By ELTON TUCKER, Assistant Sports EditorThe following is the fourth in a series on Jamaica's performances at the Olympic Games. Earlier articles focussed on the island's showing at the games of 1948, 1952 and 1956.
GEORGE KERR, IN his second Olympic Games, was the star individual performer for Jamaica at the 1960 Games in Rome, Italy.
Kerr, who equalled the then 800 metres Olympic record of one minute 47.1 seconds, went on to take bronze in the final. He had a rough passage and with a clear run could have challenged for the gold won by Peter Snell of New Zealand in an Olympic record 1.46.3.
Kerr's bronze was Jamaica's third medal in the 800m in four games following the two silver medals won by Arthur Wint in 1948 and 1952.
Jamaica, in fact, went to the 1960 Games as part of the short-lived British West Indies Federation team and Kerr shared in a second bronze medal when the combined team placed third in the 4x400 metres.
That relay quartet included three Jamaicans Mal Spence, Keith Gardner, Kerr and Barbadian Jim Wedderburn. Another Jamaican, Mal's twin brother Mel, was the reserve for the 4x400m.
First Olympic win
Wedderburn's bronze was the first Olympic medal won by Barbados. It took a world record 3.02.2 by the United States and a 3.02.7 by Germany to beat the British West Indies team, which clocked 3.04.0. Both the gold and silver medalists went under Jamaica's world record time of 3.03.9 set in 1952 by the famous quartet of Arthur Wint, Les Laing, Herb McKenley and George Rhoden.
Gardner,, who went into the 1960 games as the 1958 Commonwealth Games 100 yards and 120 yards hurdles champion, had a unique first. He remains the only Jamaican to reach the 110m hurdles final at the Olympics, placing fifth in the final in 14.4 seconds. Americans swept all three medals with the gold going to Lee Calhoun in 13.8.
Top sprinter
The top Jamaican sprinter of the period was Denis Johnson, the man who is now in charge of sports at the University of Technology. Johnson, an outstanding local coach who has been to several overseas meets as national head coach, reached the semi-finals of the 200 metres but was eliminated in the second round of the 100 metres. He had a best time of 21.0 over 200m at the Games while in the 100m he had identical times of 10.4 in both rounds.
Like Melbourne in 1956, no woman made the team. Long jumper Paul Foreman, the sixth Jamaican member of the British West Indies team, was 12th overall in the long jump with a best leap of 7.42m or 24ft 4ins.
