'Everyone is a diva!' -  Michael Frater on what ails mordern Jamaican male sprinters

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'Everyone is a diva!' - Michael Frater on what ails mordern Jamaican male sprinters

Mark Kinyanjui 16:40 - 20.01.2025

Michael Frater has revealed what ails modern Jamaican sprint athletes, having not won gold medal at a major athletics championship since Usain Bolt's heroics at the 2016 Olympic games.

Jamaican sprint icon Michael Frater has opened up about the issues plaguing modern male sprinters in Jamaica, attributing their underwhelming performances to a lack of discipline and inflated egos.

 The 2005 World Championships silver medalist and Olympic relay gold medalist didn’t hold back as he assessed the reasons behind the country's decline in male sprint dominance.

Jamaica endured a seven-year medal drought at major championships in men’s sprinting, a streak that began in 2017 after Usain Bolt’s bronze medal finish in the 100m final at the World Championships, a race won by Justin Gatlin. 

The dry spell was finally broken in 2024 when Ackeem Blake and Kishane Thompson secured bronze and silver at the World Indoor Championships (60m) and the 100m final of the Paris Olympics, respectively.

Another star athlete Oblique Seville has yet to deliver medals at any major athletic event, finishing fourth at the 2020 Olympics, as well as the world championships in 2022 and 2023.

He did make the final of the Paris Olympic games, but finished dead last in eighth.

Frater: Everyone is a diva

Speaking on The Powells, a YouTube channel run by fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell back in 2023, Frater criticized the mentality of modern Jamaican  athletes.

“We went through that era without egos. Everybody nowadays is a diva. Most of them have not done anything, and they think they are superstars,” Frater remarked.

The sprinter, who is also the third vice-president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), emphasized that modern athletes need a reality check.

“These athletes need to take a backseat and realize that they really have not done anything to be the way they are. What we did set a platform where they expect Jamaicans to be a certain way, but these guys need to be disciplined and actually do something.”

A call for financial discipline among athletes

Frater also highlighted the importance of financial literacy for athletes, reflecting on his own experiences as a young sprinter.

“I’m going to tell you the truth. If you shouldn’t be doing something, I’ll tell you, ‘don’t do that,’” Frater stated.

He recounted his love for luxury cars, a passion shared with Asafa Powell, and how he often overspent on vehicles he didn’t need due to poor advice from others.

“Asafa likes cars, we both do, and sometimes we would overindulge in those activities. But you will have other people telling you, ‘just buy them.’ You need to take control of yourself and not listen to everybody. Not all advice is good advice.”

Frater’s comments offer a sobering reflection on the mindset and preparation required to succeed at the highest levels of sprinting. His critique serves as a reminder of the discipline and humility that fueled Jamaica’s golden era in track and field.

With young talents like Blake and Thompson showing promise, there’s hope that a renewed focus on discipline, humility, and financial wisdom can help restore Jamaica’s male sprinting prowess on the global stage. For now, Frater’s words stand as both a warning and a challenge to the next generation of athletes.

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