Jamaican Track and Field Faces Community’s Backlash Amid Star Athlete’s World Championships Shocker

With the Tokyo World Championships around the corner, most nations have unveiled their squads, but one announcement had fans on edge: the Jamaican lineup. The suspense finally ended as big names like Kishane Thompson, Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Oblique Seville made the cut, signaling a powerhouse team ready to take on their fiercest rivals, the USA. However, the celebration didn’t come without controversy. A key sprinter, expected to anchor the 4x100m relay, was left out, sparking outrage among fans who believe Jamaica may have missed a golden opportunity.

All the hotshots have already made their mark on the Jamaican team. However, Bryan Levell’s name was missing from the 4x100m relay squad. Despite delivering his best performance in Eisenstadt, Austria, clocking 9.82 seconds in 100m and breaking his own personal best, he has not been selected for either the 100m race or the 4x100m relay. Instead, Ackeem Blake, Ryiem Forde, Kadrian Goldson, Oblique Seville, Kishane Thompson, and Rohan Watson will represent Jamaica in the 4x100m event.

In fact, after clocking 9.82 in Austria, Levell became the second-fastest man this season, just behind his compatriot Kishane Thompson (9.75). With such an impressive performance, Levell should have made it to the 100m and 4x100m relay team for the World Championships. However, it appears that the Jamaican administration has other plans – and as per the roster released by Jamaica, Levell’s name has been instated in the 200m roster.

Interestingly, his 200m performance was nothing short of phenomenal this season. On August 12, the 21-year-old stole the spotlight at the István Gyulai Memorial in Budapest, storming to victory with an incredible 19.69.

This time ranks as the third-fastest ever by a Jamaican, trailing only the legendary Usain Bolt (19.19) and Yohan Blake (19.26). His 200m performance earned him a spot to represent Jamaica in the 200m category, alongside Adrian Kerr and Christopher Taylor. However, despite his inclusion in the team, fans are unhappy as he was left out of the relay. Let’s take a look at what they have to say.

Fans call out Jamaican administration for leaving Bryan Levell’s name from the relays

Well, it is certainly true that he has not run many 100m races this year, but one cannot deny his record-breaking run in Austria, and he has been improving day by day. The 21-year-old might have made it to the list, but fans certainly wanted him to run the relay as well, “No levell for the 4×100 smh joke thing.” Furthermore, one of the fans highlighted that not including Levell in the relay might cost Jamaica their medal, “No Bryan on relay is a mistake smh.” 

Another shocked fan couldn’t believe what he was witnessing when the official relay lineup dropped: “Why tf is Levell not listed in the 4×1????” Interestingly, one curious fan floated a theory that Bryan Levell might be a secret weapon for Jamaica, even if his name wasn’t announced yet: “Calm down everyone! Bryan Levell is eligible to run the 4×100 in Tokyo despite not being named to the pool. Not including him is actually a smart move because it expands the options for the pool since he’s already in the team. I hope this helps.” In fact, at the Jamaican national championships in June 2024, Levell won the prestigious 200m title in a personal best by clocking 19.97 seconds: his first sub-20 second time that also qualified him for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He also went on to achieve a new 100m PB 9.98 seconds in the semi-finals, before sealing fourth in the final.

Neverthless, the Jamaican federation also released a press statement: “Please note that the selection of the Relay Teams is at the discretion of the Technical Leader and his team.”

The Jamaican administration has certainly chosen individuals who have run more 100m races for their relay team, but it must be noted that the technical leader also has a say in the team selection. For now, we have no confirmation on whether Levell will act as a backup or not, but one thing is certain: he is not part of the relay team.