Two-time World Championship triple jump silver medalist Shanieka Ricketts and swimmer Josh Kirlew will join a distinguished list of Jamaican Olympians as they wave the national flag at the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris on July 26.
The announcement was made on Friday during a media briefing at the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) headquarters.
Ricketts will be competing in her third Olympic Games, while swimmer Josh Kirlew, the men’s flagbearer for the opening ceremony, will be making his Olympic debut.
JOA Chief Executive Officer Ryan Foster emphasized that Ricketts not only embodies the values required by the Olympic movement but also received high praise from members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during President Thomas Bach’s visit to Jamaica in March last year.
Multiple Olympic and World Championships representative
“She epitomises what a true Olympian is. And I think with her accolades on the field, whether at a World Championships or the Olympic Games, she also represents what Olympic values are in terms of friendship, fairness and humility,” Foster said. “Her interaction when President Bach came last year, some of the feedback from the IOC personnel in terms of how she carried herself, represent the Olympic values to which we want a flagbearer to showcase.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a multiple Olympic and World Championships representative, was the women’s flagbearer during the Tokyo Games in 2021. Foster noted that Ricketts, similar to Fraser-Pryce, embodies the qualities of a true Olympian.
Shanieka Ricketts faces a strong field in the women’s triple jump as she seeks to earn Jamaica’s first Olympic medal in the event. She finished fourth at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and fourth at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
In addition to highlighting Ricketts’ achievements, the announcement also brings attention to the accomplishments of Jamaican aquatics. Kirlew’s role as flagbearer acknowledges the progress of Jamaican swimming, which has seen representation at the Olympic Games in various disciplines since 1996. Foster compared Kirlew’s opportunity to that of boxer Ricardo Brown, who carried the flag in Tokyo during his Olympic debut.
An opportunity to represent and to carry the flag
“We believe that small member associations should also be given an opportunity to represent and to carry the flag. And I think Mr Kirlew, this being his first Olympic Games like Ricardo Brown in 2021, gives us the perfect opportunity to showcase that Jamaica in aquatics has done very well,” Foster said. “Outside of Alia, this is the seventh or eighth straight Olympic Games that the aquatics association, whether via diving or by swimming, has qualified representatives for the Games.”
Kirlew, 24, born in England, qualified for the men’s 100m butterfly event through universality, a system designed to increase the diversity of participating nations. Sabrina Lyn will also compete in the women’s 50m freestyle through universality places, which are available in the qualification systems of select sports for nations with traditionally small delegations.
With the Paris Olympics approaching, the selection of Ricketts and Kirlew as flagbearers not only honors their individual accomplishments but also underscores Jamaica’s diverse and dynamic representation on the world stage.
