Shelly-Ann Fraser led an unprecedented Jamaican sweep of the medals in the Women's 100 m. Female sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown carried Jamaica's flag at the ceremonies.

[2] The colony joined Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados in 1958 to form the West Indies Federation,[1] competing jointly with those nations at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.

[4] Key: *Athletes competed in heats only Texas Christian University runner Michael Frater ran for Jamaica in the men's 100 meters dash.

40 competitors progressed to quarterfinals from the qualifications; Michael Frater placed 9th, tying the United States' Tyson Gay and Portugal's Francis Obikwelu.

Born in Saint Catherine Parish in central Jamaica, Phillips had also participated in the athletics programs at George Mason University.

Born in Saint Andrew Parish, which lies to the north of the capital city of Kingston, Wignall has been affiliated with the Mizuno Track Club in Osaka, Japan.

He ranked higher than any other Jamaican, and below every American athlete participating in the event (Angelo Taylor, Bershawn Jackson and Kerron Clement placed ahead of him).

Born in Trelawny Parish on Jamaica's northern shores, Chambers attended Florida State University and competed in Beijing at the age of 23 both in this event and in the men's 4 x 400 meters relay.

Born in the capital city of Kingston, Ayre attended Auburn University in Alabama and, at age 20, competed for Jamaica in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The Jamaican runner's heat was led by Kuwait's Mohammad Al-Azemi, Bahrain's Yusuf Saad Kamel, and the Netherlands' Robert Lathouwers, who tied for first (1:46.94).

Born in Spanish Town, the capital of the southeasterly Saint Catherine Parish, Maurice Smith was 27 years old at the time of his participation in the Beijing Olympics.

[27] The next event, long jump, Maurice Smith participated in the second heat and tied Estonia's Mikk Pahapill for 15th place with a distance of 7.04 meters.

[5][7] It also included 22-year-old Nesta Carter, who was born in Banana Ground in Manchester Parish and who participated in his first Olympics in this event,[32] and 27-year-old three-time Olympian and Northwestern University-affiliated athlete Dwight Thomas.

During this final race, Usain Bolt took Dwight Thomas' place, although Michael Frater, Asafa Powell, and Nesta Carter remained in the relay.

[34] On 25 January 2017 the Jamaican team were stripped of the gold medal place due to Nesta Carter testing positive for the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine.

During the semifinal (first) round, Jamaica's team included three athletes who had also competed in individual events: Michael Blackwood, Sanjay Ayre, and Ricardo Chambers.

[20][22][23] It also included Allodin Fothergill, a then 21-year-old athlete born in Saint Catherine Parish and from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore who participated in the Olympics for the first time in this relay.

[38] It exchanged Allodin Fothergill for Lansford Spence, an athlete who was born in Manchester Parish, attended Auburn University, and entered Beijing as a 25-year-old.

Born in the Waterhouse District of Kingston, Fraser had competed with the MVP Track and Field Club based in the city of her birth.

She was born in Saint Elizabeth Parish, which stretches far inland from most of Jamaica's southwestern coastline, and has been affiliated with the MVP Track and Field Club in the capital city of Kingston.

Foster-Hylton's Olympic career began with her participation in the women's 100 meters hurdles at the 2000 Sydney games, when she was 25 years old, and continued in the same event in Athens at age 29.

Born in Clark's Town, a small settlement in the inland reaches of Trelawny Parish, which lies on the north coast, Campbell-Brown was 18 during her Olympic debut in Sydney, where she was part of the silver medal-winning women's 4 x 100 meters relay.

She attended GC Foster College, which is located in the former Jamaican capital of Spanish Town, and participated in the Beijing Olympics at age 21.

She was born in Black River, a major Jamaican port that serves as the capital of Saint Elizabeth Parish, and took part in the MVP Track and Field Club based in Kingston.

Born in Jamaica, Stoddart was an athlete at the University of South Carolina in Columbia who participated in the women's 400 meters hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics at age 21.

The United States' Brittney Reese placed fifth behind Chelsea (6.76 meters), while Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare ranked ahead and won the bronze medal (6.91 seconds).

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and an athlete affiliated with Northeastern University in Boston, Northover participated for in Beijing at the age of 24.

She was born in Clarendon Parish, which lies in central Jamaica and stretches southwards to the island's southernmost point, and debuted at the 2000 Sydney Olympics by participating in the same event for the same country at age 26.

The two other heat competitors included Aleen Bailey, who was born in Islington, Saint Mary Parish on Jamaica's northeast coast and previously medaled gold in the women's 4 x 100 meters relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics at 23 years old;[72] and Sheri-Ann Brooks, who was born in Kingston and competed for the first time at an Olympics in the Jamaican 4 x 100 meters relay at Beijing at age 25.

Bobby-Gaye Wilkins was replaced by Rosemarie Whyte, who previously competed in the women's 400 meters individual event, placing seventh in its final round.