Stona Mines Gold & Sets Olympic Record!

Jamaica’s Roje Stona stunned the athletics world on Wednesday, producing an Olympic record to win Gold in the Men’s Discus Throw in Paris.

Stona landed the disc at 70 metres, bettering the previous mark of 69.97 metres set minutes earlier by Gold medal favourite, Mykolas Alenka of Lithuania.

Stona’s heroics could not have come at a better time for a Jamaican contingent in Paris that had seriously under performed so far in the so-called city of love.

His record-breaking performance came minutes after the country was plunged into depression after Gold medal prospect, Nickisha Pryce, failed to even advance to the final of the women’s 400 metres.

George Davis has the story of how the Jamaican mood towards these Olympic Games in Paris, went from sour to sweet, in the time it took Roje Stona to throw a 4.4 pound disc shaped piece of metal over a distance of 70 metres.

Every oddsmaker worth their salt had the Lithuanian hulk, Mykolas Alenka, as the howling favourite to win Gold in the men’s Discus at the Paris Olympics.

The 21-year-old Alenka had set a new world record in April this year, landing the disc at 74.35 metres at a meet in the US state of Oklahoma.

Discus excellence runs in the Alenka family blood.

Mykolas’ father, Virgilijus, set the Olympic record at 69.89 metres on his way to Gold at the Athens Olympics in Greece in 2004.

The younger Alenka fortified his status as Gold medal favourite in Paris when he broke his dad’s Olympic record, landing the disc at 69.97 metres with his second throw on this Wednesday.

But even as the Alenkas and their scriptwriters planned to revel in how the son followed the father in breaking the resistance of his rivals in record fashion at the Olympics, a 25-year old Jamaican was to prove the fly in the ointment.

Roje Stona stands 6.7 inches tall.

His nickname, ‘Taller-dan-dem’.

And on his fourth attempt in Paris, at his first Olympic Games, the St. Jago old boy, who was born in Montego Bay, St. James, uncorked a stunning 70 metres throw to take the lead in the Discus final.

His throw ripped the heart out of Alenka and his other rivals, including his two Jamaican countrymen, Traves Smike and Ralford Mullings.

Alenka couldn’t respond.

Two subsequent throws from him went close.

But he couldn’t turn the tide.

He couldn’t deny Jamaica its first ever medal in the Discus at the Olympics.

He couldn’t emulate his Daddy and stand as Olympic Champion.

He couldn’t stop Roje Stona from claiming Gold.

Stona is coached by three time Olympic Shot Put Champion, Ryan Crouser, who has been talking up the Jamaican’s potential all season long.

Not that many people were listening, given the stacked field that was assembled for the Discus at these Olympic Games.

Stona not only beat the world record holder Alenka in this competition.

He also humbled defending Olympic champion Daniel Stahl of Sweden, 2022 World Champion Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia and the man picked by many as the most likely upsetter before the competition, Matthew Denny of Australia.

Stona’s history making feat, one day after our 62nd anniversary of independence, pushed Jamaica up to 28 on the medal table with five; one Gold, 3-Silver and 1-Bronze.

His performance has certainly lifted the gloom off what had been up to that point—an underwhelming display from the fastest nation on earth.