Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell has severed ties with his long time sponsor Nike in favor of a potential new contract with Asian sportswear company Li Ning.

An end to the nearly six-year contract between the former 100m world record holder and the sportswear giant was announced yesterday (June 9) by trackalerts.com.

Powell’s agent Paul Doyle confirmed to the media house that the sprinter, who is best known for his world record setting performance at the IAAF Grand Prix in 2007, would be seeking a more lucrative deal with a new company, believed to be Li Ning, in the near future.

Doyle was reluctant to disclose the details of the new sponsorship package, however.

“It’s not Nike…that’s all I can say right now. I am actually having a meeting this evening with the new company and they are going to be the ones to decide how we release the information,” he told trackalerts.com.

It had been previously reported that Nike wanted to greatly reduce its investment in the aging Powell by cutting its package from US $750 000 to less than US $300 000. Powell’s team had rejected the new offer and he has been without major sponsorship since the end of 2009.

Doyle said he would not “comment on the numbers” of the new deal, but indicated that it was more substantial than the offer put forward by Nike for renewal. He also would not give any indication as to the length of the proposed deal.

Li Ning Company Limited is a sportswear company based in the People’s Republic of China and has grown over the years to become a competitor of industry leaders such as Nike and Adidas. According to the company’s website, worldwide revenues for the 2009 fiscal year hovered above US $1.2 billion.

By Ryan Haas,SKNVibes.com

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Asafa Powell sprints to victory, Kluft struggles

Former world record holder Asafa Powell took advantage of the absence of rivals Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay to comfortably win the men's 100 metres at the Diamond League Bislett Games on Friday.

Jamaican Powell, who has been overshadowed in recent seasons by world record holder Bolt and American Gay, clocked 9.72 seconds with a tailwind of 2.1 metres per second, just outside the legal limit.

"It wasn't a perfect race. I got a great start which I wanted but I was a bit wary of pushing too hard because my legs felt a little bit tight in the first round," Powell told reporters.

Three-times world heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft had a tougher time of it as she continued to adapt to the long jump, finishing a disappointing eighth.

"I haven't jumped in so many competitions yet," Kluft said.

"I made a good first jump and then I lost my way a little. I need to get more jumps under my belt," he added.

The Swede, who in 2008 decided to concentrate on the long jump, only registered two jumps, the best of which was 6.38 metres, well short of Olga Kucherenko's winning effort of 6.91.

Australia's world and Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker also had an off-night, failing all three attempts at his opening height of 5.40 metres.

Renaud Lavillenie made the best of an unpredictable wind to win the event, clearing 5.80 metres.

"It was a very difficult wind today, turning around, hard to have good technique," said Frenchman Lavillenie. "But I'm very satisfied with 5.80 today in these conditions."

World champion Kerron Clement overtook fellow American Bershawn Jackson on the run-in for victory in the 400 hurdles.

Jackson led coming off the final hurdle but was pipped by Clement who won in a time of 48.12.

Local favourite Andreas Thorkildsen delighted the crowd by winning the javelin with a throw of 86 metres but the much-anticipated battle between the Olympic champion and Beijing Games bronze medallist Tero Pitkamaki of Finland never materialised.

Pitkamaki could only manage a best of 84.43 with his third effort. "The crowd was amazing," Thorkildsen told a news conference.

"There is always a lot of pressure before the home crowd, but I try to use it in a positive way," he added.

Former British middle-distance greats Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram took part in the opening ceremony in a stadium where they broke five world records between them from 1979 and 1985.

Cram smashed Coe's world record when he won the Bislett 'Dream Mile' in 1985 in a time of 3:46.32. Kenyan Asbel Kiprop was accompanied by the sound of African drums as he took Friday's victory over the distance in 3:49.56, the fastest time of the year.

Source:

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Asafa Powell Sizzles To 9.72secs (+2.1) In Oslo

Asafa Powell sizzled to 9.72seconds to win the men’s 100m dash at the ExxonMobil Bislett Games on Friday.

