Sprinter Kemba Nelson reacts to being dropped from Jamaica's Paris Olympics squad

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 24, 2024 17:21 GMT

The 2022 World Championships silver medalist Kemba Nelson faced heartbreak on Monday as her name was taken off the Jamaican relay team by the Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA). This comes just a few days ahead of the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Nelson failed to qualify for the main lineup of the Jamaican team in the women's 100m team as she finished fifth in the event's finals at the Jamaican National Championships. However, the JAAA did include the 24-year-old in the roster for the 4x100m relay team.

It was after the Resisprint International 2024, during which she finished third in the women's 100m event with a time of 11.04 seconds, that she was informed of this decision by the JAAA. She was all set to be included in the relay team as a reserve alongside some formidable Jamaican athletes like Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

However, on Monday (July 22), her dreams of making it to her first Olympics were shattered as the JAAA informed her that her name was removed from the relay team. Nelson took to her social media to announce this decision and wrote:

"Won't be in Paris"

She expressed her anguish through another tweet and stated:

"I just hate that I accepted it, then they added my name, then now I'm not needed at the moment? Oh ok."

This is the second consecutive time that such an incident has taken place with the 24-year-old Nelson. Three years ago in Tokyo she was named in the 4x100m relay team as a reserve but her name was taken off the team at the last moment.

Kemba Nelson clinched the 200m title at the JAAA Olympic French Foray 3

Kemba Nelson at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships (Image via: Getty Images)

Kemba Nelson's superb performances at the JAAA Olympic French Foray 3 saw her top the women's 200m charts in Jamaica. She clocked a time of 23.51 seconds to register a strong finish in the final of the event.

Jodean Williams and Juda Levy followed her in second and third positions, respectively, with times of 23.53 seconds and 24.29 seconds. Even though the 24-year-old Nelson participated in various 100m events this season, it was her first 200m race, and she ran it with confidence and poise.