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Jamaica At The Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1
A Not-So-Great Start

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Jamaica At The Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1

By Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

The Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off yesterday, July 26, 2024, with a one-of-a-kind opening ceremony, where teams from around the world, including our very own Jamaica, paraded on boats along the Seine River. Today, the Games launched into full competition mode, marking our entry into the event with former British judoka Ashley McKenzie taking centre stage.

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Unfortunately, McKenzie’s journey at the Paris Olympics may have ended sooner than we hoped, but nevertheless, he has made a historic representation of Jamaica in the sport and as a nation, we are proud of him and his efforts.

As a veteran of multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games, McKenzie’s transition to representing Jamaica after his illustrious career with Great Britain marks a significant chapter in his athletic journey and we hope to continue to see great things from him in the future.

Let’s get into the details of what took place.

1. Event Summaries

Judo Men's 60kg Round of 32: Ashley McKenzie defeated Yemen's Hesham Makabr 10-0 in the preliminary round at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris to guarantee a ticket in the Men's 60kg Round of 16.
Judo Men's 60kg Round of 16: Despite a strong start, McKenzie faced a tough challenge in the round of 16 against Turkey’s Salih Yildiz. The match proved to be fiercely competitive, with McKenzie ultimately falling short in a closely contested bout. With the match ending in just about 4 minutes, Yildiz managed to secure a crucial point after the three-minute mark, sealing McKenzie’s exit from the competition. Throughout the match, McKenzie battled fiercely, adjusting his strategy under pressure, yet Yildiz’s tactical prowess proved decisive. In an interview, McKenzie, who was given two penalties in the game, claimed that the setbacks made him play more aggressively, which helped Yildiz win. Sixteen seconds into the battle, McKenzie was penalized for grasp avoidance; three minutes in, he was penalized for non-combativity.

2. Athlete Highlights:

McKenzie, at 35 years old, became the first Jamaican athlete to compete at the Paris Olympics, debuting in the men’s extra-lightweight 60kg judo category. An historical moment for our island.

3. Medal Count:

Due to Mackenzie not moving on in the competition for today, our medal count remains at a zero.

4. Notable Moments:

In the first round of the games, McKenzie defeated Makabr by throwing an impressive tai otoshi move. I may not know much about Judo, but that move was spectacular.

5. Visuals

Here are some interesting moment caught by camera of Mckenzie on the mat.

Ashley Mackenzie - Judo- Day 1 at the Paris Olympics- 2024

6. Fan Reactions:

Of course, I had to look to social media to see what everyone was saying. Not so surprisingly, Jamaicans social media users are expressing gratitude to Mackenzie for representing us well. Here are a few comments that caught my attention on Instagram.

Shara1626: "👏🏾👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲 pot cover a knock fi u same way, cuz a history mek, dem better watch out fi we cuz a problem next Olympics."

Carlentherbroker: "Good try Ashley. You made it to the Olympics and made it to the 2nd round. Proud #teamjamaica"

Aquariushrr: "You did well 👏🏾 🇯🇲we still proud, cause mi neva know Jamaica have that sport ❤️❤️❤️"

Honi2sweet: "Well done sir! Thank you for repping team Jamaica 🇯🇲 you’ll get them next time"

Closing Note:

This is not how anyone wanted to start the Olympics, but nevertheless, we are extremely proud of Ashley Mackenzie and how he represented us. If the comments on social media are any indication, many Jamaicans had no idea about the sport or that we had international representation. Now it’s on the radar of everyone and no doubt the sport will be seeing an increase in support on the island.

Right now we are looking forward to the next upcoming events for Jamaica on August 2. What are you looking forward to most?

References & Sources For Jamaica At The Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1

McKenzie narrowly defeated in judo round of 16. (2024, July 27). Sports | Jamaica Gleaner. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20240727/mckenzie-narrowly-defeated-judo-round-16
Williams, M. (2024, July 27). Video: Jamaican judoka says penalties derailed his Olympic campaign. Loop News. https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/video-jamaican-judoka-says-penalties-derailed-his-olympic-campaign
Desk, S. (2024, July 27). Jamaican Judoka Ashley McKenzie through to men's 60kg round of 16. https://www.sportsmax.tv/athletics/athletics-international/item/149980-jamaican-judoka-ashley-mckenzie-through-to-men-s-60kg-round-of-16

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