The Jamaican former world record holder who produced a time of 10.05seconds to win his heat earlier blasted from the blocks and gave his challengers no chance – crossing the line in a time that was slightly assisted by +2.1m/s wind.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson was second in 9.90, Netherlands Antilles ace Churandy Martina was third in 9.92, while Jamaican Michael Frater was fourth in 9.97secs.

Meanwhile, World Indoor champion Lolo Jones of USA held on to win the women’s 100m hurdles over a strong field.

Jones clocked 12.66secs to win the event over event rival Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Canada who was second in 12.72 and another Canadian Perdita Felicien who also ran 12.72 for third.

PPost Before “read more”American Kerron Clement won the men’s 400m hurdles over his fellow countryman Bershawn Jackson. Clement’s winning time was a season best of 48.12, while Jackson ran 48.25 and Great Britain’s David Greene finished third in 49.05.

Elsewhere, American champion thrower Christian Cantwell left it late to win the men’s Shot Put with a fourth round throw that propelled him from fourth to first.

Is winning effort of 21.31m, saw him overtaking Canadian Dylan Armstrong, who lead from the opening round until then. His best effort of 21.16m came in the second round. Poland’s Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski was third with a year best effort of 21.12m, while American Reese Hoffa was fourth with a mark of 20.69.

Germany’s Nadine Müller won the women’s Discus with an effort of 63.93m in the opening round and French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie won that event with a clearance of 5.80m.

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Powell, Bolt explodes in Ostrava

The spectators at the 49th Golden Spike Meeting in Ostrava were served with a glittering performances by two monsters from Jamaica.

A former world's 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell clocked a world leading 9.83s in the final of his race despite running at the rainy condition. The time tells us on his ability to approach the world record 9.58s in sooner time. In the semifinal, a question on his ability to seize the fastest man crown close to reality when he shutting down a few metres prior the finish line but still able to run a fast 9.88s. In a special arrangement by meet organizers, all 100m racers were also given a fully automatic time for 100 yards. Powell's time at the juncture, 9.09 seconds, eclipsed the 9.21, the fastest time ever recorded, run by Charlie Greene in 1967. The time also trumped the fastest hand time on record for 100y, 9.0, which Ivory Crockett ran in 1974.

Meanwhile, Usain Bolt was boosted by a solid start and cruised to an easy victory with a new personal best of 30.97s. But the wet track prevented him from challenging the world best of 30.85s set by Michael Johnson on March 24, 2000 at Pretoria, South Africa. The record that achieved at altitude (1271 m) remain unbeatable by any human but Bolt's performances has supplanted the sea level fastest time 31.31s by LaShawn Meritt. Take into account Johnson time of 30.85s performed at altitude would be around 31.06s at the sea level by using an altitude's calculator correction.

Full results are as follow:

Men's 100m - Heat 1
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Lerone Clarke	JAM	10.19	+0.7 m/s
2	Trell Kimmons	USA	10.22	+0.7 m/s
3	Craig Pickering	GBR	10.39	+0.7 m/s
4	Jan Veleba	CZE	10.44	+0.7 m/s
5	Olaf Paruzel	POL	10.58	+0.7 m/s
6	Václav Zich	CZE	10.79	+0.7 m/s
7	Nesta Carter	JAM	10.99	+0.7 m/s
	Vojtech Šulc	CZE	DNS
Men's 100m - Heat 2
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Asafa Powell	JAM	9.88	+1.2 m/s
2	Dexter Lee	JAM	10.20	+1.2 m/s
3	Mario Forsythe	JAM	10.22	+1.2 m/s
4	Tyrone Edgar	GBR	10.23	+1.2 m/s
5	Mark Lewis-Francis	GBR	10.24	+1.2 m/s
6	Ryan Moseley	AUT	10.29	+1.2 m/s
7	Rostislav Sulc	CZE	10.58	+1.2 m/s
8	Lukas Milo	CZE	10.62	+1.2 m/s
Men's 100m - Final
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Asafa Powell	JAM	9.83	-0.5 m/s
2	Lerone Clarke	JAM	10.18	-0.5 m/s
3	Dexter Lee	JAM	10.20	-0.5 m/s
4	Trell Kimmons	USA	10.22	-0.5 m/s
5	Tyrone Edgar	GBR	10.37	-0.5 m/s
6	Craig Pickering	GBR	10.43	-0.5 m/s
7	Mario Forsythe	JAM	10.43	-0.5 m/s
8	Mark Lewis-Francis	GBR	DQ
Men's 100y - Final
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Asafa Powell	JAM	9.07	-0.5 m/s
2	Lerone Clarke	JAM	9.38	-0.5 m/s
3	Dexter Lee	JAM	9.41	-0.5 m/s
4	Trell Kimmons	USA	9.41	-0.5 m/s
5	Tyrone Edgar	GBR	9.55	-0.5 m/s
6	Craig Pickering	GBR	9.60	-0.5 m/s
7	Mario Forsythe	JAM	9.61	-0.5 m/s
8	Mark Lewis-Francis	GBR	DQ
Men's 300m - A Race
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Usain Bolt	JAM	30.97
2	Jermaine Gonzales	JAM	32.49
3	Jonathan Borlee	BEL	32.50
4	Jamaal Torrance	USA	32.78
5	Gary Kikaya	CGO	33.05
6	Pavel Maslak	CZE	33.13
7	Jiri Vojtik	CZE	33.34
8	Rudolf Gotz	CZE	34.00
Men's 300m - B Race
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Ofentse Mogawane	RSA	32.51
2	Rabah Yousif	SUD	32.75
3	Marcin Marciniszyn	POL	33.55
4	Theodor Jares	CZE	33.80
5	Juraj Mokras	SVK	33.99
6	Matus Mentel	SVK	34.01
7	Petr Lichy	CZE	34.15
	Vojtech Sulc	CZE	DNS
Men's 800m
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	David Rudisha	KEN	1:44.03
2	Boaz Lalang	KEN	1:45.02
3	Marcin Lewandowski	POL	1:45.04
4	Adam Kszczot	POL	1:45.74
5	Jakub Holusa	CZE	1:45.87
6	Gary Reed	CAN	1:46.09
7	Michael Rimmer	GBR	1:46.47
8	Jozef Repcik	SVK	1:47.41
9	Andrew Baddeley	GBR	1:47.46
10	Antonio Reina	ESP	1:47.75
11	Haron Keitany	KEN	1:49.86
	Sammy Tangui	KEN	DNF
Men's 3000m
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Yusuf Biwott	KEN	7:31.68
2	John Kemboi	KEN	7:32.16
3	Bernard Lagat	USA	7:32.49
4	Remmy Limo	KEN	7:35.44
5	Sammy Mutahi	KEN	7:36.83
6	Lucas Rotich	KEN	7:37.33
7	Joseph Ebuya	KEN	7:38.34
8	Daniel Salel	KEN	7:38.91
9	Bethwell Birgen	KEN	7:39.65
10	Ben St. Lawrence	AUS	7:49.28
11	Carles Castillejo	ESP	7:51.00
12	Isaac Songkok	KEN	7:56.52
13	Josphat Bett	KEN	8:05.50
14	Jakub Zivec	CZE	8:14.97
15	Luka Kourek	CZE	8:17.26
16	Tomas Bednar	CZE	8:25.02
	Gideo Gathimba	KEN	DNF
	Collins Kosgei	KEN	DNF
	Cornelius Ndiwa	KEN	DNF
Men's 110m hurdles - Heat 1
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Dayron Robles	CUB	13.12	+0.3 m/s
2	Petr Svoboda	CZE	13.55	+0.3 m/s
3	William Sharman	GBR	13.57	+0.3 m/s
4	Matthias Buhler	GER	13.70	+0.3 m/s
5	Jeff Porter	USA	13.74	+0.3 m/s
5	Andrew Turner	GBR	13.76	+0.3 m/s
7	Artur Noga	POL	13.84	+0.3 m/s
8	Daniel Kiss	HUN	DQ	+0.3 m/s
Men's 110m hurdles - Heat 2
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Tyrone Akins	USA	13.48	+1.7 m/s
2	Dayron Capetillo	CUB	14.22	+1.7 m/s
3	Matúš Janecek	SVK	14.27	+1.7 m/s
4	Viliam Papso	SVK	14.29	+1.7 m/s
5	Adrián Novosád	SVK	14.61	+1.7 m/s
6	Jakub Uher	CZE	14.63	+1.7 m/s
7	Jirí Smola	CZE	14.92	+1.7 m/s
	Martin Mazác	CZE	DQ
Men's 400m hurdles
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Kerron Clement	USA	48.69
2	David Greene	GBR	49.05
3	Isa Phillips	JAM	49.16
4	Rhys Williams	GBR	49.28
5	Josef Robertson	JAM	50.26
