 So this is the first edition of the Sportsmax zone for 2024. Now as you all know on the zone show we are committed to giving you the best of the best spanning all of sports and we were thrilled to be part of your sporting life throughout and enthralling 2023. Now since last year was filled with a number of gripping and exciting moments for all of us. The producers have tasked myself and my co-host today, Layton Libby, with the awesome responsibility of giving our top three sporting stories for 2023 and to then look ahead to our top three stories that we are anticipating for the upcoming 2024 season. Well, Layton, let's take your top three moments first from last year. Well, my top three moments are kind of collectives because it's not just one specific event and I'll start with because look, there are a lot of coaches by saying there are a lot of incredible Caribbean-related performances last in 2023 and it was very difficult for me to come up with three but one of the things that I learned early in my career as a journalist is that anything that sticks in your head first when you think about things are usually the things that are the ones that make the most impact on you. So these are my three top picks for 2023 and of course it starts at the world championships in August where Daniel Williams, who nobody expected to win the gold medal in the sprint hurdles given that she literally had to dive across the line at the national championships in Jamaica to get onto the plane but then to get there and take on the world's best the world record holder in the hundred meter hurdles, the world record holder, the 100 meter Olympic champion and the world champion and beat everyone. That for me. Out of lane one. Out of lane one as well and of course so that was the first one of that of my first pick and of course Antonio Watson because everybody knows and we said it on the show, Ricardo and I had a discussion about the fact that Stephen Gardner unless somebody shot him was going to win the gold medal in the 400 meters he gets injured for the second concept made of championships which then opened the field up and to see Antonio Watson come through and become the first Jamaican to win a world championship gold medal since the very first iteration of the event in 1983 when Bert Cameron won was remarkable for me given the progress that we've seen him make through high school coming into the senior ranks which is pretty much his first year as a senior athlete for him to do that and of course he caps it off with Sherika Jackson's 200 meter 2141 which is the second fastest time of all time. So that's the world championship that's my first event. The second thing for me was in the context of the fact that Jamaica's woman largely for me in this country unappreciated for what they've accomplished in football having qualified for the World Cup in 2019 and of course didn't do so well at the World Cup but then qualified again and then to do something that no team in the Caribbean has ever done male or female advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup which makes them one of the best teams in the world in fact I think overall there are around 13th in the world coming out of the World Cup based on their performances that for me was an occasion that would live with me for a very long time because not only do they hold France who was favored to destroy Jamaica to a goalless draw but they also held Brazil to a goalless draw as well and of course beating Panama to advance to the second round. The fact that they managed to navigate that very difficult zone to get out of their zone and get in to the quarterfinals round that was remarkable. My third event for the top my top three the top three for me is another collective and it goes to Julian Alfred of Saint Lucia who during the course of her season last year at NCAA indoors 6-9 to 4 the second fastest time ever behind Arena Pueblo as 6-92 and then 22-01 over 200 early only Merlin Otte is fastest it's a new NCAA record of course the second fastest time in history and then going outdoors to destroy and dominate every competitor everything that was thrown at her at NCAA is outdoors and to cap the season off with an unprecedented Bowman Award never before has a Saint Lucia athlete and become the first Caribbean woman to win a Bowman at NCAA levels since the awards were announced in 2009 for me that was one of the more memorable most memorable moments for me in 2003 fantastic performances from all of those involved. Yeah she was actually the first non-american ever to win the women's award at the Bowman so that was that was fantastic and great to see Saint Lucia having an athlete on the global stage coming so so soon after the retirement of Leveron Spencer who had won you know multiple accolades as an international high jumper. Absolutely and she's surpassed she's in fact in my mind notwithstanding how great Leveron Spencer was for Saint Lucia I think Julian Alfred has already surpassed her in many respects you know silver at the Conworth Games in 2022 you know she's made to fourth place at the world championships in the in the 200 and fifth in the 100 which two of the fastest races ever assembled when you cancel the times that were run in those events and she's right now on the cusp of joining the elite of the elite in world sprinting so you know fantastic year for her as well as the others who I mentioned of course can Danny Williams go back and win her first Olympic gold medal we'll see this year but we'll talk about that later on. Yeah well we can transition quickly into your looking ahead to 2024 before I go through my 23 and my expectations for 24 as well because as you said at the top of the show