So, I’m taking the time out of my packed schedule, meant for celebrating Jamaica College’s (JC) first Boys’ Champs win in a decade, to wade into the heated debate sweeping local spheres of Twitter well into Sunday (May 16).

The Jamaican Twitter timeline remains a fervet (Latin for ‘burning’ or ‘hot’, i.e. not a typo, grammar Nazis) space since Saturday, as even after JC cemented a domineering win.

The conversation shifted to the choice of celebration used by Petersfield athlete Antonio Watson, who won gold in the Class One 200m finals on Saturday.

See video snippet of Watson’s celebration here.

Coming from behind to best Edwin Allen High’s Bryan Levell and Adrian Kerr from Kingston College to claim the undisputed title of 2021 champion, Watson mimicked a ‘gun salute’ leading up to the finish line.

Well, to be objective, Watson was ‘bussing blanks’ and even after the athlete ‘dun’ Bryan, his opponent, he began ‘reloading’ his imaginary pistol.

What should have ended as an afterthought took on new life on Twitter, as some users, incensed by the gesture, began tagging the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in tweets, denouncing the salute.

Others went as far as to argue that Watson be disqualified, stripped of his medal and place in history—by which time the debate morphed into an all-out war of words.

“This doesn’t sit well with me. It cannot be that at the heights of celebrating a win this young man draws for what’s clearly a gun salute. It’s neither funny nor acceptable and we must send a clear message. Impressionable children watch champs, this ok?” asked @aniekaangus.

Okay, so this is where I pull the brakes.

Was it appropriate? Depending on who you ask, you will get a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Since this is my article, and many of you just want me to get to the point, I’d also say no.

I’ll also admit, however, that while I saw it as inappropriate, I was fine with it up to where he began reloading, that was taking it just a tad too far.

Lest we forget, folks, this is a sport. With teenagers. Yes, they represent schools, sponsors and all that good stuff but at the end of the day, they are children.

Imagine, spending two years to train (yes two, because Champs was cancelled last year), then compete against the island’s best and at the height of celebration you are stripped of your hard work? Is this how we reward our students?

Again, it was not appropriate, but I look at the fact that the ‘gun’ in question was his fingers. Neither Bryan nor Kerr were hurt by Watson’s gesture.

In fact, right after the race, these student-athletes abandoned social distancing protocols to hug each other for their efforts. Talk about sportsmanship!!

We should not diminish the Petersfield student’s shining moment, by using an overzealous mistake to disqualify and villainise him.

I’m also very pleased that the majority of Jamaica’s Twitter users stood and defended Waston. Not only for the harmless gesture, but for him to keep his medal.

More reactions:

Yes, we live in a violent society and we see that violence in real life and on TV all the time. A ghastly reminder was on our television and phone screens just since week. The Trafalgar Road shootout will be a moot point for discussion for years to come, and so it should be.

We can say the gesture was overly exuberant AND acknowledge that the conditions in which Watson and other young Jamaicans are being raised aren’t “normal”. Jamaica hasn’t been “normal” at any point in its history, so expecting “normal” behaviour and wanting to heavily penalise dysfunctional behaviour just seems way off to me.

Still not condoning, but the ‘gun salute’ is not a novel occurrence at Boys’ and Girls’ Champs either. As recently as 2010, a certain Kingston College athlete (because naming him is beside the point) mimicked a gun and fired into the crowd—which caused a great furore for Champs, then staging its 100th sporting extravaganza. The same athlete repeated the gesture weeks later at the CARIFTA Games, again there was outrage.

Where was the torch-carrying mob for that KC sprinter? I’m starting to smell some classism wafting through the air…

I hope, if you’ve made it this far, we can come to the agreement that instead of punishing him, we as adults should call him aside and say ‘Hey Antonio, we can’t tell you how to celebrate, but we’re sure can do it without a nod to violence’, and move on.

It was an err in judgement, but let’s not use Watson’s mistake to scar his life.

It doesn’t take away from his promise as a future sporting ambassador.
Especially as a student not from the ‘Kingston elite’ of high schools, he should be given every opportunity to grow and be approached by companies.

That would be the greater sin.