Caribbean Sports Round-Up – Top Caribbean Olympians Earn Degrees

Grenada’s Kirani James , who won a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro on August 15, 2016, now has a degree from UA.

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Dec. 22, 2017: Top Caribbean Olympians, Kirani James and Jareem Richards, have earned degrees in Alabama.

Grenadian James received his degree from the University of Alabama and was one of 50 to graduate at the winter commencement. James, an NCAA champion, 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic 400-metre champion, and Richards, a 2017 4x400m relay world champion and 200m bronze medalist,  missed the 2017 season after falling ill with what was believed to be a respiratory illness but is currently on the mend.

The Trinidad & Tobago-born Richards, who recently signed with Adidas, is the 2017 NCAA 200m and World Championship bronze medalist, also received his degree from UA.  Richards was also a member of the Trinidad and Tobago mile relay team that won that country’s first ever major gold medal in that event when they upset the USA at the World Championships in London in August. He ran a 43.6 split, the fastest for the championship to help propel T&T to the historic win.

Jamaican Signed by Philadelphia Union

Jamaican Cory Burke has been signed by the Philadelphia Union in MLS. The Kingston native will count as an international for the Union. Burke tallied 13 caps in the last year and a half, debuting against Haiti and scoring against Guyana. Burke has been one of the best success stories at Bethlehem Steel since joining the Union’s minor league team in 2016. He scored 13 goals over 45 games in the USL, including nine in 2017.

Chris Gayle Can’t Save West Windies

Not even top One Day International player, Chris Gayle, can save the West Windies cricket team. Gayle only managed 22 as the Windies lost again to the Blacktops in New Zealand in their first ODI of the series.

The Kiwis cruises to a five-wicket win in the series opener in Whangarei as the West Indies were bowled out for 248 for 9.

Gayle’s presence in tomorrow’s second ODI is unclear as Windies head coach Stuart Law said the opener is ill and is going to seek medical advice as soon as the West Indian team reaches Christchurch.

22 Get A Shot At A Golden Ticket

A group of 22 soccer players from across the region have a shot at a golden ticket early next year – a Major League Soccer contract.

The almost two dozen players have been invited to participate in the 2018 MLS Caribbean Combine, which will take place from Jan. 9-11 at the Sawgrass Hotel and Suites Sports Complex in Fort Lauderdale.

Players will compete in front of scouts for three days for the potential to be signed directly by an MLS club during an upcoming transfer window.

The Caribbean Combine will lead into the 2018 adidas MLS Player Combine, which will be held from Jan. 11-17 in Orlando. Both Combines will be followed by the 2018 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Jan. 19th in Philadelphia.

The full list of Caribbean Combine invitees are:

Oniel Anderson of Jamaica

Maalique Foster of Jamaica

Alex Marshall     Jamaica

Jeff Beljour of the Turks & Caicos

Gilbert Tilus of the Turks & Caicos

Mazhye Burchall of Bermuda

Thierry Catherine of Martinique

Jonah Ebanks     of the Cayman Islands

Kyle Edwards of St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Djai Essed of Saint Maarten

Jules Haabo of French Guiana

Hadan Holligan of Barbados

Tyrique Lake of Anguilla

Germain Hughes of Anguilla

Andrez Joseph    of Dominica

Gylles Mitchel of Dominica

Yohannes Mitchum of St. Kitts & Nevis

Nickenson Paul of Aruba

Na-jir Jacques Peney of Curacao

Jamarlie Stevens of Antigua

Kathon St. Hillaire of Trinidad & Tobago

Josiah Trimmingham of Trinidad & Tobago

Barbados Sprinter Faces Doping Ban

Barbadian sprinter, Levi Cadogan, has reportedly tested positive for a banned substance and faces a possible two-year ban from the sport.

It’s reported that Cadogan, 22, the 2013 Carifta Under20 200-m bronze medalist, tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic and masking agent.

The athlete reportedly met with the National Anti-Doping Commission on Monday night after which he hinted at possible retirement.

“Thank you, Barbados, I will miss the sport,” was posted on his Twitter page.

Cadogan was seen as the next great sprinter from Barbados, following in the footsteps of Olympian Obadele Thompson.

In 2014, while still a student, he signed a two-year contract with Adidas. It was the first time that a Barbadian had signed a contract of this nature while still in school.

Following the signing of the contract, the athlete declined several scholarship opportunities offered by colleges in the United States.

“We have decided that Levi will be based at home,” said his mother, Destiny Cadogan. “The family has built a solid business foundation for him, which will allow him to focus his attention on his athletics rather than academics.”

She said she was sure Levi would become a ‘top class athlete’ but to date, he had yet to live up to those expectations.

His best performance at a global championship to date was an eighth-place finish in the semi-final at the 15th IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. That same year he ran his personal best of 10.06.

Caribbean Fans Will Soon Have Access To UEFA Matches

AS of next summer, Caribbean sports fans will have access to every UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League match. Flow Sports and SportsMax are teaming up with the UEFA to bring some of the world’s most exciting football matches to the region.

The matches will kick off in August 2018 with the 2018/19 European football season. Under the terms of this exciting new three-season deal, Flow Sports and SportsMax will equally share all of the  UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches starting in August 2018 and for each season through to June 2021, ensuring broadcast of the highest possible number of matches across the Caribbean.  Fans will also be able to enjoy the new UEFA Champions League “double headers” as live matches will kick off at both 1 and 3 p.m. Eastern Time during the Group Stage.

Bolt Part Of New Set Of Constellations

Jamaican sprint legend, Usain Bolt, has been chosen to be one of the new set of constellations representing stars of sport, literature and science.

A constellation is a group of stars, considered to form imaginary outlines or meaningful patterns on the celestial sphere, typically representing animals, mythological people or gods, mythological creatures, or manufactured devices.

The new star alignments, created by researchers at The University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, are based on modern-day inspirational figures in a bid to get more children looking up to the stars and interested in the universe.

The eight new constellations in the “Look Up to The Stars” project are the brainchild of The Big Bang Fair, a science education event for young people and astronomers at the University of Birmingham.

The proposals include Harry Potter’s glasses, a tennis racket for Serena Williams, a spaceship for astronaut Tim Peak, a blue whale for naturalist David Attenborough and a book in honor of Nobel-winner Malala Yousafzai.

There are currently 88 existing constellations officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union. The new creations include well-known stars to make it easier to find them in the night sky, researchers said.

Bolt, 31, who retired from track and field after the IAAF World Championships in Rio on August 12th after winning eight Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles, has cemented himself as the greatest sprinter of all time.