Nayoka Clunis
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Jamaican |
Born | (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 28) |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Hammer throw |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | Hammer: 71.83m (Tucson, 2024) |
Nayoka Clunis (born 7 October 1995) is a Jamaican hammer thrower. She is Jamaican national record holder and multiple-time national champion.[1]
Early life
Clunis moved to the United States to pursue academic qualification in conjunction with her sporting career. She attended the University of Minnesota before transferring to the University of Tennessee in 2020.[2]
Career
In 2023 she won her fourth Jamaican national championship title in the hammer throw.[3] That year, she set a lifetime best mark of 71.18 metres in Canada.[4] She became the first Jamaican to compete in the Hammer Throw competition at the World Athletics Championships (man or woman) at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.[5] At the event she was hampered by discomfort in her back and did not throw 60 metres.[6]
In May 2024, Clunis set a new national record with a 71.83m throw at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, Arizona breaking the previous national record of 71.48m set in 2016 by Daina Levy.[7][8] That month, she was announced as one of five athletes to benefit from sponsorship by the Jamaican Olympic Association.[9][10]
References
- ^ "Nayoka Clunis". World Athletics. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "TENNESSEE SIGNS JAMAICAN STANDOUT WAYNE PINNOCK, ADDS MORE TALENT WITH PAIR OF MINNESOTA TRANSFERS". Runnerspace. 3 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "History no matter what". Jamaica Gleaner. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Jamaica's Nayoka Clunis breaks national hammer throw record". Jamaica Observer. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Jamaican hammer thrower Nayoka Clunis highlights funding challenges in track and field". Caribbean National Weekly. December 13, 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Throws mystify Clunis". Jamaica Star. August 25, 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Jacks, Bradley (May 6, 2024). "Clunis sets new hammer throw national record at USATF Throws Festival". Sports Max. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Record-breaking Clunis says 'nothing changes' in Games qualification bid". Jamaica Observer. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "JOA launches Paris 2024 Olympic Games". Jamaica Observer. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "JOA invests J$6m in scholarships for aspiring Olympians ahead of Paris 2024". Caribbean National Weekly. May 20, 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.