Layton 2024 is going to be a very big year and so many major events coming up that we are anxiously awaiting including the Olympics of course in Paris. Absolutely and one of my first in expectation well I'm looking forward to most of course starts in March in the world indoor championships again going back to Julian Alfred because 694 while a student while studying while doing all of the different things required of her academically now that she's a pro athlete coming off a season like she has 694 is arena privalova's world record on the threat at the world indoor championships she had mentioned it on this on the on the zone when she did interview with you guys last year that she's going to run indoors so can she bear that world record that's one of the things that I'm looking forward to most for 2024 I'm hoping Julian Alfred will be able to do it because I think she has the potential she's shown it three first woman under seven seconds at the NCAA she's done it three times last year and now she's pro let's see what every four I can get her to do in 2024 of course my second thing would be the the the Copa America comes up and it's not just for Jamaica as well it's what I want to see what the conquer calf teams can do at Copa because in my mind with the exception of perhaps Argentina I think conquer calf has closed the gap a little bit on the teams in in comfortable yes so I think this is an opportunity for conquer cap to prove themselves and that's one of the things that I'm looking can keenly looking forward to at the Copa America this this summer in July I think it was and then the other thing that I'm looking forward to is the nation's league um Jamaica has advanced to the quarterfinals to the semifinals sorry and they'll play a united states team that right now looks a little bit vulnerable but Jamaica itself while I think Jamaica has the tools to to do damage their midfields remains a concern so I'm wondering whether or not coach Hargrimson will find a way to fix that Jamaica midfield and allow this team to be as good at it as it possibly can be given the quality that surrounds this team especially on the front line with the Mara Gray and of course Leon Bailey who is having a peak of a season in the English Premier League and a solid defense solid enough defense one of the things that we saw in the last run was that they used Damian Lowe as a defensive midfielder that's one of the things that I'm curious to see about when they go into the nation's league whether or not they'll use him again similar to how they use him against Canada but yielded exceptional results Jamaica waiting for the first time in Canada at that level in forever you know so you know that's something that I'm keen on seeing as well for the the nation's league and of course the Olympics I cannot go without mentioning the Olympic Games this is going to be massive in many respects for the Caribbean it's going to be a final hurrah for a number of Caribbean athletes no less than Shelley and Fraser Price for last Olympic Games and probably what will be her most difficult Olympic Games given the fact that previously there have been a big three in women's track and field largely you know Eileen Thompson, Hiroshirika Jackson and of course Shelley and Fraser Price herself. Shakari Richardson has no enter that equation in a big way having won the world championships in 1065 can Shelley and Fraser Price win in Paris for her third Olympic gold medal can she will she be on the podium given the quality of the talent that surrounds her because not only are we looking at the the big three of course in Shakari, Kodaks and Eileen Thompson here they come back to form but there's Dina Asher Smith and Mary Jose Talu who based on what we saw last year is getting even better as she ages like fine wine like Shelley and Fraser Price she runs faster every she's running faster every year so that's a big big big thing for me to look out for in 2024 along with Hans' apartment can he defend an Olympic title we saw him come last year 1293 and beat the reigning world champion um Halloween what was the Damali Final of course 1293 looking coming from behind coming from behind yes i'm looking really good or can Rashid brother find redemption from the world championships where he fell where he was for me one of the favorites and come through and win his first Olympic title and there are many many many stories in the Olympics that we look forward to with us for that discussion we'll take place in the course of the year but for me those are the things that i'm looking forward to in 2024 yeah um a lot of mind my listing would overlap as well let's have a quick look at my 2023 outstanding moments and it's going to be topped by Shelley and Fraser Price being announced the laureth award winner for on the women's side for the second year in a row at jamaican sprinter gets it because it ain't on the hero i've been the winner in 2022 um the triple gold performances at the Budapest world championship finishing up second for me there but i want to emphasize that a Shelley and Fraser Price laureth award honor in 2023 15 years after she won her first major Olympic or global title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics speaks to her longevity and uh we're talking about more than a decade of consistent world beating performances at the global level and i'm saying that for Shelley and in her mid-thirties to win this award following many years when she could have been a contender but she'd be nominated six times six times is is nothing short of phenomenal and um that that moment for me was the the biggest moment in 2023 because we know the list of laureth award winners serena william simon bios