6	Josef Prorok	CZE	51.01
7	Michal Uhlík	CZE	51.08
8	Rafal Ostrowski	POL	51.48
Men's Hammer Throw
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Krisztian Pars	HUN	79.15m
2	Dilshod Nazarov	TJK	78.69m
3	Sergej Litvinov	GER	77.64m
4	Markus Esser	GER	76.45m
5	Olli-Pekka Karjalainen	FIN	75.87m
6	Ali Mohamed Al-Zinkawi	KUW	75.00m
7	Aleksey Zagornyi	RUS	74.99m
8	Szymon Ziolkowski	POL	72.50m
9	Marco Lingua	ITA	70.34m
	Libor Charfreitag	SVK	nm
Men's Javelin Throw
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Petr Frydrych	CZE	88.23m
2	Martin Benák	SVK	76.42m
3	Jakub Vadlejch	CZE	74.10m
4	Robert Szpak	POL	72.97m
5	Vítezslav Veselý	CZE	72.73m
6	Dániel Patkó	HUN	68.78m
Women's 100m
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Shelly-Ann Fraser	JAM	11.04
2	Chandra Sturrup	BAH	11.13
3	Sheri-Ann Brooks	JAM	11.17
4	Yevgeniya Polyakova	RUS	11.36
5	Mikele Barber	USA	11.36
6	Gloria Asumnu	USA	11.51
7	Katerina Cechova	CZE	11.61
8	Schillonie Calvert	JAM	11.65
Women's 400m
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Denisa Rosolová	CZE	50.85
2	Shericka Williams	JAM	51.13
3	Rosemarie Whyte	JAM	51.28
4	Christine Ohuruogu	GBR	51.58
5	Kaliese Spencer	JAM	51.64
6	Natalya Nazarova	RUS	52.81
7	Zuzana Bergrová	CZE	53.03
8	Shareese Woods	USA	53.06
Women's 800m
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Yvonne Hak	NED	2:00.53
2	Egle Balciünaité	LTU	2:00.55
3	Lenka Masná	CZE	2:01.06
4	Ekaterina Kostetskaya	RUS	2:01.21
5	Lucia Klocová	SVK	2:01.81
6	Christin Wurth-Thomas	USA	2:01.87
7	Angelika Cichocka	POL	2:02.37
8	Yevgeniya Zinurova	RUS	2:02.87
9	Winny Chebet	KEN	2:04.33
10	Tetiana Petlyuk	UKR	2:04.62
11	Jana Hartmann	GER	2:05.06
12	Sylwia Ejdys	POL	2:06.02
13	Veronika Mrácková	CZE	2:06.29
	Veronika Jelínková	CZE	DNF
Women's 10,00m
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Meselech Melkamu	ETH	31:04.52
2	Pauline Chemning Korikwiang	KEN	31:06.29
3	Jessica Augusto	POR	31:19.15
4	Lebogang Phalula	RSA	34:01.97
5	Zivilé Balciünaité	LTU	34:47.13
6	Dina Lebo Phalula	RSA	35:02.72
7	Linda Byrne	IRL	35:15.28
	Anikó Kálovics	HUN	DNF
Women's 100m Hurdles
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark	Wind
1	Priscilla Lopes-Schliep	CAN	12.69	+1.7 m/s
2	Delloreen Ennis-London	JAM	12.73	+1.7 m/s
3	Danielle Carruthers	USA	12.77	+1.7 m/s
4	Lolo Jones	USA	12.85	+1.7 m/s
5	Anay Tejeda	CUB	12.97	+1.7 m/s
6	Aleksandra Fedoriva	RUS	12.98	+1.7 m/s
7	Lucie Škrobáková	CZE	13.04	+1.7 m/s
8	Eline Berings	BEL	13.16	+1.7 m/s
Women's High Jump
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Chaunté Howard Lowe	USA	1.98m
2	Levern Spencer	LCA	1.92m
3	Blanka Vlašic	CRO	1.92m
4	Kamila Stepaniuk	POL	1.89m
5	Oldriška Marešová	CZE	1.85m
6	Viktoriya Klyugina	RUS	1.85m
7	Nicole Forrester	CAN	1.80m
8	Karolina Blazej	POL	1.80m
Women's Pole Vault
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Tatyana Polnova	RUS	4.56m
2	Anastasiya Shvedova	BLR	4.41m
3	Anastasiya Savchenko	RUS	4.21m
4	Jirina Ptácniková	CZE	4.21m
5	Ekaterina Kolesova	RUS	4.21m
6	Romana Malácová	CZE	4.21m
	Kristina Gadschiew	GER	NM
Women's Hammer Throw
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Anita Wlodarczyk	POL	75.74m
2	Betty Heidler	GER	75.25m
3	Darya Pchelnik	BLR	73.00m
4	Kathrin Klass	GER	72.32m
5	Jennifer Dahlgren	ARG	72.18m
6	Tatyana Lysenko	RUS	71.00m
7	Zalina Marghieva	MDA	70.21m
8	Clarissa Claretti	ITA	69.16m
9	Stephanie Falzon	FRA	68.71m
10	Marina Marghiev	MDA	67.83m
11	Katerina Safrankova	CZE	63.52m
12	Romana Gromanova	CZE	59.41m
Women's Javelin Throw
Pos	Athlete	Nat	Mark
1	Martina Ratej	SLO	64.68m
2	Barbora Špotáková	CZE	62.94m
3	Madara Palameika	LAT	58.62m
4	Goldie Sayers	GBR	56.05m
5	Jarmila Klimešová	CZE	55.11m
6	Nikola Ogrodníková	CZE	53.94m
7	Barbara Madejczyk	POL	50.74m
8	Elisabeth Eberl	AUT	50.35m

