BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Darren Sammy was elevated to the prized but perilous position of West Indies captain while sprint superstar Usain Bolt had his pride dented with his first loss in two years, as 2010 failed to conjure up the fireworks of preceding years.
With the historic Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the histrionics of a tumultuous 2009 now distant memories, the year proved far more sedate, even though punctuated with moments of melodrama provided largely by the turbulence that has shrouded West Indies cricket.No such upheaval was present, however, as the industrious 27-year-old Sammy became the 34th captain and the 10th in the last decade to lead the proud institution in Tests after the West Indies Cricket Board unveiled him as their choice in November to succeed the embattled Jamaican Chris Gayle.
His ascent, however, was more fortuitous than planned, after the incumbent Gayle turned down a central retainer contract in favour of going freelance and the next option, vice-captain Dwayne Bravo also did similarly.
Sarwan, Ramdin discarded
With former captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and former vice-captain Denesh Ramdin overlooked by the board for retainer contracts, the WICB were left virtually without options and moved for the untested Sammy, who had played just eight Tests in three years. His first assignment was a three-Test tour of Sri Lanka which finished in a nil-all stalemate after persistent monsoon rains wrecked the series, affording precious little play throughout and forcing thepostponement of the subsequent one-day series.
Bolt had modest year
Bolt, meanwhile, had a modest year by his high standards and especially against the backdrop of the last two years where he sprung to international prominence with mind-boggling performances. With no major international competition scheduled, he launched his season in stunning fashion in May, streaking to 19.56 seconds in the 200 metres at the Jamaica International Invitational before his home crowd in Kingston.
He then breezed through an assortment of meets, winning his first 100 metres of the year in May at the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting in South Korea in 9.86 seconds before capturing the 200 metres in 19.76 seconds later that month, in his IAAF Diamond League debut in Shanghai. An Achilles tendon injury slowed his progress, forcing him out of action for the month of June but he announced his return to fitness with an easy 9.82 seconds stroll to victory at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne in early July.
Nothing prepared the world for what happened next, however. Competing at the DN Galan meet in Stockholm the following month, Bolt produced an uncharacteristically lacklustre performance to lose to American Tyson Gay, his second defeat in two years. The shock defeat was followed a week later by the announcement that Bolt was bringing a premature end to his season, advised by doctors to rest after suffering a back injury.
Gordon starred at Carifta Games
April's CARIFTA Games in the Cayman Islands served to confirm the emergence of two new stars to follow in Bolt's footsteps as Grenadian quarter-miler Kirani James and Trinidadian hurdler Jehue Gordon dominated the Caribbean's premier junior track and field meet. The 17-year-old James, a University of Alabama freshman, was unchallenged as he stormed to victory in the 400 metres in a time of 45.02 seconds to set a new record. He returned to win the 200 metres in 20.76 seconds to complete the double but disappointingly missed out on the World Junior record of 19.93 set by Bolt six years ago.
Not to be left out, Gordon sealed his piece of history by sweeping the men's hurdles events in record times to claim the Austin Sealy Trophy for the Most Outstanding athlete. With a surprise fourth place in the distance hurdles at the 2009 World Championships under his belt, Gordon blazed to 49.76 to take the 400 metres event before also snatching the 110m event in 13.41 to break World champion Ryan Brathwaite's three-year-old mark.
As has become the norm, Jamaica topped the medal standings with 72, including 37 gold while T&T were a distant second with 40 medals and the Bahamas third with 29.The 13th World Junior Championships in July brought more success for both James and Gordon as they also made headlines at the showpiece in Moncton, Canada.Entering the 400m final as the heavy favourite, James duly captured the event but clocked a disappointing 45.89 seconds, prompting him to declare: "I don't care about championships, I just care about running fast!"
There were no such frustration for Gordon who captured the 400 metres, lowering his CARIFTA time to 49.30 seconds, though he remained outside the national record of 48.26 seconds set at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009.Jamaican Dexter Lee was not to be left out of the Caribbean success as he successfully defended his 100 metres title, winning in 10.21 seconds to hand the region its fourth gold medal of the games.
Bahamian Shaunae Miller produced an upset in the women's 400m when she shocked heavy favourite Nigerian Margaret Etim into second, to claim gold.Exciting Jamaican sprinter Odane Skeene made his mark at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in August, racing to victory in the men's 100 metres in a personal-best time of 10.42 seconds, to follow up his Under-17 sprint double at the CARIFTA Games.
There was only one other medal for the English-speaking Caribbean, however, with Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas claiming silver in the women's 200 metres.
Haiti footballers triumph in adversity
Haiti, devastated by a massive earthquake in January, regrouped admirably to claim silver in the football phase of the Olympiad, reaching the final where they were beaten 5-0 by Bolivia. The build-up to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India was riddled with controversy and it took a last minute flurry of activity on the part of organizers to ensure the event was staged in October as planned.
Security, construction and health issues plagued the event and cast doubt over its success but when the curtain was raised, it was rolled out almost without a hitch. Jamaican Lerone Clarke was the surprise 100 metres champion, clocking 10.12 seconds to win the marquee title as British sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis finished second.The Caribbean completed a sweep of the prized sprint titles when Vincentian Natasha Mayers clinched gold in the women's equivalent in bizarre and chaotic circumstances.
She had finished third in the final but was elevated to second after winner Sally Pearson of Australia was disqualified, and when new winner Nigerian Oludamola Osayomi was also tossed out for a positive drugs test, Mayers was again elevated this time to the top of the podium. Her success represented the St Vincent and the Grenadines' first medal at a Commonwealth Games. There were also gold medals for Bahamian Donald Thomas in the high jump and for Jamaican Trecia-Kaye Smith in the triple jump, while Jamaica's Sunshine Girls missed out on a medal in netball after they were soundly whipped in the bronze medal game.
The Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico in July were not as eventful as powerhouses Jamaica finished on top the medal tally, even though they noticeably failed to win any of the coveted sprint titles.
Cricket was always news
Cricket was never out of the headlines, however, and as usual it surrounded the dismal fortunes of the West Indies side. Their ill-fated form continued on their one-tour Down Under in February as they were thrashed 4-0 by Australia in the five-match one-day series. Barbadian Ottis Gibson, the former West Indies fast bowler, was then appointed coach of the side in February after leaving his role as England bowling coach, and took over from interim coach David Williams in time for Zimbabwe's limited overs tour of the Caribbean.
However, Gibson's tenure started in humiliation when the Windies lost the lone Twenty20 International at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain by 26 runs before being handed a two-run defeat in the opening ODI of the five-match series.