um you know it's it's it's a proliferation of phenomenal world stars and she shared the stage with none other than Leonel Messi who was a men's laureth award winner for 2023 for performances of course in 2022 so Ricardo and i had been discussing it and um she was awarded in 23 because of what she did in 22 so these this award wasn't a 22 a 2023 performance award she was being awarded for what she did in 22 but i it just stands out to me that we know the global phenomenon that Leonel Messi is and for Shelley and Fraser Price to share the same stage with him for a 2023 laureth award is is for me the biggest moment for a caravan athlete in in 2023 and to your point lands i mean because when you consider as i mentioned before she had been nominated six times for the laureth which means that she's always been in that conversation that's the point i'm making it's not it's it's not a career that has i want to say it's not a career that has that has that is peaking now she peaked from 2008 yeah she just kept this level up apart from a couple of years when she had injuries and wasn't able to do her best this is a a phenomenal athlete yeah but i like i keep asking people who who argue otherwise who how many athletes male or female have been as dominant as she has been throughout her entire career that's right you the only times when she was not a contender or a medalist was when she was out with friends she was pregnant yes you know and of course when you look what happened in 2016 with a sesame dietist with her toe where anybody else i would i would i would say this unchallenged i don't care who comes with our argument when you run with that kind of injury and still managed to get a medal on a podium in a very stacked field with taloo and of course alien thompson he eventually won and the late tor bowie you know it was a quality field and to able to be a contender and still end up on the podium with that injury that speaks for the quality that she's been able to deliver for 15 years at the very top yeah and of course my my other two would would would straddle yours as well with the buddhapesh the success of the triple gold for uh jackson daniel williams and uh antonia watson as well and i agree that the jamaica reggae girls performance at the um world cup in australia new zealand historic and and makes the great as well for me my looking ahead to 2024 is a little different from yours there are some similarities because there is nothing bigger in 2024 than the paris olympics will be but i'm closely watching as well the hope of a western this cricket revival because there was the disappointment of not qualifying for the 50 over world cup the carbian side is hosting the t20 world cup this year in the carbian and there are signs that a potent t20 team is being built so i'll be closely watching their development zane maloney the 20 year old barbarian formula two driver is is making waves because latin when june comes up this year it will make 40 years that i'm in this thing in this business and um i can't recall at any stage any motor racing driver in the carbian anywhere close to getting a formula one contract and zane maloney after dominating formula three in 2019 well he won formula four in 2019 um breeze through formula three got a formula two contract last year with a rodin carlin group uh he had four podium finishes last year including a fastest lap performance at the red bull ring in austria and um i just think that this is a story that the carbian should be really really proud of i'm not the biggest motor racing fan as you know but i respect the work that has to go into a driver getting to the level that zane maloney has has gotten to and uh in 2024 i'll be watching him very very closely because he just recently signed resign for the rodin carlin group for the formula two season in 2024 and we're looking for great things from him of course there are other motor racing stars from the carbian making waves um mcconnell from jamaica with the rally driving and sarah missir who is also um creating history as a as a woman in in the sport so and alex paul the young go-kart driver as well so and the summer bell kids as well yeah yeah so there there is a rise in motor racing proficiency coming out of the carbian and uh that is being led by maloney absolutely and i completely agree with you because one of the things that when you look at maloney's career you know you kind of think louis hamilton i mean i mean louis hamilton's family is from granada so but he had the opportunity of being in the uk where the opportunities were a lot more readily available that's right access was was there but for what maloney has been doing it's nothing short of remarkable and i agree with you entirely i think it's clearly someone that you have to look out for in 2024 and beyond because i think there's so much potential there i've watched him drive and sometimes when you watch you you tend to think from a carbian perspective you're not used to seeing the carbian drivers do this at this level consistently and when you watch him drive you completely forget that he's from barbados you're you're thinking uh you know european germany or england or italy or somewhere but he drives like somebody who belongs in the on the circuit so it's somebody clearly his dna his his dad and uncles and so on our big motor racing men in barbados as well especially on the dover the carbian motor racing circuit for many years yeah so um he's cut from the right cloth we'd watch and see his progress along with so many other carbian stars getting ready to unleash their quality on the global space in sport in 2024 we go to break back with more on the sportsmax on the first show for 2024 after this