Tokyo Olympics 2020: PM Holness lauds Danuisa Francis for her efforts

Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness praised Danuisa Francis, a gymnast who represented in Tokyo Olympics for Jamaica this year.

2024-07-07 15:27:51

Jamaica: Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness praised Danuisa Francis, a gymnast who represented in Tokyo Olympics for Jamaica this year. Prime Minister said, " Danuisa Francis is a true champion and the embodiment of our Jamaican spirit." "Despite her setback with an ACL injury, Danuisa represented Jamaica well at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and we are extremely proud of her and her achievements." Prime Minister Holness added.

https://twitter.com/AndrewHolnessJM/status/1419505033109024768?s=20

Notably, In the run-up to the Olympics, however, she injured her knee. Undeterred, she arrived and took part in podium training late last week before revealing that her left knee was significantly wounded, possibly a torn ACL. There was no way she could perform as she hoped. “Unfortunately, I do have a knee injury,” Francis wrote on her social media. In addition, rather than just quit, Francis showed up for qualifying here Sunday and determined that, if nothing else, she was going to compete in these Olympics. After the event, Danuisa Francis said, "Despite the setback, I am only too proud to represent Jamaica." With her left knee heavily wrapped, she took to the uneven bars, where she performed two simple toe-ons before softly dismounting onto her right leg. Francies noted that participating in Olympics was her childhood dream; an English-born gymnast had been a reserve for Great Britain in the 2012 Games in London but never got the chance to compete. She then attended UCLA, where in 2016, she was a co-national champion on balance beam. The Olympics still hung out there, though, as the ultimate goal. When the opportunity presented itself to compete for Jamaica, where she has family ties, she took it here at the 2020 Tokyo Games. At age 27, she qualified to be here, only the second Jamaican female to ever reach the Games. Including Jamaicans whole world lauded her for such kind of courage and determination.

Monika Walker

Monika Walker is a senior journalist specializing in regional and international politics, offering in-depth analysis on governance, diplomacy, and key global developments. With a degree in International Journalism, she is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through factual reporting. She also covers world news across every genre, providing readers with balanced and timely insights that connect the Caribbean to global conversations.