Career
Blackwood has been part of many successful 4x400 relay teams. He won the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. The USA 4x400m team, which originally finished first was disqualfied in 2008 due to Antonio Pettigrew confession of using human growth hormone and EPO between 1997 and 2003.The Jamaica 4x400m team upgraded to silver medal. 2001 World Indoor Championships and the 2003 World Championships. The team did even better in the 2003 World Indoor Championships, finishing second and winning a silver medal.
2002 World Cup Gold medalist, Number one world ranked, Commonwealth Games champion in the men’s 400 metres, Michael Blackwood and 100 metres hurdler, Brigitte Foster, ranked number 2, were crowned sports king and queen respectively at the Annual Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Award Ceremony in Jamaica.
Blackwood, the latest product of the island’s one lap machinery, dating back to the legendary Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley at the 1948 London Olympics, enjoyed a really special year in 2002 on which the awards are based.
Apart from victories in the IAAF World Cup in Madrid (44.60/PR), the Grand Prix Final in Paris (44.72) and Commonwealth Games in Manchester (45.07), he crossed the line first at the Golden League Meetings in Rome (Golden Gala - 44.99) and Berlin (ISTAF - 44.87). His first National Championships win (44.64) in June saw him representing his country in a flat race for the first time having secured relay medals in Sydney (Olympics 2000) and Edmonton (IAAF World Championships 2001).
Jamaica's Michael Blackwood (centre), Canada's Shane Niemi (left) and Avard Moncur from the Bahamas pose for photographs with their gold, silver and bronze medals respectively after the Men's 400m Final at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Blackwood won gold with a time of 45.07 seconds. - Reuters
MANCHESTER, England:
CLASTON BERNARD and Michael Blackwood were the toast of the Jamaican contingent at the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester last night.
The two highlighted a memorable medal-winning day for the island with gold medals in the gruelling decathlon and men's 400 respectively. Debbie-Ann Parris had earlier won silver in the women's 400m hurdles final and defending champion Sandie Richards collected a bronze medal in the women's 400m final.
Yesterday's four-medal haul brought Jamaica's tally at the Games to five two gold, two silver and one bronze and sixth overall in the standings.
Pride of place on a hot day in Manchester went to Bernard, who won the first-ever medal for Jamaica in the decathlon at a major Games. He dominated the event from start to finish to total 7,830 points. He was 145 clear of silver medallist, Australian Matt Ewen and 200 better than Scotland's Jamie Quarry.
Bernard, who won the NCAA title for Louisiana State University (LSU) earlier this year, said he had silenced a lot of critics with his golden performance.
"I have shown them that I could come here and compete at the world level. Even though the field is not as strong as the NCAA it is still a tough field. It is my first time being in a big competition like this in Europe and that made it all the more difficult, but I am proud to be the first Jamaican to start a trend in the decathlon," said Bernard, who holds the national record at 8,094 points.
Blackwood had to dig deep to win his first really big individual medal following relay silver medals at World Championship and Goodwill Games levels.
"I feel happy to be at the top of the game right now," the Vere Technical past student said.
"My main focus from the start was to conserve in each round and to finish strongly in the final and I executed well." Blackwood said the outside lane he got after a low placing in the semi-finals suited his style.
"I am an outside runner. I do not watch anybody else in the field I just focus on myself."
The race was exciting in the closing stages and it took a four-way photo to separate Blackwood, who won in 45.07, silver medallist Shane Niemi of Canada 45.09 and Bahamian World Champion Avard Moncur bronze medal winner in 45.12. England's Daniel Caines was fourth in 45.13.
Guyana's Aliann Pompey pulled off a major upset in the women's 400m final which also needed the photo-finish camera to separate the top four.
Pompey burst out of a packed field to hit the front close home but had to fight hard to repel Scotland's Lee McConnell and Jamaica's Richards, who pipped her teammate Allison Beckford for the bronze. Pompey, who credited divine guidance for the gold, won in 51.63, McConnell silver in 51.68 and Richards, 51.79.
The women's 400m hurdles lost some of its lustre when 1996 Olympic champion Deon Hemmings made a late withdrawal after being cut on the foot by a hurdle in the warm-up area.
There was only one winner from the start as Australia's 2000 World Junior champion Jana Pittman powered to 54.40 ahead of Jamaica's Parris, 55.24, and Canada's Jamaica-born Karlene Haughton 56.13. Melaine Walker, who was slightly impeded when Britain's Natasha Dancers fell at the final hurdle, ended up fourth in 57.10.
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