American sprint queen vows never to compete in Jamaica following 'discrimination' from race organisers

American sprint queen vows never to compete in Jamaica following 'discrimination' from race organisers

Abigael Wafula 12:54 - 30.05.2024

The athlete has ranted and vowed to never compete in Jamaica after her name was removed from the start list of the Racers Grand Prix in 2023 and this year's edition of the event.

Former NACAC champion Alaysha Johnson has vowed to never step foot in Jamaica for a competition following the recent discrimination she faced after signing up for the Racer’s Grand Prix scheduled for Saturday, June 1.

Johnson was irked by the fact that she had expressed interest in competing at the event but once the start list was out, her name was not there and after her social media rant, the organisers decided to consider her.

She lamented that this was the second time she was being denied the opportunity to compete at the event, since last year, the same happened. She noted that she will only make an appearance to compete in Jamaica in case they are granted rights to host a World Championship or Olympics.

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“Some of you know Zendaya and her designer Law Roche and so, Law has said ‘a no now is a no forever’ and so, actually you won’t see me in Jamaica ever competing unless it’s a major championship or it’s an Olympic or World Championship or something of that sort," she said in an interview.

“Honestly a no now is a no forever like I deserve to be in the race, I deserved to be in the race last year and after my little temper tantrum I guess on Twitter, I actually was offered a spot in Jamaica and then I ended turning it down because at this point in my career, I fought for a lot of things over and over again and I deserve what I deserve and it is what it is."

The American hurdler noted that, however, she will still be going to Jamaica for vacations and she still loves her fans from the Island.

She also urged other athletes to make it a norm to speak up whenever their rights are violated or when they feel discriminated.

“Keep the people that you have and I’ll go to Jamaica for a vacation and I’ll turn up so don’t even worry about me still had a man rubbing me with the sunblock," she added.

“I’m going to be there regardless but I think it’s important to stand your ground and it’s also important to speak up for yourself.

“I think it was important for me to say something on Twitter to let the fans know that I actually wanted to run in the race and I actually said it before the start list came out because I was hoping that I would be squeezed in there but once the start list was out I wasn’t there. No hard feelings though, I still love my Jamaican fans."

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