World records, gold medals and scotch bonnet sauce: Jamaica owns Gaborone
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Jamaica rewrote the record books twice in 48 hours at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana — clocking 39.99 seconds in Saturday's qualifying heat before demolishing their own mark with a blistering 39.62 seconds in Sunday's final, making the island the first team in history to break the 40-second barrier in the mixed 4x100m relay, while also topping the overall medal table with two golds and a silver.
Jamaica won the mixed 4x100m relay final at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, with a time of 39.62 seconds — lowering their own world record of 39.99 seconds set in the qualifying heat the previous day.
The same four athletes, Ackeem Blake, Tina Clayton, Kadrian Goldson and Tia Clayton, ran both races, making Jamaica the first team in history to break the 40-second barrier in the event.
Canada finished second in the final in 40.23 seconds, according to multiple sources, while the USA took bronze in 40.33 seconds.
Jamaica also claimed gold in the women's 4x100m relay in 42.00 seconds, anchored by a returning Elaine Thompson-Herah, and silver in the mixed 4x400m relay with a national record of 3:08.24.
Jamaica topped the overall medal table with two golds and one silver, edging out the United States — who also had two golds — by virtue of Jamaica having no bronze finishes.
Jamaica's winning time in the mixed 4x100m relay final at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, setting a new world record
Jamaica's first world record set in Saturday's qualifying heat, broken the following day in the final
The improvement Jamaica achieved between their Saturday qualifying heat record (39.99s) and Sunday final record (39.62s)
Canada's world record set in the first heat on Saturday, which Jamaica broke in the third heat the same day
Canada finished second in the mixed 4x100m relay final, 0.61 seconds behind Jamaica
The United States finished third in the mixed 4x100m relay final, 0.71 seconds behind Jamaica
Jamaica set two world records in consecutive days (39.99s on May 2, then 39.62s on May 3), with the same four athletes (Ackeem Blake, Tina Clayton, Kadrian Goldson, and Tia Clayton) competing in both races
Jamaica's 39.62-second final time represents a historic achievement as the first team ever to break the 40-second barrier in the mixed 4x100m relay
The 0.37-second improvement between Jamaica's two world records demonstrates exceptional performance consistency and execution under pressure in back-to-back competitions
Jamaica dominated the medal standings at Gaborone 26 with two gold medals and one silver, edging out the United States (who also had two golds) by virtue of having no bronze finishes
Canada held the world record for only approximately 10 minutes before Jamaica broke it in the third heat on the same day
Jamaica's performance in Gaborone marks a significant statement of intent from a sprint programme rebuilding after a difficult Olympic cycle.
Two world records in 48 hours — in an event the island only began competing in last year — signals that Jamaica's relay infrastructure is maturing rapidly.
The result also secured automatic qualification for the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, for the top-six finishers, alongside Canada, USA, Germany, Spain and Nigeria.
Elaine Thompson-Herah's golden anchor leg in the women's 4x100m adds an emotional dimension: a champion returning from injury to deliver at the highest level.
"Jamaica broke the mixed 4x100m world record twice in two days — 39.99 seconds in the qualifying heat and 39.62 seconds in the final — becoming the first team in history to run the event in under 40 seconds."
— World Athletics / Multiple sources
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Viewpoint: Wilson did not hide his satisfaction. Speaking to the Jamaica Observer after Sunday's final, he called the performance "more than many persons would have expected" — a measured acknowledgement of how far Jamaica's relay infrastructure has come in a short time. But he balanced the pride with purpose, praising the collaborative coaching effort involving Stephen Francis, Glen Mills, Paul Francis, Michael Frater and others, before issuing a pointed warning: rival nations are actively investing to close the gap. "I'm hoping that the JAAA will be able to get the support that is needed from sponsors," he said. In Gaborone, Jamaica proved the talent is there. The question Wilson is really asking is whether the resources will follow.
Viewpoint: The Clayton twins were quick to ground the history in process rather than ambition. "The world record wasn't in our minds — we just came out here to execute, get the baton around safely, and qualify for the final," Tina said. That composure — producing back-to-back sub-40 performances while chasing nothing more than clean exchanges — is exactly the kind of relay maturity that wins championships. Budapest is already on their radar.
Viewpoint: Three years of injury battles. One anchor leg. A gold medal. Thompson-Herah admitted she felt her hamstring tighten coming down the home straight — "like my leg was heavy" — but said she knew she had to bring the team home. She did. For Caribbean athletics, her return is bigger than one relay baton.
Jamaica's weekend in Gaborone was not merely a collection of medals — it was a declaration.
Two world records in the mixed 4x100m relay, gold in the women's 4x100m, a national record in the mixed 4x400m, and top spot on the overall medal table. This is what Jamaican track and field looks like when it is organised, hungry, and firing on all cylinders.
But perhaps the sweetest moment had nothing to do with the stopwatch. Ato Boldon — the great Trinidad and Tobago sprinter who, despite having Jamaican blood in his veins, had declared Elaine Thompson-Herah "done as a threat" — promised he would eat his words if proven wrong as reported by the Jamaica Observer.
"I'll eat that crow with pepper sauce if she comes back and does it," he said. "I'll be glad."
Well — she came back and she did it, anchoring Jamaica to gold in the women's 4x100m, pushing through a tightening hamstring in the home straight to bring the team home. We are happy to report that a consignment of scotch bonnet sauce is being prepared for immediate dispatch to Port of Spain.
For the diaspora watching from London, Toronto, and New York, this weekend was about far more than athletics. It was about pride. Jamaica did not just win in Gaborone. Jamaica dominated.
Now the hard work begins. Talent alone does not build relay programmes — resources do. The JAAA and Jamaica's corporate sector should treat this weekend not as a destination, but as a launching pad.
LA 2028 is coming. Gaborone was not a peak. It was a baseline.
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