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Diamond League 2010 Doha: Asafa Powell eyes Usain Bolt's 100m world record

Asafa Powell heads into his first competition of the season on Friday still believing he can reclaim the 100 metres world record from fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt.

The 27-year-old is the hot favourite to open his campaign with victory at the inaugural IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha.

Another Jamaican, Nesta Carter, is the fastest man in the field so far this year, with a time of 10.09 seconds clocked in Kingston earlier this month, but Powell is accustomed to operating below the 10-second mark, having dipped beneath it a record 60 times in his career.

On two of those occasions – when he clocked 9.77 in June 2005 and 9.74 in September 2007 – the world record fell, and Powell, who finished third at last year's World Championships in Berlin when Bolt ran a world record time of 9.58 to win gold, feels the current mark is within his reach.

"It's something that I'm confident I can go below," Powell told Press Association Sport on a visit to the Al Jazeera Children's Channel headquarters.

Not that Powell is particularly concerned by times so early in the season.

"I've been feeling good so far since the start of the year so I'm thinking positive," he added.

"I'm not really focusing on any times right now, not really focusing on the world record.

"I'll be going out there to give my best and if my best is better than the world record I'll be happy."

Powell's lifetime best of 9.72, set in Lausanne two years ago, is the joint fifth-fastest in history.

Were he racing in any other era, he would be the undisputed number one. Rivals Bolt and American Tyson Gay are the only two athletes to have gone quicker, but Powell is far from disappointed at having the limelight taken from him.

"No, I'm not feeling unlucky," he added.

"This is the best time to be in the sport, when the sport is at the highest level. The sport has never been at this level before so what better time to be in the sport?

"It's driving me, I'm still up there in the spotlight.

"Although Usain is the main man right now, I'm still there and I'm running very well.

"I have nothing to be worrying about, just to try and compete and run very fast."

The British presence in Doha will be headed by Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu, who faces a very strong field in the 400m.

World champion Sanya Richards-Ross was last week forced to withdraw though injury, but Ohuruogu will still be up against world indoor champion Debbie Dunn, Olympic and World Championship silver medallist Shericka Williams, world leader Novlene Williams-Mills and three-time world 200m champion Allyson Felix.

