Juliet Cuthbert

Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn (born 9 April 1964) is a Jamaican politician and retired track and field sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres. As an athlete, Cuthbert-Flynn competed at four Olympic Games, winning two silver medals at the 1992 games held in Barcelona.

The Honourable
Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn
OD MP
Member of Parliament for St Andrew West Rural
Assumed office
25 February 2016 (2016-02-25)
Prime MinisterAndrew Holness
Preceded byPaul Buchanan
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness
Assumed office
14 September 2020 (2020-09-14)
Prime MinisterAndrew Holness
MinisterChristopher Tufton
Personal details
Born
Juliet Cuthbert

(1964-04-09) 9 April 1964
Saint Thomas, Jamaica
Political partyJamaica Labour Party
Alma materUniversity of Texas at Austin, Olney High School, Morant Bay High School
Sports career
CountryJamaica
SportTrack and field
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Jamaica
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m relay
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1991 Tokyo4x100 meter relay
Silver medal – second place1995 Gothenburg4x100 m relay
Silver medal – second place1997 Athens4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place1983 Helsinki4x100 m relay
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 1997 Paris 200 m

As a politician, she has been the Jamaica Labour Party's Candidate and Member of Parliament for the St. Andrew West Rural constituency, defeating the People's National Party candidate Hugh Buchanan in Jamaica's General Elections held February 25, 2016. She went on to defeat the People's National Party Krystal Tomlinson to win a second term as Member of Parliament for the St. Andrew West Rural constituency, in the September 3, 2020 General Election. She was appointed State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness following her reelection, when Prime Minister Andrew Holness selected his new slate of Cabinet Ministers.

Education

Cuthbert attended Morant Bay High School and later Olney High School in Philadelphia and the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.

While at Texas, she won the Broderick Award, (later referred to as the Honda-Broderick Award and now the Honda Sports Award) as the nation's best female collegiate track and field competitor in 1986.[1][2]

Career

Athletics

Cuthbert competed for her native country of Jamaica in the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain, in both the 100 meter sprint and the 200 meter sprint, winning the silver medals in both competitions. After running a good second leg in the 4 x 100 meter sprint relay final, Cuthbert injured a muscle in her leg before she competed in the second chance and dropped out of the race. This was a disappointing finish to the Summer Olympic Games for her and the other women of the Jamaican relay team. In 1992, Cuthbert was voted as the Jamaican "Sportswoman of the Year".

Four years later at the Atlanta Olympic Games of 1996, Cuthbert helped the Jamaican 4 x 100 meter sprint relay team along with Michelle Freeman, Nikole Mitchell, and Merlene Ottey finish in third place and win the bronze medal.

With the Jamaican sprint relay team, Cuthbert also won a gold medal (1991) and two silver medals (1995, 1997) at World Championships in Athletics (actually, track and field) .

Politics

In 2014 Cuthbert-Flynn entered politics when the Jamaica Labour Party introduced Cuthbert-Flynn to the media at the Jamaica Labour Party's 71st anniversary celebration press conference and re-launch of the party’s website at its Belmont Road Headquarters in St. Andrew. It was later announced that she would become the party's standard-bearer in the St. Andrew West Rural constituency. She was appointed by then Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, as Junior Opposition Spokesperson for Health and Healthy Living.

In the February 25, 2016 General Election, she went on to defeat the People's National Party's incumbent Paul Buchanan, becoming the first Olympian elected to Jamaica's Parliament. Throughout her time as a legislator, she has pushed for the legalisation of abortion in Jamaica[3] and has been a strong advocate for the women in the population. She was re-elected for a second term, to continue representing the St. Andrew West Rural constituency in the September 3, 2020 General Elections. Cuthbert-Flynn defeated the People's National Party Krystal Tomlinson, widening her victory margin from her 2016 election win. Cuthbert-Flynn was appointed State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness on September 12, 2020,[4] to serve alongside Dr Christopher Tufton who is the portfolio Minister. As State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Cuthbert-Flynn is primarily responsible for Maternal Health, HIV Prevention and the reduction of Drug Abuse.[5]

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Jamaica
1978 CARIFTA Games (U-17) Nassau, Bahamas 3rd 100 m 12.38   (-0.1 m/s)
1980 Hamilton, Bermuda 1st 12.0
2nd 200 m 25.58
Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-17) Nassau, Bahamas 100 m 12.0
4th 200 m 25.3

References
  1. "Longhorn Legends: Juliet Cuthbert". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. "Track & Field". CWSA. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. "Cuthbert-Flynn reignites debate on the taboo subject of abortion". Loop. Jamaica. Jamaica News. 8 June 2018.
  4. "Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn". Jamaica Information Service. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  5. "Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn". Ministry of Health and Wellness. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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