Rojé Stona named Jamaica's 2024 Sportsman of the Year

KINGSTON – Arkansas alum Rojé Stona received a pair of awards in the recent RJR Gleaner Sports Foundation Awards as the Olympic discus gold medalist was named Jamaica’s Sportsman of the Year along with The People’s Choice Performance of the Year.

Stona set an Olympic discus record of 229-8 (70.00) in becoming the first Jamaican to win an Olympic field event and defeated the current discus world record holder in the process.  He was the lone gold medalist for Jamaica in the Paris Olympics.

Shanieka Ricketts received the Sportswoman of the Year honor. She became the first Jamaican woman to medal in the Olympic triple jump with a silver medal performance in Paris.

Finalists for the RJR Gleaner Sports Foundation awards included four additional Razorbacks with Carey McLeod and Wayne Pinnock among a group of eight for the Sportsman honor while Ackera Nugent and Nickisha Pryce were among five finalists for the Sportswoman accolade.

Nugent was also among six athletes nominated for Performance of the Year with her world-leading 12.24 victory in the Rome Diamond League meet. Nugent also broke the Jamaican national record twice in 2024, first with a 12.28 in the Jamaican Championships and then her 12.24 performance.

Pinnock finished as the silver medalist in the Olympic long jump while McLeod claimed bronze in the long jump at the World Indoor Championships. Pryce improved her Jamaican 400m record twice in winning the NCAA Championships (48.89) and London Diamond League (48.57) as she became the first Jamaican to produce sub-49 second times.

The Paris Olympics also included another pair of Razorback Jamaicans in field events with Jaydon Hibbert, who finished fourth in the triple jump at the age of 19, and Romaine Beckford, who reached the final of the high jump.

Previous Arkansas alums who were winners of the Jamaican Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards include Omar McLeod (2017) and Veronica Campbell-Brown (2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011).