Ohuruogu could only manage a disappointing fifth in Berlin last summer after an injury-disrupted preparation, her time of 50.21 well down on the 49.62 she ran to win in Beijing the year before.

Felix, though, does not feel the 25-year-old has anything to prove as she starts her build-up to July's European Championships in earnest.

"I think it's always difficult coming off injury, so I wouldn't say necessarily Christine has something to prove, but I'm sure for herself she just wants to get back up to where she was and even beyond leading up into London 2012," the American told Press Association Sport.

"She's extremely talented, she has experience. She's a great competitor."

Elsewhere, Croatian world champion Blanka Vlasic competes in the high jump, world champion Kerron Clement goes up against Olympic champion and fellow American Angelo Taylor in the 400m hurdles, and in the 100m hurdles world indoor champion Lolo Jones faces Olympic champion Dawn Harper and Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.

Kenyan trio – Moses Masai, Bernard Kiplagat and Micah Kogo – will not race in the 5000m after they were injured in a car accident in Kenya this morning while on their way to the airport.

Michael Rimmer in the 800m and Steph Twell in the 1500m complete the British contingent.

>> telegraph.co.uk.

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Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Bolt Male and Female Athlete of the Year

Kingston: Triple Olympic and World Championships gold medallist, Usain Bolt, has placed greater value on earning the Golden Cleats Male Athlete of the Year Award for 2009 than other accolades he has won internationally.

Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser, the Olympic and World Championships 100m gold medal winner, won the respective Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards at the Scotiabank-sponsored function, which was held at Jamaica House last Friday.

Bolt, who had been recognised with the Male Athlete of the Year Award by the the International Association of Athletics Federations, Track & Field News Magazine, the International Sports Journalists Association, among others, said he cherishes the honour bestowed on him by his countrymen most.

Honour

Asked which of the awards means more to him, Bolt said: "To me, it's your country because when you are honoured by your countrymen for being the greatest athlete, for me, it's always a (great) honour."

"I always enjoy getting awards from Jamaica," added Bolt, who was voted The Gleaner Man of the Year and BBC Overseas Personality of the Year, both for two successive years.

Bolt, 23, retained his position as the world's leading sprinter by shattering both his 100 and 200 metres world records with incredible times at the World Championships in Germany in August. The fastest man in the world ran 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m in Berlin.

Fraser, who like Bolt repeated her 100m gold medal success at the World Champs last summer, earned the Golden Cleats' Female Athlete of the Year Award.

Fraser broke Jamaica's Merlene Ottey's 13-year-old 10.74 record when she crossed the finish line in 10.73secs.

The diminutive sprinter won the award ahead of MVP and Jamaica teammates Brigitte Foster-Hylton (100mH) and Melaine Walker (400mH), both of whom also won gold in Berlin.

"I am feeling good, as anybody else would feel to be recognised," said Fraser. "If Melaine or Brigitte had won, I would have felt the same for them because I train with them, so I know the hard work that they put in," she added, noting that training for the 2010 season is going great.

Enthusiasts

Howard Aris, president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), thanked track and field enthusiasts for their support.

In a bid to raise $1.5 million for needy equipment for the association, the Scotiabank-sponsored event sold tickets for $7,000 each and Aris was pleased with the turnout.

"We are very thankful for the turnout this evening and we hope that those sponsors who have been here for us over the years and are here tonight for the first time, together we will able to ensure that this country over the years will continue to be very proud of the performance and performances of our athletes."

He added: "Track and field has done this country proud for many years and history is replete with examples of our achievements."

Scotiabank CEO, Bruce Bowen, who talked about Jamaica's impressive showing over the years, believes like his institution, the JAAA has a legacy to protect and nourish.

"At Scotiabank Group, after 120 years in Jamaica, we believe we know something about legacy as well and when we decided to partner JAAA with the event, it was based upon a vision of excellence and a vision of that legacy," he said.

"And so tonight, it's not only about honouring the exceptional performance of our athletes - both present and past - but it's also looking towards the future and the money that will be raised this evening will go towards training equipment to ensure that legacy continues."

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