Even if you’re not Jamaican, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Jamaica is riding the crest of the pride wave right now.

Bouyed by current successes at the 12th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Berlin, Germany, Jamaicans are feeling proud and elevated. This is resulting in much back-slapping, high-fiving and fist-touching ceremonies exploding in front rooms, work places, social network websites and chat spaces as well as on national TV, all around the globe!

Jamaica’s position at the top of the medals table is proof that the athletes of this blessed, little Caribbean nation of around 150 miles (240 kilometres) by 50 miles (80 kilometres) or 7,500 square miles (19,200 square kilometres), is punching well above its weight!

Three Theories

There are at least three theories to explain why Jamaicans are currently doing so well in athletics:-

First, because some of the other usually major league players are no longer taking performance enhancing substances. Major players include the Americans, Europeans, British, Russians and Cuban athletes. It’s a personal view of course.

Second, maybe the natural training, belief, drives and determination that is always at the heart of things Jamaican, is now paying off big time for Jamaican-based athletes.

Third, perhaps the Jamaicans are taking newer, cutting-edge, performing-enhancing substances which so far have remained undetectable.

Final Detabes

We can go far debating any of the three theories above but our final choice will always come down to our own point of view of whether we like Jamaicans, have no opinion either way on the issue, have a vested interest in another region/territory dominating athletics or have been swayed by a media choice.

Personally, I believe theory two is true: that Jamaicans are winning because they are simply that naturally good. This option may be helped if the first theory is also true but we have no way of knowing this for sure.

What we do know is that Jamaican athletes are being tested extensively after each event and it would be really difficult to evade the IAFF’s stringent testing procedures. All this may prove really hard for critics and sceptics to accept but Jamaica and Jamaicans are literally running things!

Big respect!

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